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Eleni’s Cypriot Anarotourta – Greek Ricotta, Honey and Fillo Cake Recipe
Eleni from @myfamilysfooddiary has graciously shared her recipe for Anarotourta for Meri Month of May. A layered dessert of cinnamon-spiced, crispy, golden-brown fillo flakes that sandwich honey-sweetened ricotta. How tempting does that sound?
This is a traditional Cypriot-Greek dessert and is one of Eleni’s favourite childhood sweets. As a young girl, whenever Eleni was invited to a birthday celebration in Cyprus, she would hope that this dessert would be there!
Make it this weekend for your next get-together!!!
All photographs supplied by @myfamilysfooddiary
Eleni's Cypriot Anarotourta - Greek Ricotta, Honey and Fillo Cake Recipe
A layered dessert of cinnamon-spiced, crispy, golden-brown fillo flakes that sandwich honey-sweetened ricotta.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 600 ml thickened cream
- 1.5 kg fresh ricotta
- 200 g honey or 100-150g caster sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 2 tsp rosewater
For the fillo layers
- 10 fillo sheets
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp icing sugar
For the toppings
- ¼ cup walnuts, coarsely ground
- Honey
Instructions
Preparing the filling
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Beat the thickened cream until soft peaks form, then set aside
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In a separate bowl combine the remaining filling ingredients well
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Gently fold the cream into the ricotta mixture
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Place the filling mixture in the fridge for about an hour, so it can firm up and the flavours can develop
Preparing the fillo
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· Preheat the oven to 180°C· Take out 10 fillo sheets setthem aside covered with a damp towel· Place a single fillo sheet flaton a baking tray and put it in the oven – bake until golden brown and then setaside on a cooling rack · Keep repeating this processwith the remaining fillo sheets· When all the fillo sheets arebaked and cooled, crush them coarsely in a bowl· Add the icing sugar andcinnamon to the bowl and combine well
Assembling the anarotourta
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Spread half of the crushed fillo mixture evenly across a deep baking/serving dish (approximately 20 x 25 x 4cm)
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Add all of the ricotta mixture on top, smoothing it out evenly
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Sprinkle the remaining fillo mixture on top of the ricotta
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Top with crushed walnuts and a generous drizzle of honey
Serving the anarotourta
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Serve immediately
Kali Orexi!
Key Points
- Be mindful not to burn the fillo – keep a close eye on it while it’s baking/browning.
- If the ricotta you use is firm and dry, you will need to use all of the thickened cream. If your ricotta is soft and moist, you will need less of the thickened cream. As you are folding the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture, use your judgement and add a enough to soften the mixture, but not make it wet. If the filling mixture is too wet, it will soften the fillo excessively
- If you wish to make the anarotourta ahead of time you can easily do all the steps from the day before except from the assembly. Store the crushed fillo in a sealed container in a dry place e.g. pantry and the ricotta filling in the fridge. If the ricotta is a bit too firm to spread the next day, you can add a small splash of milk to the mix before spreading.