Galaktoboureko: Greek Custard Pie

1. Preheat oven to 170° C (338° F) Fan.

For the syrup:

1. Place a pot over medium heat. Add the water, sugar, lemon and cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set it aside to cool completely.

For the kataifi phyllo:

1. Pull the kataifi phyllo dough apart with your hands. Transfer to a large bowl and add the butter. Mix thoroughly with your hands, to make sure all the phyllo is coated in butter.
2. Line a 20 cm/ 8-inch round baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Add another two sheets of parchment 7 cm (3 inch) wide. Place them in the baking pan in a criss-cross manner. These parchment sheets will help you unmold the pie easily.
3. Spread most of the buttered kataifi phyllo nicely on the bottom and sides of the baking pan. Reserve a little for covering the filling later on in the recipe. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the custard:

1. Place a deep pot over medium heat. Add the milk and 100 g (1/2 cup) of the sugar and allow them to heat.
2. In the meantime, in a large bowl, add the remaining 100 g (1/2 cup) of sugar, along with the eggs, semolina and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand whisk, until the mixture turns white.
3. When the milk mixture has heated, remove from the heat and use a ladle to gradually add it to the bowl with the eggs, while whisking continuously. When the egg mixture has become hot, add all of the milk mixture at once and whisk.
4. Transfer the contents of the bowl back to the pot and place over medium heat. Whisk until the custard thickens. When ready, remove from the heat, add the butter, and whisk until the butter melts.

To assemble:

1. Remove the baking pan with the kataifi phyllo from refrigerator. Pour the custard over it evenly, cover with the remaining kataifi phyllo and press down on the border to seal the filling.
2. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the kataifi phyllo is golden and crunchy.
3. When ready, remove from oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over the pie. Allow it to cool completely and use the overhanging parchment sheets to unmold. Cut into pieces and serve.