Crystal, here's a site with a recipe & several pics of thiples.  Hope that's what you were looking for.

http://www.akiskitchen.ca/recipes_pastries/thiples/thiples_1.html

Eirini,

Gitana

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It does help very much!

Thanks Gitana!

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Everyone's recipes are different and vary slightly.  I'm not saying mine is any better than Gitanas, just posting how different families cook slightly differently.  It also gives options and vairety to those cooking. 

This is how my Yia Yia taught me to make baklava:

Baklava
Pre Heat to 300-325 depending on your oven

***NOTE***Don't open the fillo dough until you are absolutely ready to use it so it doesn't dry up.****

Ingredients

• 1 box fillo dough (I usually find this in the frozen pie area & it's sometimes called "puff pastry)
• 1 lb sliced plain almonds (coarsely ground)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of ground cloves

 ***for syrup***

• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup sugar
• juice of 1 lemmon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 good scoop of butter in a small bowl (melted for dough)

Preparing

mix almonds, cinnamon and cloves together in a bowl. Set aside

Butter your baking pan

Put your first layer of fillow down, butter, and put another layer. Repeat until you have 3 or 4 layers.

Now sprinkle a thin layer of the almond mixture with a spoon. A layer of fillo, butter and another layer, and then butter. (only 2 layers for the middle layers)

Sprinkle more almonds and then 2 more layers ***DON'T FORGET TO BUTTER BETWEEN*** Do this until the nuts are gone. Don't worry about fillo hanging over right now, just keep them buttered.

For your top layers of fillo do 3-4 buttering between again. Fold the edges like a package neatly, or as neatly as you can and butter the edges down. ***IMPORTANT***CUT BAKLAVA WITH A KNIFE INTO SQUARES ALL THE WAY TO BOTTOM BEFORE PUTTING IN OVEN!

Put in the oven for approx 45 min watching for brownness on the bottom.

Preparing Syrup
While it's baking last 15 min, mix sugar, honey, vanilla and lemmon juice with 1/2 cp water in a pot. Boil hard for 5 minutes. If any froth, remove when done boiling.

When baklava comes out of oven pour syrup over it very slowly and evenly so it seeps into the cut cracks. Use all of the syrup and pour it immdiately after it comes out of oven.

Refrigerate immediately (yes, it's ok while still hot) and then after it set, you can remove to room temp. (better room temp)

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Kourambiedes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup minced walnuts
• 3 T powdered sugar
  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy; beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and walnuts; mix well. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into crescents and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool; when cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Yields: 36 cookies

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Yield: 20 servings

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups  Milk
1 cup Fine semolina
3 1/2 tb Cornstarch
3 cup Granulated sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
6  Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla extract; opt
1 tb Butter
12 fillo sheets
3/4 cup Butter; melted & hot
1 cup Water
1 Lemon or orange (zest only)
2 tb brandy   (opt.)

  1.) In a heavy-bottomed, 3-quart saucepan, bring the milk gradually to a boil; do not allow it to scorch.

  2.)Meanwhile, sift the semolina,  cornstarch, 1 cup of the sugar, and salt together and gradually add to the boiling milk, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  Cook slowly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil, then remove from the heat.

  3.) Beat the eggs on high speed of an electric mixer. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating until very thick and fluffy,   about 10 minutes, then add the vanilla. Stirring constantly, add eggs to the hot pudding. Partially cover the pan and allow to cool. 

  4.) Butter a 9 x 12 x 3-inch baking pan and cover the bottom with 7 sheets of the filo, brushing butter generously between each and making sure that a few sheets come up the pan sides. Pour the custard into the pan over the filo. Cover with the 5 remaining sheets, brushing butter between each and on the surface. With the tip of a very sharp knife, score the top filo sheets into square or diamond shapes, being careful not to score as deeply as the custard.
 
  5.)  Bake on the center rack of a moderate (350 F) oven for 40 to  45 minutes, until crisp and golden chestnut in color and the custard is firm. Meanwhile, boil the remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar with the water and lemon or orange peel for 5 minutes. 

  6.)  Add the brandy , if desired, and set aside. Remove the galaktoboureko from the oven and set on a cake rack.  Spoon the hot syrup over the entire galaktoboureko, particularly the edges. Cool thoroughly before cutting and serving.  Refigerate.

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koo-tham-bee-yed-thes

with the emphasis on the "yed" part.

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Is everyone trying to make me fat?  Time to make baklava you devlish women!

Wendy

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Just keep in your mind that a Greek diet is one of the healthiest in the world!

We eat alot of fish and lean meats.  Alot of fruits and vegetables...and who could forget olive oil???  Compared to other cultural diets of the world, it's very healthy!

One of our drawbacks is our sauces can be very fatening. 

So eat!!  EAT!!!

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So I thought I would try something new...and took out some Atheno's phillo dough...and tried the recipe on the back, a chocolate Napolian.  It was horrible!  That will teach me to go outside of a traditional Greek recipe with phillo.

Wendy

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Returning from visiting her Mother in Greece, a friend brought back a very special treat her Mother used to make. (no it did not contravene quarantine) Candied Tomatoes.

These tomatoes were like glace fruit, ginger especially in syrup.

I asked my friend "how were they made".  She said that it was a very involved procedure. (so is glaceing) We discussed the method.

I was a bit taken aback though when she said that the tomatoes were soaked in water with 'asbestos' added, which apparently assisted the fruit to keep a crunchy type of texture when later boiled in the syrup.

I know asbestos is not a health problem if ingested(eaten) but if it were in powder form and Anthoula's Mother was happily sprinkling it onto the water, I'd be worried for her. I sure would not be using it that way.

I did mention to Anthoula the danger of the 'asbestos' and asked if it could be left out, to which she said, "no the tomatoes just don't have that little snap to the bite." 

I put up some glace fruit before Christmas but never tried tomatoes.

Doing that was long an involved. Boiling and reboiling the fruit. It took days but was worth it for the experience. I doubt if I would do it again. Whilst glace fruit is expensive to buy, it would still be cheaper than my time in doing the work to produce the end product.

Anyway they were very delicious as were the tomatoes and I would be intrigued to know if any of you are aware of this tomato sweet meat treat and if you know how this Greek woman would prepare them?

I might give them a go without the asbestos and see what I come up with.    The type of tomato was the Roma or oval shaped.

Cheers for now, 

Mimmim 

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• 120 gr flour
• 225 ml water
• 2 spoons honey
• Oil for frying
• 1 spoon (15 gr) baked sesame seeds

Mix the flour, the water and one spoon of honey and make a dough. Heat 2 spoons oil in a frying pan and pour ¼ of the mixture. When it thickens turn it upside down 2 -3 times to fry it in both sides. Prepare 3 more fritters following the given instructions. Serve them hot, pour over the rest of the honey and dredge sesame seeds over them.

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