While I await Mike Minassian‘s next lahmajoun report, I thought I’d share a dessert recipe my husband was eager for me to make. We’ll get back to the lahmajoun experiments soon.
My husband loves figs – fresh or dried; it really doesn’t
matter. He spotted a fig dessert recipe in the New York Times which included
the use of phyllo dough and ricotta cheese. He decided we (when he said ‘we’,
he meant ‘I’) could put an Armenian twist on the original recipe, and post it on
our website. After reading through the original recipe, I made proportion
adjustments as well as some ingredient tweaks.
I must warn you, this dessert uses a generous amount of
butter, and the cheeses are not low fat. To satisfy readers who seek a less
decadent dessert, a short-cut, lower fat version of the recipe follows this
one.
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| Single portion of Phyllo ‘N’ Figs |
Presenting The Armenian Kitchen’s adaptation of …
Phyllo ‘N’ Figs
Yields 4 large or 8 small servings
Ingredients for the cheese filling:
1/3 cup goat
cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (cream cheese may be substituted)
Zest of 1/2
lemon
2 tsp. freshly
squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
extract, optional
2 tablespoons powdered
sugar
Directions for the cheese filling:
In a mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, Mascarpone cheese,
lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract (if using) and powdered sugar, blending
well. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use. The mixture should have
a spreading consistency – like peanut butter.
Ingredients for the phyllo dough base:
4 sheets phyllo
dough, thawed and covered with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel
1 stick (8
tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Directions for the phyllo bases:
1. Place a piece of plastic wrap the size of a sheet of
phyllo dough on a flat work surface. Lay 1 single sheet of phyllo dough
horizontally on the plastic wrap. Brush surface lightly with melted butter.
|
| Folded-buttered phyllo sheets |
2. Fold phyllo in half, from left to right; lightly butter the top layer. Then fold phyllo in half, from top to bottom, and brush the top lightly
with butter again. Fold once more, from left to right. Brush top with
butter and trim edges, if necessary. You should end up with a rectangle approximately 4 inches-by-6-inches.
Repeat with remaining 3 sheets of phyllo,
using about 2 tablespoons butter per pastry.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
|
| Adding and spreading the cheese mixture |
4. Lay pastry rectangles on a parchment-lined
baking sheet and spread each pastry rectangle with one fourth of cheese filling.
Topping ingredients:
8 ripe figs,
stems trimmed (I used Mission figs)
Granulated sugar
¼ cup
pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
¼ cup warm
honey for drizzling
Directions for Figs and Toppings:
|
| Cut each fig into a star shape, keeping base of fig intact |
1. Cut each fig from stem end into quarters, without
cutting completely through the bottom of the fig. Spread figs open to resemble a star. Top each
pastry rectangle with 2 figs. Sprinkle each portion with a little granulated sugar.
2. Bake for 15 minutes or until dough is golden
and crisp. Remove from oven; cool slightly. Sprinkle the top of each fig with
chopped pistachio nuts and drizzle lightly with *honey. Serve at room
temperature.
|
| Double portion…ready to serve |
*I used some syrup from a jar of Noyan preserved figs, a product from Armenia, instead of the
honey. Preserved figs in syrup can be purchased in most Middle Eastern stores.
NOTE: If desired, cut pastries
in half to make 8 smaller servings.
As promised, here’s the shorter, lower fat version of Phyllo ‘N’ Figs:
For the Phyllo:
1 (15-count) package Phyllo cups (Fillo) – found in the
freezer section of most grocery stores
Cheese Filling:
Use the same filling ingredients as above, but substitute
low fat cream cheese for the Mascarpone.
Toppings:
4 figs, cut into quarters (yields 16 pieces)
¼ cup chopped pistachio nuts
Honey to drizzle on top
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix together the cheese filling ingredients and set
aside.
3. Place phyllo cups on an ungreased baking sheet. Fill
each cup with a generous spoonful of cheese filling.
4. Place a slice of fig on top of each cheese-filled phyllo cup. (You
can eat the leftover piece of fig!)
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is heated and
phyllo cup is golden.
6. Remove from oven; allow to cool a few minutes.
Sprinkle tops with chopped nuts, and drizzle with honey. Serve at room temperature
NOTE: Refrigerate any leftover
cheese filling. It makes a nice spread for toast or crackers.
View Comments
It looks gorgeous and sounds delicious.
I love Figs! I love your blog and look forward to many more wonderful recipes. I am new to blogging. I am 56 and in college for the first time. My blog started out as a school project but it is now one of my passions. please feel free to check it out at : http://www.fabulousfiftiesdining.blogspot.com
Thank you,
Lucille Clarke
Good luck in college and with your blog!