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!

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

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!

The Original

The original would actually be spanakopita, as this was the first thing I made with filo dough. However, since I haven't perfected my own take on spanakopita (yet!) the real original filo experimentation would be the pear and caramelized onion cheesy puffs. Obviously I have not come up with a good name for them yet! (Name suggestions welcome!)

I first created these little puffs for my annual holiday party in Los Angeles. Every year I would go a little nuts, trying out new nibbles for this annual event (earning me the nickname Martha Stewart on Crack!) One year I had some left over sheets of filo dough and wanted to make something with a wintry flavor. So I caramelized some red onion, added it to a small piece of firm ripe pear and hard Italian cheese (such as romano) and wrapped them all together in filo.

The sweetness of the pear and onion is nicely balanced with the saltiness of the melted cheese and butteriness of the pastry. This recipe really came into it's own when I recently made it for my first (and hopefully not last!) dinner party, or rather THE Dinner Party in Hollywood.  I made a simple arugula salad to pair with the puffs and I think they worked together quite well.

 The fillings. 

Caramelized red onion, ripe pear and romano cheese.

 How to fold the butter brushed filo into square parcels, or puffs.

The finished puffs, served with arugula salad.

As a starter I would always server them with the salad. If you're having a cocktail party then the puffs would work best on their own as finger food. I'm not including my recipe here on the blog, as I'm hoping that one day I may put together a recipe book. However, if you'd like to make these at home just drop me a line and I'll be happy to share it with you individually!