Ruffled Milk Pie

This is one of my favorite recipes. The result is so impressive and yet the technique is quite simple. You really can’t mess it up. It involves scrunching up layers of phyllo and coiling them into a round pan. If you tear the sheets a bit, that’s okay. It will still look beautiful. Then a simple custard is poured over the baked phyllo base and baked again. The result is a crispy, layered top with a tender eggy base. Watch my how-to video here.

Milk Ruffled Pie
Adapted for 10″ pan from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

About 4 tablespoons clarified butter, melted
8 sheets store-bought phyllo
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 10-inch round cake pan with some of the clarified butter; set aside.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on work surface with one long side parallel to edge of work surface. Using your hands, loosely ruffle phyllo by pushing short sides toward one another to create a long cylindrical shape. Place upright in center of prepared cake pan, creating a spiral. Repeat process with remaining sheets, continuing spiral outward until bottom of pan is covered.

Using a pastry brush, brush remaining clarified butter all over phyllo in pan; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in a medium saucepan until it just barely begins to boil; remove from heat. Whisk together eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add heated milk, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly; whisk in vanilla.

Spoon milk mixture over baked phyllo, evenly covering surface. Return pan to oven and bake until filling has set, 25 to 30 minutes more. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon; serve immediately.