Galatopita

Serves: 12-14
Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus cooling time

Ingredients:

• 8 cups/2000 ml dairy milk
• 2 cups/500 g fine semolina flour
• 2 cups/500 g raw sugar
• ½ cup/125 g butter (or 1 standard US stick) at room temperature
• 6 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod

Directions:

• In a bowl, beat all six eggs well and set them aside.
• Preheat the oven at 350 °F/180 °C.
• Scrape the vanilla pod (see method below). Add both the seeds and the pod to the milk and warm it up in a large pot, over medium heat.
• When the milk is warm enough, take out the vanilla pod, add the butter (cut into pieces), sugar, and semolina flour. Use a large whisk to stir the mixture non-stop, but gently, while waiting for the pudding to thicken. (If you don’t, it will become lumpy and stick to the bottom of the pot!)
• As soon as it starts thickening, take the pot off the heat and slowly whisk in the beaten eggs until they are well incorporated.
• Pour the mixture in a deep (at least 2”), non-stick or well-buttered 13” X 18” baking tray.
• Place on the middle rack and bake for an hour at 350 °F/180 °C.
• Take the pie out of the oven and let it cool down completely. (You can also chill it for a couple of hours.)
• Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon, or cocoa powder. Cut up and serve!

How to scrape out the vanilla seeds:

Working with one half at a time, hold down the tip of the bean against the cutting board. Use the dull side of your paring knife—not the sharp!—and scrape the vanilla seeds from the skin. Move from the tip of the pod, while also holding it from there, and scrape down the entire length. Use the seeds immediately (scrape as soon as the recipe asks you to add the seeds and mix them right into the rest of the ingredients). Don’t throw away the empty vanilla pod!