Rosemary, Asiago and Grapes (oh my!)

Well hello fellow Filophiles! 

It has been a minute, hasn't it?! . . . or try a year and a half! So I thought it was high time I tried out a new recipe (and a friend's birthday beach potluck is a good excuse to experiment with built-in Guinea pigs!).

I'm pretty happy with this one, though I'm definitely going to change the construction, as I would like the grapes to be more fully integrated into the appetizer, rather than looking like a garnish.

So, without further ado...here's what you'll need.

- Asiago Cheese with Rosemary & Olive Oil*
- Filo dough
- Red grapes
- Butter

*You can find this at Trader Joe's. If you are unlucky enough not to live near a TJ's then I suggest using regular Asiago, grinding up some dried rosemary or chopping some fresh rosemary and mixing it with your grated cheese. You could also use an olive oil/butter mix to brush the filo dough.

As you can see from the picture, I rolled the grated Asiago into little cigarillos like I did with my goat cheese recipe. However, I think in future I'd like to make little grape sized cups with the melted crispy cheese in the bottom. That way I can put half a grape in it after the baking process, providing one lovely mouthful rather than this clumsy two-part appetizer! . . . but hey, it's a work in progress, so we'll see what the birthday attendees think of it tomorrow.

Figgin' Goat!

This latest creation makes me think of the cheese course at the end of a fancy meal. It's a little sweet, a little salty and the perfect little bite to finish off a meal . . . or start a party! These filo cigarellos worked quite well at a cocktail party, having debuted them at THE Dinner Party's 2nd Anniversary last week.

I bought the fig butter and honied chèvre at Trader Joe's. If you don't have one in your area you could try using whatever chèvre is available at your local store. The fig butter, however, might prove a bit more difficult to find. In a pinch you could try adding chopped up dried figs to the cheese. The flavor would be similar even if the texture wasn't.

I used three sheets of filo divided into eighteen rectangles to roll into tiny cigarellos . . . which made TONS (close to 100)! If you don't want to spend forever rolling each little one you could always make fatter little parcels, which I'm sure would work just find. 

I sprinkled mine with sea salt to off set the sweetness of the fig and honied goat's cheese. With normal chèvre, you might not need the added salt.

Anyhoo, without further ado, here are some pictures of the Figgin' Goat Cigarellos!

Hollywood Mess (in a basket)

Hello! I hope your new year is off to a great start! 2013 finds me living with friends in the Hollywood hills and (still) looking for work! In honor of my current home, I've created my own take on an Eton Mess. My recipe is similar to Martha Stewart's but I made mine with fresh chopped mango and lime juice and served it in a filo shell. If you're lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's  . . . they sell the perfect vanilla meringues to use in this recipe. Since I should be filling out job applications, I'll make this post short and sweet and end with a few pictures of the Hollywood Mess!

I used six butter brushed layers to make six full-sized tart cups . . . or if you're in a hurry just buy the pre-made ones from Athen's in the freezer section of your local grocery store.

 My over-baked (but still edible) tart shells!

A light and lovely afternoon dessert!

The Italiano

Happy New Year! The final filo post of the year is a simple little bite size morsel, just perfect as a nibble for your end of year cocktail party!

Here's what's you'll need~ 

• Cherry tomatoes 
• Buffalo mozzarella(fresh, in brine) 
• Fresh basil
• Balsamic glaze or reduction 
• Fresh cracked pepper 
• Sea salt

. . . and of course filo sheets and butter or olive oil.

First cut your tomatoes in half. I would also suggest cutting the ends off as it makes it easier to stack the other bits on top. Cut the mozzarella and basil into small pieces as well.

Brush 5-6 sheets of filo with butter or olive oil. Then cut the sheets into 15 squares. Dot each middle with a drop of balsamic followed by the tomato, then the basil, the cheese and finally a dash of black pepper and a sprinkle of salt.

To fold them, pinch the straights sides as if you are going to fold the square in half, making the corners almost meet.

Then rotate it 45 degrees and pinch the other straight sides so that the corners are pointing up like and open box. It helps to press down a little as you pinch the sides to keep the bottom flat.

