An exciting twist on this classic, traditional dessert!
Serves: 9
Prep & Cook: 1 hour, 15 mins
Ingredients
- 75g unsalted butter, melted
- 8 sheets filo pastry
- 1 cup walnuts (100g), toasted
- ½ cup blanched almonds (85g), toasted
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
HONEY SYRUP
- ²⁄³ cup caster sugar
- ½ cup honey
CUSTARD
- 2½ cups milk
- ½ cup thickened cream
- ¼ cup custard powder
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsps vanilla bean paste
- 2 tsps powdered gelatine
Method
1. Grease a 20cm square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above pan edges. Brush paper with melted butter.
2. Layer pastry sheets together, brushing in between each sheet with butter. Cut in half crossways to give two rectangles. Trim
each to a width of 20cm.
3. Lift one piece into prepared pan, pressing to cover base and two opposite sides. Brush with butter. Repeat lining pan with remaining piece of pastry at the opposite angle to cover base and the remaining sides. Brush pastry with butter.
4. Line pastry case with a piece of baking paper. Fill with dried beans or rice.
5. Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for 20 minutes, or until light golden around edges. Remove paper and beans. Return pan to oven for 5 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Remove. Cool. If pastry puffs, press down with a clean tea towel.
6. To make syrup, dissolve sugar and honey in ½ cup water in
a medium saucepan, stirring, over a medium heat. Bring to boil. Gently boil for about 15 minutes until a thick syrup forms (should measure 1 cup). Remove. Cool for 15 minutes.
7. Process nuts and cinnamon in a food processor until finely chopped. Place into a bowl. Stir in ½ cup of the syrup. Spread over pastry base. Cover remaining syrup.
8. To make custard, stir milk and cream in a medium saucepan over heat until hot. Whisk custard powder, sugar, yolks and paste in a large bowl until combined. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return to same saucepan. Cook, stirring, until custard boils and thickens. Remove from heat.
9. Sprinkle gelatine over 2 tblsps water in a heatproof jug. Sit jug in a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until gelatine is dissolved. Whisk into hot custard.
10. Pour custard into pastry case. Cover loosely with a piece of baking paper. Cool for 20 minutes. Cover. Refrigerate overnight.
11. To serve, use the baking paper to lift slice from pan. Spoon over remaining syrup. Cut into squares.
TIP: To toast walnuts and almonds, spread over an oven tray. Cook in a moderate oven (180C) for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and cool.
