Phyllo Purses With Brie Pistachios Apricots Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Finely crumble the goat cheese with a fork in a medium bowl, then stir in the ricotta. Brush a 12-cup muffin pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter; set aside 1 tablespoon melted butter in a small bowl for step 3.
• Use the remaining 6 tablespoons butter for the phyllo sheets: Brush the top of a phyllo sheet all over with butter, then stack 3 more sheets on top, brushing each with butter. Cut the stack in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds to make 6 squares. Press each square into a muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining 4 phyllo sheets and melted butter.
• Divide the cheese mixture among the phyllo-lined muffin cups, pressing with a spoon to flatten the filling into the cups. Fold in the phyllo to cover the filling, leaving a little hole in the center to vent steam. Brush the tops of the dough with the reserved 1 tablespoon melted butter. Put the pan on the oven floor and bake until the phyllo purses are dark golden brown on the bottom, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F; move the muffin pan to the middle oven rack and continue baking until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water, cardamom and orange zest in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, occasionally pressing on the cardamom pods with a spoon, until syrupy, about 8 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup. Stir in the orange juice.
• Remove the phyllo purses to a platter as soon as they come out of the oven. Spoon about half of the syrup on top. Let sit for a few minutes to soak in the syrup, then top with the pistachios. Drizzle with more syrup and serve warm.

Steps:

• Place almonds and apricots in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon butter, honey, lemon zest and extract; add almond mixture and stir until blended., Lightly brush one sheet of phyllo with remaining butter; place another sheet of phyllo on top and brush with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Cut the two layered sheets into three 14x3-in. strips., Place 1-1/2 teaspoons filling in lower corner of each strip. Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Fold triangle up, then fold triangle over, forming another triangle. Continue folding, like a flag, until you come to the end of the strip. Brush end of dough with butter and press onto triangle to seal. Turn triangle and brush top with melted butter. Repeat., Place triangles on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) degrees.
• Lay a sheet of phyllo dough horizontally on a smooth, dry surface. Brush with melted butter. Place another sheet on top. Layer with butter. Continue until you have four sheets on top of each other.
• Layer the remaining sheets vertically. Make sure to butter each sheet.
• Place brie in the center of the sheets and top with raspberry preserves.
• Fold sheet corners over the brie. Brush with more melted butter and place on a cookie sheet.
• Bake at 400°F (200°C) between 25-30 minutes.
• Serve warm, with bread or crackers.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Place 15 mini phyllo shells on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Fill each shell with 1/2 teaspoon fig jam, a 3/4-inch cube of brie and some chopped walnuts. Return to the oven until the cheese is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Top with pomegranate seeds.

Steps:

• Cook apricot nectar and rum in medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture has reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and reserve. Preheat oven to 350 Toss pistachios with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and the salt. Transfre to a baking dish and lightly brown in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 425 Remove the phyllo from the package, unroll it onto a work surface and cover it with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover plastic wrap with a damp towel to weight it down and keep it from drying out. Cut 4 or 5 sheets of the pastry at a time into 5 inch squares, returning it under the plastic wrap quickly. You will need 32 squares. Working quickly, lay 8 squares of phylo separately. Brush each with melted butter and place another sheet of phyllo on top of each, offsetting them so that each piece has 8 points. Retreat with the rest of the phyllo so that each piece has 4 buttered layers. Transfer the phyllo to 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Add a piece of Brie to the center of each phyllo stack. Top with a few pieces of dried apricot and a light scatteing of toasted pistachios, reserving about half for garnish. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of apricot preserves to the top of each. Gather the sides of the phyllo up to enclose the cheese mixture and twist so that the package stays closed. Brush the outside of each package with butter and bake until browned and the cheese inside has melted. 15 to 20 minutes. Reheat the reduced apricot nectar and drizzle it over 4 heated plates. Place 2 Brie packages on top of the sauce and garnish with a scattering of pistachios. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a parchment-lined 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon butter and brush to coat the entire phyllo sheet.
• Top with another sheet and butter as above. Repeat with 7 more sheets, for a total of 9, buttering as you go. The final, top layer should also be buttered. (The rest of the phyllo can be wrapped and frozen for future use.)
• Dot the top sheet with jam by the teaspoon, then, using a spatula, spread the jam to cover the entire sheet, leaving a 2-inch border.
• Sprinkle a layer of half the chopped pistachios over the jam. Place the apricot wedges, skin-side down, in even rows across the surface, then sprinkle again with remaining pistachios.
• Carefully fold over the edges on all sides of the tart to make a 10-by-16-inch rectangle. Brush folded sides with butter. Sprinkle sugar generously over apricots and folded edges.
• Bake until pastry is golden and apricots begin to color, about 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.