Popsicle Society

A few months back I have bought a phyllo pastry and it stayed in my freezer until I saw Nadiya Hussain’s Apple Palm Pies and during the Christmas holidays I’ve decided to give it a try and make my own version.

Yes, I know…I’m very late in publishing this recipe but please bear with me, I promise you these little apple baskets are good any period of the year or any day 😉

As you may know, phyllo pastry or spelled also filo or fillo that means “leaf” in Greek (in fact the sheets are thin like leaves) is a paper-thin pastry that gets crispy and flaky when baked and is very common in Greek, Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines being used for making dishes such as baklava, börek and spanakopita.

These phyllo based pastries are made by layering many sheets of phyllo brushed with oil or butter that helps them become crisp as they cook.

What is the difference between phyllo and puff pastry?

Although they’re both used to create delicious, layery baked goods and both pastries give a flaky appearance, they are quite different.

Puff pastry is much denser and the butter is combined into the pastry rather than being brushed between layers. The layered effect in puff pastry is created by rolling out pastry, placing a square of butter inside it, folding the dough and then rolling it out and folding again, repeating these steps to create contrasting layers and layers of butter and dough, called laminating. Although you can’t really see all these layers when the dough is made, when it’s baked all those folds produce separate airy, flaky layers and a crunchy exterior.

Puff pastry can be used in both sweet and savory dishes such as tarts, croissants, pastry pockets, or shaped into little appetizer cups.

In contrast to puff pastry, phyllo dough has very little fat as it’s mostly flour and water and can dry out easily. For this reason each sheet of pastry is brushed with melted butter before baking. Phyllo gets crisp and flaky when baked but it doesn’t have the same rich, airy quality that puff pastry has. 

Beside the popular dishes such as baklava, börek and spanakopita, phyllo dough can also make great edible serving cups for appetizers or desserts.

There are some recipes where you could substitute puff pastry, but it will give a different feel. Filo is much more crumbly and light, while puff pastry will be denser.

Tips for using phyllo pastry

• Defrost in the refrigerator and not on the counter since it can get gummy. 
• The main thing to remember when working with phyllo dough is to keep it from drying out, so only take a small amount out of the packaging at a time or keep the sheets covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel while you’re working.
• Don’t be discouraged if a sheet breaks a little, just patch it back together with the butter and move on, you won’t notice the difference in the end result.
• Don’t refreeze phyllo, as it will get brittle.

The good thing about both these pastries is that are part of the frozen foods and you can find them easily already made and help us create amazing sweet or savoury treats in no time.

For me it was the first time trying to work with phyllo pastry and I must admit that it was easier than I thought.

Ingredients for 6 little apples baskets:

• 3 apples
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 50 g roughly chopped walnuts
• 50 g raisins (preferably soaked for a few hours in water or your favorite brandy)
• 200 g pack of phyllo pastry or 12 sheets
• melted butter for brushing the phyllo sheets

Directions:

Peel and cut the apples in small cubes. Put them in a pan with a little bit of water and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and the cinnamon, cover with the lid and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft and there’s no more liquid.

Let it cool and add the chopped walnuts and the raisins. I have roasted my walnuts a little bit before adding them to the apple mixture.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. 

Spray the inside of each hole of a 6-hole muffin tray with oil or melted butter.

Unroll the phyllo pastry on to a work surface and cut out all the pastry sheets in 4 stripes. Keep the stripes you’re not working with under a tea towel to prevent them drying out.

Take 1 stripe of phyllo pastry and place it inside the oily cavity of the muffin tray, press down and brush it with melted butter, lay another stripe on top, brush again with melted butter, then lay another on top and brush again and continue until you put 8 stripes on top of each other. And repeat this process until you have filled all 6 holes in the muffin tray. You may spray oil instead of melted butter if you wish.

Fill each hole with an equal amount of the apple filling and fold the stripes inwards. 

If any areas feel dry, brush with melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the phyllo pastry is golden brown.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. These are best eaten warm, with ice cream or custard.

They are so so crunchy and flaky! And that apple filling is super simple but delicious!

Enjoy it!

Have a wonderful weekend!