I suggest baking them close together so that they keep their shape. 350-375F should be sufficient heat and they are done when golden brown and the cheese is all melty!

Serve warm! If you can't find fresh basil, a small dollop of pesto would work too. 

Wishing you all the best for 2013!!! x

Don't Over Bake the Tart Shells!

All right! So here's a little post about how to make your own tart shells. Of course if you're lazy you can simply buy Athens pre-made shells. I've never used them, but I'd imagine that they're pretty good, since their filo dough sheets are the best I've used. Anyway . . . I wanted to make some tart shells for a future experiment. I made six tarts using six sheets of filo. I did one layer of three sheets of in each cup (do you call the divots in the muffin tin a cup?!) and then at right angles I did the second three layers so that there were more pointy bits around the edges.

I popped them in a preheated 350F oven for fifteen minutes . . . or so I thought!

However, I sat down to play a game of Bananagrams (which I totally love and of course got absorbed in the game) forgetting all about the tart shells for at least twenty-five minutes! Oops!!

Needless to say they were a bit extra brown, crispy and puffy. On the plus side, they didn't taste burnt at all and were perfectly edible, if slightly sunburnt looking! So, lesson learned . . . no Bananagrams while things are in the oven!

Spanakopita (Part I)

Ok, so this isn't my end all, be all recipe for spanakopita . . . it was actually quite tasty, but I think I can do better, especially since some of the experimentation was based on what was in the cupboards! I'd say it feeds 4-6 people (should you decide to make it).

Here's what you'll need.

• 1 Onion (medium-large-ish)
• 1 Package of spinach (10oz frozen and chopped)
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tbsp Greek yogurt
• 4 Tbsp grated parmesan 
• 4 oz Feta
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dry dill
• Nutmeg
• Fresh basil (small handful, chopped)
• Olive oil

First I chopped and sauteed the onion in some olive oil over a medium heat.

While the onion was sauteing, in a separate bowl, I whisked the eggs adding the yogurt, salt and pepper (to taste). The spinach should be thawed and drained of most of its liquid (you can rush this process in the microwave if necessary). After the onions became translucent I add the spinach, dill and nutmeg to the pan and cooked for a few more minutes to remove more of the moisture from the spinach (you what the mixture quite dry).

I set the spinach mixture aside to cool. Next I prepared the filo. I alternated brushing with butter and olive oil to make it a bit healthier and was quite happy with how it tasted.

Second? Third? I don't know what step I'm on, but anyway . . . after the filo was ready (10 layers or more) I decided I would try to roll the filling in the filo like a large strudel (oh yeah, first . . . when the spinach was cool, I added it to the bowl with the eggs/yogurt mixture and mixed in the two cheeses and basil!).

This "strudel" construction seemed like a good idea . . . however, there was a bit too much filling, so I turned it over and put the open side down in a small casserole dish. I brushed the top with olive oil and sprinkled it with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

I baked it at 350F, but I think it would be better at a slightly higher temperature. As my Dad would say when he's being facetious, "it was edible!"

Three Cheese Mushroom Triangles

In the busyness that is painting a house and moving to Hollywood, I haven't had a chance to post a filo blog! In the past couple of weeks I have experimented with a mushroom and cheese dish, worked on my twist of an Eton Mess . . . which I may call a Hollywood Mess in a Basket (or Handbag) . . . tried to create my own version of spanakopita and made the lemon tarts (again, with different yogurt). I haven't typed up the recipe for the mushroom dish, but I do have pictures that I can share of the making process!

First I sauteed some onions and garlic in a little olive oil. I then added some chopped crimini mushrooms.

 While that was cooking, I whisked together some eggs and grated or crumbled three different cheeses.

Oh and I almost forgot! I found some fresh parsley in the fridge so I chopped a bit of that and added it to the lightly sauteed mushrooms.

Finally I combined all the ingredients, buttered my filo, folded them into little triangles and popped them in the oven.

Here is the finished product . . . in rather golden light for some reason . . .

As always, if you're dying for the recipe, just give me a shout and I'll be happy to get it to you!