Greek Floral Bougatsa

Written By Nasim Lahbichi

An Orange Blossom Bougatsa inspired by the Piscean. A pastry looks ethereal and transcends you to a different planet with every bite. As a Pisces, it’s layered and complex, with the most delicate and effervescent cream filling underneath.

THE PISCEAN PLAYLIST IS O-FISHIALLY HERE !!

Greek Floral Bougatsa

Yield: serves 8

Time: 1 hour (+ cool time overnight)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups oat milk (or soy milk, we want a thicker milk unlike almond which tends to be thin and runny)

  • 1/2 cup tahini

  • 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/3 cup fine semolina flour

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 package of phyllo dough sheets

  • 4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • Confectioners Sugar, to garnish

  • edible flowers, to garnish

Directions

  1. Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the phyllo dough from the fridge or freezer to help bring it to room temperature.

  2. In a bowl, whisk together your room temperature milk, tahini, orange blossom water, salt, and sugar until combined. Sift in the cornstarch while whisking until thoroughly incorporated.

  3. Heat a non-stick pot over medium heat and pour your mixture in. Continuously stir your cream filling over medium heat until it begins to thicken. The cream should stick to the back of your spoon/spatula eventually.

  4. Once thickened, stir in the 1/3 cup of semolina flour and continue to stir until incorporated. If the cream thickens too much (which can happen due to how much liquid semolina flour can absorb), gradually add 1/4 cup of milk in at a time until the pastry cream-like consistency comes back to fruition.

  5. Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter into the cream and stir until melted and incorporated. Remove from heat and quickly pour the cream mixture through a sieve into a bowl. I like to use a back and forth motion using a spatula to help the cream move smoothly through the sieve.

  6. Once in the bowl, tap the bowl a couple of times on the counter to help remove any air pockets that may be living underneath. Cover with plastic wrap and ensure that the plastic wrap touches the surface of the cream (this will help mitigate any chance of a film-forming over the cream). Refrigerate while we prepare the pan.

  7. Heat 4 to 6 tablespoons of butter in the microwave or on the stove. Grab a 9” springform pan and grease all sides of the pan.

  8. Unroll the phyllo dough from its packaging. Gently place 1 large sheet over the pan and lightly pack the sheet into the pan, ensuring that the first layer has parts of the sheet that remain over the rim of the springform pan. Sprinkle (don’t brush) the butter over it.

  9. Rotate the pan 180 degrees, grab another sheet and place a full sheet over and into the pan like the first one. Sprinkle (don’t brush) the butter again and after every other piece of phyllo dough that is added. Grab an additional 3 to 4 sheets of phyllo dough and place them into the pan by scrunching them together. Sprinkle butter throughout this process.

  10. Gently tip the cream mixture into the pan. Then, cover the filling with 4 to 5 phyllo sheets, sprinkling each sheet with melted butter. I prefer to place 1 sheet over the filling, leaving some part of the sheet over the rim of the pan and then ruffling the remaining 4 in the center.

  11. Lastly, cover the bougatsa with the pieces of phyllo sheets that hang over the rim. You want to ensure that the filling is fully covered. Sprinkle the top with melted butter and place it in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.

  12. Let cool for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator, but preferably overnight (I promise the wait is worth it). Garnish with a dreamy dusting of confectioners’ sugar, place edible flowers on top if you have them, and dive in(to Pisces Season).

Nasim Lahbichi