Everyone will love this spectacular dessert, which offers a creative take on the traditional Greek favourite.
Ingredients
- Melted butter, to grease
- 10 sheets filo pastry (Pampas brand), halved crossways
- 80g butter, melted
- 60g (1/2 cup) walnut pieces, finely chopped
- 45g (1/4 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
- 60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
- 60ml (1/4 cup) water
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso coffee granules
- 125g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
- 2 eggs, separated
- 80g (1/3 cup) caster sugar, extra
- 1 x 250g container mascarpone
Method
- Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a square 20cm (base measurement) cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Line 3 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
- Step 2Lay filo on a clean work surface. Cover with a dry tea towel, then a damp tea towel (this will prevent it drying out). Brush 1 filo sheet with a little of the melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with about 1 teaspoon of the walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon of the brown sugar. Place another filo sheet on top, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar as before. Repeat until the stack has 4 layers. Make 4 more filo stacks with remaining filo, butter, walnuts and sugar. Trim each stack to a 20cm square. Place stacks on lined trays and bake, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Step 3Meanwhile, combine the caster sugar, water and coffee in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Boil, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
- Step 4Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water), stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Beat the egg yolks and 60g (1/4 cup) of the extra caster sugar with an electric beater until pale and creamy. Add the melted chocolate and mascarpone and stir with a whisk until well combined. Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites and remaining sugar in a medium bowl until firm peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture, in 2 batches, until just combined.
- Step 5Line cake pan with 1 filo square and brush with a little coffee syrup. Spoon a quarter of the chocolate mixture over the filo and smooth the surface with the back of the spoon. Top with another filo square, coffee syrup and chocolate mixture. Continue layering, finishing with a filo square. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 3 hours or until set. Cut into squares to serve.
- Low sodium
- Lower gi
- Vegetarian
Nutrition
1047 kj
Energy
16g
Fat Total
9g
Saturated Fat
4g
Protein
116.99mg
Sodium
16g
Carbs (sugar)
22g
Carbs (total)
All nutrition values are per serve
Notes
Prep: 20 mins (+ 3 hours setting time) Top tips: To get the best results from filo, you need to brush every sheet with butter or oil when layering. For a low-fat option, try brushing every second sheet or use an oil spray to achieve a lighter coverage. It’s important to keep filo pastry covered as you work to prevent it from drying out. To keep it moist, cover filo with a clean tea towel, then a damp clean tea towel.
- Author: Sarah Hobbs
- Image credit: John Paul Urizar
- Publication: Australian Good Taste
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