I’ve never been a ruffle kind of girl, even when I was younger. I’ve always preferred no frills, but for this Ruffled Custard Pie, I will make an exception. This is inspired by Galatopita, a Custard Pie originally from Greece and Patsavouropita , (Rag Pie) and which has been happily adopted by me, here in Australia. The pretty confection is made of crisp phyllo pastry that forms the ‘ruffles’ on the top with the creamy custard bottom and burst of berries in between. So simple to make from accessible ingredients and yet an impressive show-stopper.

The phyllo pastry dates back from the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul and is now used in baklava, the Greek pie spanakopita and even the well loved Apple Strudel. Phyllo pastry sheets are super thin and hence tricky to make, so luckily these are available in the frozen aisle of your favourite supermarket. While it is known to be hard to handle, you don’t have to worry about it here in this recipe. In this case, cracks and tears in the pastry is part of the charm. And once you’ve practiced your phyllo pastry handling skills with the Ruffled Custard Pie, then it’s time for you to make another favourite , Baklava.

What you need to make Ruffled Custard Pie

Ruffled Pie — Ruffled Custard Pie studded with Berries (Pie dish from Spode; Nappery from Lucy King Designs)

Phyllo Sheets – These are available fresh or frozen. If you get them frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight. Work with one sheet at a time. Have a barely damp kitchen towel to cover the rest sheets while you’re preparing one of the pastry so it doesn’t dry out.
From the Fridge and Pantry – Butter,Milk,Cream,Eggs,Caster,Sugar,Vanilla,Zest of one Orange,Cinnamon and Icing Sugar for dusting.
A 23cm diameter x 2.5 cm pie plate or similar volume.

Easy does it…

Ruffle Pie How to — Line Pie Plate with 2 sheets of Phyllo Pastry, place berries on top. Pinch and fold the rest of the pastry into horseshoe shapes and nestle on top of the berries.

Make the Pastry Base and Topping

Brush the pie plate generously with melted butter. Place one sheet of pastry on a flat surface, then brush with melted butter. Line the pie plate with the sheet of buttered pastry. Repeat with another sheet of pastry. If your pie plate is round, there will be overhang of pastry on the edges. Fold and pinch pastry edges over for a neat finish.
If using berries or choc chips scatter them over the layer of pastry on the pie plate.
Remember to work with 1 sheet of phyllo pastry at a time, keeping the rest covered with a barely damp tea towel.
Lay one sheet, then gently brush with melted using a pastry brush. Use your fingers to fold and pleat the pastry starting from the long side , into a strip about 2.5 cm thick. It does not have to be perfect, the more rough edges, the more ruffles. Coil this into a circle and place in the centre of the pie plate on top of the berries. Brush another sheet of pastry with butter, fold and pleat to make a strip and coil this around the first circle to make a bigger circle. Refer photo.

Ruffle Pie — Starting to look like a ray of sunshine!

Brush another sheet of phyllo with butter, fold and pleat starting from the long side to make a strip and then fold the two ends of the strip towards the middle to form a horseshoe shape(heart shaped?). Place around the circle with the pointy smaller end towards the middle. Repeat until all the sheets are used up and the whole pie plate is filled up.
Brush the tops with more melted butter, then bake in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the top is golden. Set aside to cool down for about 15 minutes.

Custard Filling

While waiting for the pastry base to cool, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, zest, vanilla for the custard, until smooth. There’s no need to pre-cook the custard.
Pour the custard mix evenly over the cooled down phyllo. If desired, place more berries in between the nooks and crannies of the pastry. Bake for another 15 to20 minutes by which time the custard will be just set.

Set aside to cool, and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Options and More..,

Use fresh berries when in season, frozen berries works just as well, as I did in the photo.
A handful of choc chips instead of berries added at the bottom of the pie if you love chocolate.
Add sliced almonds or pistachios on top after adding the custard for a bit of crunch.
Dust with cinnamon or cardamom in addition to icing sugar for a more exotic flavour.
Serve with a scoop of your favourite ice cream.