How to make
Start off with the preparation of the cream, so that it can cool a bit while the filo pastry sheets are being prepared.
Pour the milk, half of the sugar, the mastic, the vanilla and the whole pieces of lemon peel into the saucepan. Leave it on a moderate heat until it reaches a boiling point. Meanwhile, mix the semolina and sugar, this will help prevent them from becoming lumpy during the boiling process.
Remove the lemon peel and pour the semolina in the hot milk along with the sugar and the finely grated lemon peel, stir at all times until a thick cream is obtained, about 3-4 minutes. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Oven 360°F (180 degrees).
Flat baking pan covered with baking paper.
The butter is melted. The filo pastry sheets are opened up and you're going to need 6 of them. The first filo pastry sheet is placed in the tray and sprinkled on top with a spoonful of butter. Sprinkle it with some sugar. It is covered with a second sheet, also sprinkled everywhere with butter, followed by a little sugar, a third sheet - butter, sugar and so on until the 5th filo pastry sheet.
The sixth sheet is spread with butter on one side only and the other is placed on top - a rectangle is obtained. Only on one side, top or bottom, grease it with butter and fold it. This rectangle is placed in the center of the filo pastry in the tray.
Pour the whole cream on top of the rectangle, lightly spread it with a spatula so that it does not sit in a pile right in the middle and wrap it with the filo pastry sheets that are on the side and before that they are greased.
If by chance it is not possible to cover or tear the filo pastry sheets, it is quite possible to place only one sheet on top, by tucking its edges inwards under all of the other sheets with the help of a spatula. Pour the remaining butter on top.
Bake it at 360°F (180 degrees) for about 30 minutes or until a nice golden tan is aquired. Allow it to cool, sprinkle it with powdered sugar and cinnamon and cut it into narrow rectangular pieces.
This is another sweet version, apart from Feta and Ricotta cheese, of this wonderful Greek Bougatsa Filo Pastry Pie, which we have tried many times in Thessaloniki or especially in Serres and not only there - it can be found all over Greece.
The result is a wonderful dessert, crunchy, with a lemon aroma, butter and vanilla and is full of soft fine cream. It is extremely easy to prepare and always turns out wonderful.
