Fun with Phyllo

If you have never cooked with phyllo dough, it can be quite intimidating, but really you can't mess it up too much. Once it's cooked, it's flaky and buttery, so of course it's delicious! I made these two recipes from ingredients that are great together. For each one,  the method was pretty much the same, just with different fillings.

Filling #1: Brie and Cranberry Phyllo Puffs

When I was in England, I was introduced to brie and cranberry sandwiches. The combination of the sweet cranberry and the smooth texture of the cheese is amazing on a crusty baguette, and just as tasty in buttery flaky pastry.

Filling #1 Brie and cranberry

I cut a small piece of brie cheese and laid it onto the dough. Then I topped the cheese with a bit less than a teaspoon of canned whole cranberry sauce.



Filling #2:  Pumpkin Phyllo Puffs

Pumpkin Butter is an amazing find from Trader Joe's! It used to be only available during the holidays, but now they have it year round in the jam/jelly section. Most of the time I just eat it on toast with goat cheese. So I was excited when I came up with this recipe so that I can use more of the yummy pumpkin butter.

Filling #2 Pumpkin Cream Cheese
I combined about 4oz (half a box) of cream cheese with about 1/2 cup of Pumpkin Butter. Whisk to make a smooth mixture. I used a little less than 1 tbsp for each triangle.

Assembly directions for Phyllo Puffs

Prep your workspace:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over the stove.. I used about 1 stick for half a box of phyllo dough (which is enough for one of these recipes)

2. Lay out the phyllo dough on the counter with a damp cloth or plastic wrap on top. This prevents it from drying out.

3. Line a cutting board or the counter with wax paper to build your masterpieces on. Also line your cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper so you don't have to wash them at the end.

Build your masterpieces:

1. Carefully lift one sheet of phyllo dough ( yes it's thin like paper) onto your wax papered cutting board. Brush on a layer of butter all over the one sheet.

2. Next, carefully take a 2nd sheet of dough and place it directly on top of the first one that has been buttered. Repeat the buttering.

3. Repeat until you have 4 buttered layers of dough stacked together.

4. Take a sharp straightedge knife, and cut the dough lengthwise into 3 strips about 2-3 in wide.(In the picture you will see I cut 4 strips along the width of the dough. It really doesn't matter, but after doing it that way, I realized you get longer pieced to fold if you do it lengthwise.)

5. Add the filling to one end of the strip of dough. Begin folding the triangle, carefully sealing the edges. If there is not enough butter to seal edges, add more. Keep folding until you have a nice enclosed triangle. Lay it on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have used all your phyllo dough. 

6. Bake at 350* for about 10-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on these since they can brown quickly and if not sealed properly can leak filling which can burn.

7. Let them cool a bit before serving and Enjoy!

Hints:
* Don't spend more money than you need to for a pastry brush. Buy some cheap wood handled paint brushes from the hardware store to use in the kitchen for brushing butter on phyllo dough, basting meats with barbeque sauce, etc.

*Use any of your favorite ingredients for fillings, following the same method. 

Apple Turnover Toast

This is one of my favorite breakfasts or nighttime snacks.  It still gives you a similar taste of an apple turnover, but it is healthier than the original, so you can feel good about eating it!

What you need:

1 half an apple

1/4 cup -fat cottage cheese

1 slice of whole wheat toast

Cinnamon and sugar

What you do:

1. Toast your bread.  While that is toasting, dice the apple into small squares. 

2. Once the bread is toasted, let it cool for a minute. Spread the cottage cheese evenly over the toast.  

3. Next, add a layer of apples and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Enjoy!

Caprese Salad Kabobs

Caprese salad is traditionally tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes they are made into stacks or fanned out alternating on a plate . I decided to make mine into kabobs. This makes them easy to prepare ahead of time for guests, does not require utensils, and they are pretty.

What to use:
wooden skewers
marinated fresh mozzarella cheese
grape tomatoes
fresh basil


What to do:
1. Prep the tomatoes and basil by washing them both. Pat dry the basil leaves with a towel so get the moisture off it it. Pick some of the small leaves and put aside for the kabobs or tear the larger leaves into smaller pieces. I also dumped the cheese into a strainer to drain them of the marinade.
2. Decide on a pattern for your kabobs, or just make them random. But a pattern helps with an assembly line. I started with 2 tomatoes on each one, then basil, cheese, basil, and 2 more tomatoes.

3. I made about 20-22 skewers from the one container of cheese, so I did have basil and tomatoes left over. When I was finished I chopped off the pointy end of the skewer, or you can use kitchen scissors.
4. Arrange them on a platter, and before serving drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar if you'd like. It adds a great flavor!

Tips:
*I used the mini mozzarella balls, since they are easy to skewer and less work. You could easily buy a larger piece of fresh mozzarella in water and cut in into cubes.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Mmmm yum! I love these sandwiches! Quick, easy, and can be made the night before . My mom got this recipe from my god-mother and used to make these as hors d' oeuvres for company on little rye breads, but I prefer a regular sized sandwich for lunchtime.

What to use:

1/3 Less fat cream cheese (also called Neufchâtel cheese)
Packet of Italian dressing seasoning mix
Dried dill
Dried celery seeds
Cucumber
Bread slices of your choice (I had whole wheat)

What to do:
1. Peel and slice the cucumber-about 1/2 fits nicely on regular sandwich bread.

2. In a bowl, spoon in some cream cheese, however much you feel should cover your sandwich-I used about 2-3 tablespoons. Add a few shakes of the dill and celery seed, and about a dime sized amount of Italian seasoning mix (for this amount of cream cheese). Mix it well to combine. Here you need to taste it to see if it needs more of something. If you feel you put too much seasoning, add more cream cheese.

3. Next, spread the cream cheese mixture on both sides of the bread, so that the cucumbers have something to hold on to. Lay the cucumber slices on top of the cream cheese filling up each side. Then sprinkle more dill all over the two sides.

4. Put one slice on top of the other and cut in half to enjoy! If you are making this the night before, wrap in plastic or foil and refrigerate.