Qumështor

Ingredients

Custard

• 1.5 litreswhole milk
• 6large eggs
• 200 gcaster sugar
• 120 gplain flour, or 100 g fine semolina
• 80 gunsalted butter, melted
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 pinchfine salt
• grated zest of 1 lemon, optional

For the tray and top

• 20 gbutter, for greasing
• 3 tbspcaster sugar
• 1 tspground cinnamon, optional

Directions

1. Butter a 30 by 22 cm metal or earthenware tray generously, right into the corners.
2. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt for 2 minutes until pale and slightly thickened, then whisk in the flour or semolina until completely smooth.
3. Warm 500 ml of the milk until it steams and pour it into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking hard, so the eggs temper rather than scramble.
4. Whisk in the remaining cold milk, the melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest. The batter will be very thin, like pouring cream; that is correct.
5. Strain it through a sieve straight into the tray, catching any threads of cooked egg, and let it settle for 5 minutes.
6. Bake at 170°C (350°F) fan for 60 to 70 minutes. Do not open the door for the first 40 minutes or the surface will not set into its characteristic skin.
7. It is done when the top is evenly browned and freckled, the custard is set to a gentle wobble in the middle, and a knife inserted 2 cm from the edge comes out clean.
8. Dust the hot surface with the caster sugar and cinnamon, cool completely in the tray for at least 3 hours, and cut into squares. It is eaten cool, never warm.

Technique

• Qumështor means made of milk, and it is a flour-thickened baked custard rather than a pastry. Elbasan is its home and it is a fixture of Lent and Easter tables.
• The flour is what lets it be cut in slices. A pure egg custard at this depth would collapse the moment it left the tray.
• Long, moderate baking is the point. Too hot and the top domes and cracks while the middle stays liquid; 170°C (350°F) for over an hour gives an even set and the burnished skin.

Substitutions

• Fine semolina in place of flour gives a slightly grainier, more traditional Elbasan texture and a firmer cut.
• For a richer version, replace 300 ml of the milk with single cream and drop the butter to 50 g.

Variations

• Some families scatter the top with cinnamon only, and others with icing sugar and grated lemon zest.
• A Tirana version bakes it in a shallower tray for 45 minutes, giving thinner, creamier slices.

History

An Albanian Easter and Bajram custard baked in a tray; the name comes from qumësht, meaning milk.

Frequently asked questions

What is Qumështor?

Qumështor is a dessert from Albania: baked milk-and-egg custard slice dusted with sugar. An Albanian Easter and Bajram custard baked in a tray; the name comes from qumësht, meaning milk.

How long does Qumështor take to make?

Qumështor takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 10 min plus cooling of cooking. The recipe makes 1 tray, 12 squares. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Qumështor?

Yes, within limits. Fine semolina in place of flour gives a slightly grainier, more traditional Elbasan texture and a firmer cut. For a richer version, replace 300 ml of the milk with single cream and drop the butter to 50 g.

What is the most important thing to get right in Qumështor?

Warm 500 ml of the milk until it steams and pour it into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking hard, so the eggs temper rather than scramble.