Phyllo (FEE-loh)
I know of one sure way to impress your guests, and turn others (especially sisters-in-law) green with jealousy: make some appetizers using phyllo pastry. It gets them every time.
Now I know that there are a lot of you out there who may have tried working with this paper-thin dough once in the past and ended up throwing the whole thing out. So have I. But I am here to tell you that it can be conquered (unlike pie pastry which I swear was created by the devil himself).
I started using phyllo years ago when I discovered spanakopita in one of my favourite little hole-in-the-wall Greek cafes. I found a recipe, and started the hunt for the frozen packages of dough. Twenty-five years ago, it was more difficult to find frozen phyllo, but these days, you can find it in almost any freezer section, generally next to other frozen pastry products such as pie crusts. This is a section that Ihad become very familiar with early on due to my inability to make even the most no-fail crust recipe.
Phyllo is a Greek word literally meaning a leaf. It is indispensable in Greek and other Middle Eastern cuisines, both for sweet and a savory dishes such as baklava, and spanakopita. There are an endless lists of possible shapes and fillings, and there is no right or wrong way to layer and roll the stuff. Over the years I have read so many different variations on how to cut and roll that I have finally just stuck to two that I am comfortable with and can make quickly.
And speed is the trick with phyllo. Phyllo should be thawed in the fridge. Thawing it at room temp will cause it to become warm and sticky and you will definitely have a nasty mess then. Once it is unwrapped, it must be worked with quickly, and the unused portion kept under a damp towel. For this reason, you must have all of your tools and fillings ready to go before opening the plastic wrapper. Once the package is opened, it only takes a minute for phyllo to become dry and brittle. I often buy two packages of the pastry, just in case one has been stored improperly, and it is already cracked.
Some recipes will suggest that you can re-freeze the product if re-wrapped tightly, but I have never found this to be the case. It isn't that expensive, and not worth the stress of trying to fix the cracks. From one package which usually contains about 20 sheet of approximately 14"X18", I can expect to get around 5 dozen appetizer-sized pieces, whether I am making triangles or cigars. I have found one great secret is to determine how wide I want my strips, and in most cases I use the shorter width divided into 5 equal strips works well for either shape, and leaving the dough folded and wrapped in its plastic, I use a sharp knife and cut right through the packaging. I remove 1 of the rolled segments and cover the other 4 with a damp cloth. This keeps the remainder moist without getting directly wet from the towel.
You must have everything ready to go. Butter melted and a pastry brush. I find that a 2" wide soft-bristled brush works best. Have a large cleaned work space ready, and your filling chilled. Some recipes will call for a mix of butter and oil, some even for just olive oil. But from experience, I have found that nothing works as well, and give a nice brown finish as butter. If your filling is too moist, it will make your dough a sticky mess. You could try draining the filling. It must also be chilled.
I lay out 5 strips to start, butter completely, and top with another strip. Some recipes will tell you that 1 layer is enough, but again that comes with experience and taste. I prefer my pieces with more layers of pastry. And using 2 layers is more forgiving when you have breaking phyllo. These recipes are generally not for the fat-shy. Although phyllo is advertised as low-fat itself, its all the butter or oil need to insure that the phyllo doesn't dry out. Make sure to cover the entire pastry in butter before setting aside. Using two pans that will fit into your freezer, freeze each batch as you complete it in one layer, freeze another layer in another pan before placing on top of the last batch. When all are partially frozen, you can stack them into two freezer containers. You now have enough apps to serve for two different parties.
They must be baked frozen in a pre-heated 350C oven, for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Trust me, the accolades you receive from your guests will be well worth all of the practice and phyllo thrown away. (Trust me, there will be a few incidents.)
Phyllo can also be used as a substitute for many puff-pastry recipes such as strudels and pot-pies. It=s also an interesting way to wrap and bake salmon fillets.