Greek Honey Pastry with Manouri Cheese Recipe: A Delicious Dessert from Greece
Tuck into a scrumptious Greek dessert sensation with Melopita, a honey pie infused with manouri cheese, promising a sweet and tangy delight! This traditional treat is easily prepared with common ingredients (manouri cheese is just a cheese-flavored wild card).
While traditional recipes may call for fresh, unsalted myzithra cheese or whole-milk ricotta, we discovered manouri - another Greek cheese, fresh, lightly salted, and easily found at some supermarkets, cheese shops, or Greek grocers - perfectly blends with the sweet honey and lemony crust.
This recipe was a star from our Greek Easter Celebration menu.
- Servings: Approximately 8
- Difficulty Level: A cinch
- Preparation Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes (15 minutes active)
Ingredients (12)
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Crust ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
Filling ingredients:
- 1 pound manouri cheese, diced
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup clover honey
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds```
Instructions (Simplified)
- Prepare the crust: Mix melted butter, sugar, lemon zest, salt, and flour in a bowl until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake the crust until golden brown (around 20-25 minutes at 350°F).
- Prepare the filling: In a food processor, blend manouri cheese, eggs, honey, lemon zest, cinnamon, and process until it resembles softened cream cheese. Spread the filling in the warm tart shell, sprinkle with almonds, and bake until the center is just set (about 25-30 minutes). Let it cool completely before serving.
Insights:
- Struggling to find Manouri cheese in the United States? Try Greek specialty shops, high-end cheese shops, online retailers, and specialty food stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. Call ahead or check websites to confirm availability since inventory can change frequently. Alternatively, you can explore substitutes like fresh farmer's cheese, whole-milk ricotta, or even mascarpone cheese.
- The filling of this traditional Greek dessert, Melopita, is made with manouri cheese, which can be easily found at some supermarkets, cheese shops, or Greek grocers.
- Following the recipe, after baking the crust, spread the filling made of manouri cheese, eggs, honey, lemon zest, cinnamon, and toasted sliced almonds on the warm tart shell.
- This honey pie with manouri cheese and a lemony crust was a star on our Greek Easter Celebration menu, with each serving offering a sweet and tangy delight.
