Cheese Filled Phyllo Pastry Recipes

Steps:

• Defrost the phyllo dough and return the remainder to the freezer. Butter a cookie sheet. Melt the butter and remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Mix the feta and cream cheese with the egg, parsley, and dill and set aside.
• Layout one sheet of phyllo dough on a counter.
• (Keep the remaining dough covered with a slightly damp towel to prevent its drying out.) Brush the sheet of dough with some melted butter. Cut it the short way into 5 strips, about 3x10 inches each. Place 1-1/2 teaspoons of the filling at one end of each strip. Roll the strips into cylinders about 1/2 inch in diameter. Continue until all of the dough has been cut, filled, and rolled.
• Arrange 2 to 3 cylinder per person on the cookie sheet and brush them with more butter. (Freeze the rest of the cylinders, unbaked, for use at another time.) Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cylinders are well browned and very flaky.
• Bureks, frozen unbaked, can go directly from the freezer into a preheated 375-degree F oven to make an instant hors d'oeuvre.

Steps:

• To make filling, press spinach in fine strainer to remove all excess moisture; combine with cheeses, eggs, nutmeg and pepper. Set aside. , To assemble pastries, have the following ready: melted butter, pastry brush, knife, a clean, slightly damp towel, the filling, baking sheet and large work surface. Open box of dough; carefully unfold sheets. Pull off 2 sheets; place together on work surface and brush lightly with butter. Pull off another sheet. Place directly over others; brush again with butter. Repeat until you have layered 5 sheets. Cover unused dough with damp towel. , Cut prepared layers in half vertically, then cut halves into 6 strips vertically. Place 1-1/2 teaspoons of filling at the top of each strip. Fold each strip into triangles (as you would fold a flag), starting at bottom near filling. Repeat with additional layers of phyllo dough until the filling is gone. Place pastries on ungreased baking sheet; brush with butter. , Bake at 400° until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. (Uncooked pastries can be frozen for later use. Frozen pastries can go directly into oven, but baking time must be increased.)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Unroll the sheets of phyllo dough on a flat surface and cover them with a slightly damp towel. (If the towel is too wet, the dough will get sticky.) Working quickly so the dough doesn't dry out, place one sheet of phyllo on a board, brush lightly with melted butter, and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. Place a second sheet of phyllo on top, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Continue until you have 4 sheets stacked up. Cut the sheets in half crosswise to make 2 almost-squares.
• Cut one of the goat cheeses in half horizontally, making 2 thin discs. Place each disc in the center of one phyllo square. Starting at one corner, fold the phyllo up over the cheese and continue folding and pleating the phyllo around the cheese, as though you're wrapping a round gift that's tied on top. You will end with extra phyllo dough on top; twist the excess into a topknot. Brush the discs all over with melted butter and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Continue with the remaining phyllo dough and 2 goat cheese discs to make 4 additional packages.
• Bake for 20 minutes, until the phyllo is lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• While the cheese packages bake, place the salad greens in a large bowl. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil, making an emulsion. Toss the salad greens with enough vinaigrette to moisten.
• Distribute the salad among 6 plates and place one warm goat cheese package in the center of each plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach and salt. Stir in feta cheese, cottage cheese and egg. Cook and stir until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Unroll phyllo dough sheets one at a time on a flat surface. Brush with unsalted butter. Cut into strips approximately 5 inches wide. Place 1 tablespoon of the onion, spinach and feta mixture at one end of each dough strip. Fold the end of the strip over the filling so that it forms a triangle. Continue folding the strip in triangles until a small, triangular stuffed pastry remains. Brush with unsalted butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo dough.
• Arrange stuffed triangles on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.