Kalitsounia: Sweet Cretan Cheese Pie
Lets dive into the flavors of Crete with a traditional recipe for Kalitsounia, also known as Lixnarakia . These delightful little pastries are a hallmark of Cretan cuisine, offering a delicious blend of sweet and savory flavors wrapped in a flaky pastry shell.
Enjoy this traditional kalitsounia recipe by Greek celebrity chef Giorgos Tsoulis.
Kalitsounia: Sweet Cretan Cheese Pie
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 450 g soft flour
- 40 g granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 medium egg
- 185 ml full fat milk
- 60 ml sunflower oil
- 1 egg yolk diluted with a little water, for egg wash
- ground cinnamon for sprinkling
For the filling:
- 180 g Greek feta cheese crumbled
- 180 g sweet Greek mizithra cheese grated
- 1 medium egg
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp mastic crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180° C/ 356° F, fan.
For the dough:
- Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, egg, milk and sunflower oil in a mixer bowl. Beat on high speed with the whisk attachment until you create a smooth, soft dough. When ready, remove the dough and wrap in cellophane. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the filling:
- Place all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
- When the dough is ready, dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll the dough out to about 0.3 cm (1/8 inch) thick.
- Using a 10 cm (4-inch) round dough cutter or a glass, cut the dough into circles.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons of filling in the center of each circle of dough and pinch the border to create pleats. When ready, transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the pies with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes.
- When ready, allow the kalitsounia to cool for 5-10 minutes, then sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
Notes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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