This is a very easy dessert to make in that the preparation for it is minimal and all the cooking is done in the oven. It is very much like a custard pie but lighter I find because of the corn flour. Bear in mind that you will need to make it a few hours in advance as it takes a long time to cool and firm up.
Traditionally, we sprinkle the tart with cinnamon to serve but here I flavoured the custard with vanilla and did not want to detract from the flavour of the accompanying rhubarb.
You only need to serve a small slice of this dessert and it goes beautifully with a quick compote of acidic fruit like rhubarb in this case. It would be excellent with apricots too!
Use a cake tin with a loose bottom. Anything from 20-26cm diameter will do. The galatopita will not be as high the bigger the tin and the cooking time will need to be adjusted also.
Ingredients (serves 10-12)
To line the cake tin
- 4-5 sheets of filo pastry
- 50g butter, melted
For the custard cream
- 1 Ltr full fat mill
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 100g butter
- 150g caster sugar
- 40g plain flour
- 75g corn flour
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- 3 tbsp demerara sugar
For the rhubarb
- 400g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 5cm batons
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick roughly cut into 2-3 pieces
Method
Put the rhubarb, sugar and broken cinnamon stick in an oven proof dish, mix well and leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160 0 C. Cover the dish and cook the rhubarb for 30-35 minutes until soft but still holding its shape.
Increase the temperature of the oven to 1800C.
Brush your cake tin with some melted butter all round. Line it with one sheet of filo pastry. Drizzle some of the melted butter with your pastry brush and continue until your filo has been used up. As the sheets are oblong in shape, alternate the way you layer them so that the tin is totally covered. Use a sharp knife to trim the filo all around the edge of your cake tin.
To make the custard, in a saucepan put the milk, flour, corn flour, eggs, sugar and salt and whisk. Continue whisking while you heat the milk and the cream starts thickening. Add the butter and continue stirring to incorporate fully.
So as not to taste the flour, the cream needs to be thoroughly cooked so when you see bubbles rise to the surface add the sugar and vanilla and continue cooking and stirring for a couple more minutes.
When the custard is fully cooked transfer into the cake tin. If the custard does not reach to the top of the filo, just turn the filo inwards and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake in the bottom half of the oven for approx. 40 minutes until the filo is golden brown and the galatopita cooked but still with a little wobble.
