Greek - Copenhagen Pastry

butter

🥗Healthier: margarine

💰Cheaper: shortening

Margarine reduces saturated fat, while shortening is often less expensive.

almond paste

🥗Healthier: marzipan

💰Cheaper: homemade nut paste

Marzipan can be lighter in sugar, and homemade nut paste can save costs.

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: ricotta cheese

💰Cheaper: mascarpone

Ricotta is lower in fat, while mascarpone is often less expensive.

fruit preserves

🥗Healthier: fresh fruit

💰Cheaper: canned fruit

Fresh fruit is lower in sugar, while canned fruit can be more affordable.

Make syrup by combining sugar, water, and orange juice in a saucepan; cook over medium heat until boiling and sugar dissolves, then cool.

Melt unsalted butter in a saucepan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine unseasoned bread crumbs, ground walnuts, and toasted almonds.

Add baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, and ground cloves to the nut mixture and mix well.

Separate egg yolks and whites; beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then set aside.

In the same bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale; add vanilla extract and mix.

Fold nut mixture into egg yolk mixture, then gently fold in a third of the egg whites to lighten the batter before folding in the rest of the egg whites.

Prepare a 9 by 13 inch baking dish by greasing it with butter and layering 5 sheets of phyllo pastry, drizzling butter between each layer.

Fill the center with the nut meringue batter, then fold over the phyllo edges and layer remaining sheets on top, drizzling butter between each layer.

Score the top layers of phyllo with a sharp knife for easy slicing after baking.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens