Description
These Lemon and Blueberry Bougatsa Parcels are delightful Greek-inspired pastries featuring flaky fillo dough filled with a creamy lemon-scented semolina custard and fresh blueberries. Perfectly golden and dusted with icing sugar, they make an irresistible treat for breakfast, dessert, or afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Scale
Fillo Pastry & Butter
- 2 x 375g Antoniou Fillo Pastry sheets
- 200g unsalted butter, melted and clarified
Semolina Custard Filling
- 4 cups milk
- 2/3 cup fine semolina
- 2/3 cup caster sugar
- 50g cold unsalted butter
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 eggs
- 125g fresh or frozen blueberries
For Serving
- Icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Bring Fillo Pastry to Room Temperature: Remove the fillo pastry from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature in its packaging to prevent tearing while working.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Tray: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a baking tray with butter and line it with baking paper for easy removal and cleanup.
- Make Semolina Custard: In a pot over medium heat, whisk together milk, fine semolina, caster sugar, cold butter, and lemon zest continuously. Cook for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickens to a custard-like consistency, stirring constantly to avoid lumps and burning.
- Incorporate Eggs: Remove the pot from heat and quickly whisk in the eggs to the hot custard to prevent them from scrambling. Set the custard aside to cool before adding the blueberries.
- Add Blueberries: Once the custard has cooled slightly, gently fold in the fresh or frozen blueberries to evenly distribute.
- Assemble Parcels: Lay out 3 sheets of fillo pastry vertically, one on top of the other, brushing each sheet generously with melted butter. Spoon the custard mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry stack.
- Fold and Seal Parcels: Fold the bottom edge of the pastry over the custard, then fold in the sides to enclose the filling, finally folding over the top to create a sealed parcel. Carefully transfer each parcel to the prepared baking tray seam-side down.
- Brush with Butter and Bake: Brush the exterior of each parcel with more melted butter to encourage browning. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the parcels are golden and crisp.
- Serve: Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, dust generously with icing sugar, and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Bring fillo pastry to room temperature before handling to prevent cracking or tearing.
- Whisk the semolina custard continuously to avoid lumps and ensure a smooth texture.
- If using frozen blueberries, thaw and drain excess liquid to avoid making the custard watery.
- You can prepare the custard ahead of time and refrigerate it; just add blueberries before assembling.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat gently before serving.
- Brush the fillo pastry well with butter to achieve a golden, crispy finish.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 parcel (approx. 150g)
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
Keywords: Lemon bougatsa, blueberry bougatsa, Greek pastry, fillo parcels, semolina custard dessert, lemon blueberry dessert, bougatsa recipe
