Phyllo Dough is Everything

Two easy recipes I made this week ✨

Apple Tartlet recipe below

If you're like me you've probably never bought phyllo dough. 

Phyllo dough is what makes the Greek dish, spanakopita - spinach and feta enclosed in phyllo - as well as the famous, baklava dessert in which phyllo is layered with nuts and spices, baked, then drizzled with honey.

When baked, phyllo dough puffs to flaky crisp layers so recipes made with phyllo have a unique crunch compared to other pre-packaged dough.

The word "phyllo" in Greek means leaf, so the name is perfect for a type of dough that has been stretched and pulled gently into sheets so thin they're almost like tissue.

Phyllo dough can be found at most grocery stores in the freezer section next to other doughs and pie crusts. You will likely see Puff Pastry and be tempted to go with this, but puff pastry is actually quite different and uses butter in-between each layer (think croissants) while phyllo dough has no butter so there is little fat.

If there is a Middle Eastern or Greek grocery store near you, they will likely have fresher products.

When it comes to what to make with phyllo dough, the sky is your limit. I found an article from the Washington Post from 1989 with this quote from San Francisco chef Marti Sousanis who wrote "The Art of Filo Cookbook"

"It's just like playing with clay. You can make of it what you will. Once you start playing with it you will see how easy it is to work with and you'll create your own fancy shapes,"

Last week I made both the Leek, White Bean, Artichoke, “Pot Pie” as well as the Apple Tartlets.

In the future I will try:

• Asparagus Tart

• Feta and Olive Phyllo Cigars

• Caramelized Zucchini Phyllo Pie

• Phyllo Pizza

• Pistachio Walnut Baklava

Once you have the phyllo dough, you must defrost it in the fridge overnight. The pros don’t recommend leaving it out to defrost as it can get too moist. Sadly that means no spontaneous phyllo recipes.

Hot Tip: While you are working with it, try to keep the dough covered. Because the sheets are so thin, the dough can dry out as you work. Place a sheet of plastic wrap or a slightly damp towel over the dough to keep it moist and pliable as you go. You will likely not use the whole box in your recipe so roll up the rest and save it for another experiment.

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Apple Tartlets ✨

As you know by now, my recipes are a bit flexible and can be adapted many ways.

You could really use any fruit here and can tweak the sugar mixture how you like. For a short video of me making this recipe, click here.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 small apples

• 1 lemon

• 3 Tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon + cardamom (optional)

• 1 tsp vanilla

• Thawed Phyllo Dough

• 4 Tbsp Butter (you might need more)

• Any jam you have in the fridge

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice your apples and place in a large bowl with lemon zest and lemon juice

2. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla

3. Melt your butter (don’t go over 30 seconds in microwave or it will explode)

4. I cut my phyllo dough in half because it was already breaking to make smaller tartlets instead of one big one.

5. To start, you take your first sheet of phyllo and brush with melted butter, stack another sheet on top and brush again until you get to 10 sheets of phyllo dough

6. Sprinkle your sugar mixture on top and arrange your apple slices

7. Mix 1 scoop of any jam you have with a splash of water and brush on top of the apples

8. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until browed.

Served with vanilla ice cream and tahini drizzle

Leek, White Bean and Artichoke “Pot Pie” ✨

This was an experiment and Theo seemed to love it so will become part of the rotation. You could certainly substitute many different vegetables here but needs a splash of milk or cream to make it saucy.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can white beans

• 1 can artichokes

• 1 leek

• 1/2 white onion

• Splash of milk

• Any cheese

• Phyllo Dough

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice your onion and leek and saute until translucent

2. Drain and rinse your beans and artichoke and add to pan

3. Once warmed up, add a splash of any milk or cream.

4. I shredded a mix of Manchego and Cheddar cheese and added to pan with salt and pepper.

5. Once melted, I transferred this mixture to a pie pan

6. Take 1 sheet of phyllo dough and crumple it up in your hand and place on top

7. Continue to crumple up sheets until the top is covered.

8. Brush with melted butter or olive oil

9. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until brown on top.

Not the cutest photo but you get the idea.

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Gems of the Week ✨

• New crop from Primary Beans. They just released some new varieties and I ordered them all. I will be working on a recipe for the Baby Butter beans next week!

• Sohla El Waylly’s book Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook - I just got this book after I heard her explain on

  Caroline Chambers
  ’s podcast that it’s meant to be like culinary school so felt worth the 30 dollar investment.

• Afterlife Mushrooms - I learned more about this company and they are growing mushrooms from collected compost that they then give back to the restaurants. Circularity at it’s best

Photo by Afterlife Mushrooms

• Recreate Collective: A Space to Make Arts, Crafts, and Friends. I’ve been watching some cute events on Instagram and hope to get to one soon

• I am a proud member of

  Alicia Kennedy
  ‘s book club and this month I read Food in Cuba which offers an anthropological look at how the food system functions in Cuba which is a window into Cuban life. If you’ve never thought about what life would be like living with food rations and scarcity, check this book out.