Question:

phyllo dough

Mushroom & Red Pepper Bites

Fresh mushrooms team up with roasted red pepper and rich cream cheese in these gourmet baked phyllo bites.

24 button mushrooms, stems removed
1 Oz pimentos, cut into 24 pieces
3 Oz cream cheese
24 tiny sprigs thyme
4 Sheets phyllo pastry
1 Small egg beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill mushrooms with pimento and cream cheese, top with thyme.
Cut pastry sheets into 48 squares. Brush with egg, stick sheets in pairs to create star shapes. Sit a mushroom in each, bring up sides of pastry and pinch in the center.

Bake for 3-5 mins, until pastry is crisp and just golden. Serve.

Broccoli & Cheese Rolls

1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Use as filling for phyllo appetizers: flags and rolls work well for this filling.

Yuletide Chicken

This dish is elegant and deceptively easy! Don't skip the pounding of the chicken or it won't cook completely before the phyllo is golden brown!

Green Beans Almondine and Wild Rice are complimentary side dishes.

4 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast
freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces herbed cream cheese
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted

Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly till about 1/4" thick. Sprinkle with pepper.

Divide the cream cheese into 4 equal pieces; form into balls. Place a cheese ball in the center of each piece of chicken. Fold in the sides and roll the pieces up, jelly-roll style. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Evenly stack 8 phyllo dough sheets on a work surface. (Cover and return the remaining phyllo to your freezer.) With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo stack into 12" squares; discard trimmings. Generously brush one square with butter, Place another square on top; brush with butter. Keep the remaining 6 squares of phyllo covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Place a chicken breast, seam side down, on the buttered stack. Gather up the phyllo to form a bundle, twisting top slightly to hold it together. With a spatula, transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo squares and chicken breasts.

Bake at 375 F. for 25-30 minutes or until phyllo is golden. Serve hot.

Little Gifts

Regalito's also known as "Little Gifts" are a tasty way to end a holiday meal.
Prepare the bundles early in the day, and keep covered to ensure they don't dry out.

If you prefer, flash freeze and defrost about 1 hour before you want to bake them.

1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 firm bananas, chopped
2 sheets phyllo dough
2 teaspoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Defrost phyllo dough according to package directions.

3. Add raisins, sugar and water to a medium-sized sauce pan.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Use 2 tablespoons water to make cornstarch a smooth paste and slowly add to raisins and water.

5. Stir until thickened. Add cinnamon and bananas. Stir until well blended. Keep warm.

6. Brush each phyllo layer with butter and cut into quarters. Add fruit mixture to the center of each of the four quarters.

7. Bring up corners and bunch together around fruit mixture to form bundles.

8. Bake in 350F oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Folding Phyllo dough

Folding Phyllo dough can seem daunting at first, but with a little practice you'll be making elegant and delicious parcels in no time.

For diagrams of the various Phyllo dough folds I recommend this site.

http://www.athens.com/recipes/index.html#shapes