If there is one ingredient that strikes fear in many a cook's psyche, it's phyllo (pronounced fee-low and also spelled filo or fillo). Phyllo is used as a flaky, multi-layered crust for both savories and sweets. It's almost light enough to float.
You can conquer fear of phyllo once you learn to toss your losses and keep on buttering. Chances are, in that 1-pound box of dough there will be tears, there will be breaks, there will be fodder for the waste can - or the dog.There are tips for conquering phyllo on the box of Athens Foods' Fillo Dough, but we also went to an expert, Georgia Sauer, who was born in Greece and specializes in the cuisine when she entertains, having learned many of her techniques from her mother.
She says the usual dough, found in the supermarket freezer case, is acceptable. Just don't try to rush the thawing, she warns. It typically takes five hours at room temperature.
Another pivotal step for success is keeping the phyllo covered at all times. The box cautions in capital letters: DO NOT LEAVE THE PHYLLO UNCOVERED FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO AVOID DRYING OUT.
Georgia wets a light, white cotton tea cloth under the faucet and wrings out all the water. The cloth should be damp, but not wet.
In any case, the top sheet of phyllo sometimes has to be discarded if the cloth is too wet.
Once the phyllo is removed from its plastic wrap, Georgia unfolds it and spreads it out on a clean counter top and covers it with the damp towel. As she butters (she always uses unsalted butter) each tissue-thin sheet, one at a time, the remaining dough is covered.
To brush on the melted butter, she suggests a small paintbrush. Available for $1.19 or so, a 2-inch-wide brush is good for the phyllo crust in the accompanying recipe.
To prevent the edges from cracking, Athens recommends brushing on the melted butter from the edges to the center.
It's inevitable that some of the fragile dough will break. Discard it. Don't cry over cracked phyllo. Chefs often advise buying extra for just this reason. A 1-pound box contains approximately 20 sheets.
Leftover phyllo can be refrozen at least once, but wrap it well first. It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks, in the freezer for two months.
Phyllo is low in fat - until it's spread with butter. And it's always spread with butter, which is the cement to hold the layers together. The top layer should be buttered, too.
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RECIPES
TIROPITA
1 pound phyllo spread with 1 pound unsalted butter.
For filling, mix 1 24-ounce container large-curd cottage cheese, well drained; 1 16-ounce package feta cheese (domestic feta is fine); 2 table-spoons dry parsley; and 2 eggs. Cut stack of phyllo sheets into long strips 2 inches wide (the width of the phyllo box if you want them larger). Put a teaspoon of filling on the end and fold into a triangle as you would an American flag. Keep folding until the end of strip; cement end with a bit of butter. Bake in 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until brown, but start watching at 15 minutes. Makes about 75 triangles.
CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE CHIP HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE IN PHYLLO
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 (6-ounce) packages chocolate morsels. Melt one package over double boiler, set aside to cool.
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
3 cups sour cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, hulled and roughly chopped, see note
Unfold phyllo; cover with a slightly damp cloth to prevent drying, removing sheets as needed.
Generously grease bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan.
Brush top of one phyllo sheet with melted butter. Top with another sheet, overlapping to create a 17-by-14-inch rectangle; brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and butter to make 8 layers.
Using knife or kitchen shears, trim dough into 14-inch circle. (We used knife.) Ease dough into pan, creasing where necessary. Trim even with top of pan. (We used shears.) Bake at 425 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Set aside while preparing filling.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy; add eggs and sugar, mixing well. Add melted chocolate to egg mix-ture. Blend in vanilla, cocoa and sour cream. Beat well and add melted butter.
Add chocolate chips and hazelnuts, mixing until well incorporated. Pour into prepared crust. (Our phyllo crust shrank an inch or more, but we continued pouring the filling to the top of the pan. The inventor of the recipe stops even with the edge of the phyllo but has leftover filling.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate overnight.
Note: Toast nuts in 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool. To remove skin, place nuts on one half of dry towel and fold other half of towel over nuts. Rub lightly until skin comes off.