Raspberry and Lemon Souffra
Delicate phyllo pastry arranged in a beautiful, delicate spiral, filled with a light custard and raspberry and pistacchio filling, make this adaptation of a classic Greek desert the perfect gift to bring to any summer garden party.
Ingredients
- 375 g Phyllo Pastry 8-10 sheets
- 500 ml mascarpone or double cream
- 150 g caster sugar
- 5 eggs (medium) or 4 (large)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Zest of 2 lemons
- 125 g fresh raspberries (blueberries or strawberries alternatively)
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted more for a richer taste
- Icing sugar, for dusting
- Pistachios or almonds, chopped optional
Instructions
- Line and grease a 20 cm (8 inch) cake pan.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan careful not to brown it and zest the lemon.
- Place the filo pastry on your worktop and cover gently with a damp cloth, to prevent the pastry from drying out and cracking.
- Take out 1 sheet of pastry and lay it lengthways on the worktop or a chopping board.
- Gently brush the pastry with a little of the melted butter.
- Ruffle up the pastry holding each end of the long side. Create a rosette and place this into the greased cake pan and repeat with the remaining pastry and more butter.
- Now, repeat the process with the rest of pastry sheets, place each one lengthwise around the center rosette until you filled the dish and have a large rosette and all sheets are used up.
- Brush the top of the pastry liberally, with the remaining butter and sprinkle with cinnamon (optional)
- Bake for approx.. 15-20 minutes at 180°C,
- While the pastry is cooking, place the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer
- In the meantime, place the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl and whisk well.
- Slowly pour in the hot milk while whisking the mixture until all the milk has been added.
- Remove the cake pan from the oven and pour over the egg custard mixture.
- Return to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes or until the custard sets.
- During this second bake, the souffra may rise, but it will settle back in place once removed from the oven.
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand for a few minutes.
- Garnish with raspberries and serve warm.