Tag: phyllo

[print_this]Recipe: Cherry Phyllo Pie

Summary:I This is a summer pastry for a country like ours. Light, crisp, versatile, delightful, and ended up in a equally delightful cherry pie.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients for Phyllo Cherry Pie:

• 1 portion phyllo pastry, recipe below
• 500gms fresh cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3/4 cup mixed nut meal {I used walnuts, pistachios, almonds chopped fine with 3 tbsp sugar from here}
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Method:

• Toss the pitted cherries with the brown sugar, cornflour and lime juice in a pan and gently simmer for 7-10 minutes until soft. Remove the cherries from the liquid, and reduce the liquid till thick and syrupy. Pour over the cherries and cool completely.
• Line a baking sheet with foil, place an 8″ dessert ring {or springform ring} on it, and bring the foil up the outside to seal the sides.
• Brush the base with melted butter, and place a sheet of phyllo on it. Brush the sheet with melted butter and repeat 3 times, using 5 sheets.
• Sprinkle over 1/4 of the nut mix. Turn half the cherry mixture {I tossed mine with preserved cherries} over this, and sprinkle over another 1/4 of the nut mix.
• Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo pastry, remembering to brush with butter each time, then 1/4 cup nut mix, remaining cherry mix, remaining nu mix… and then 5 more layers of phyllo. Brush the top most layer generously with melted butter.
• Bake for 1 hour. Allow to stand at room temperature and cut when completely cool.

Phyllo Dough:

Dough can be made a head of time and froze. Just remove from freezer and allow to thaw and continue making your pie. I made it 2 days in advance I stored it in cling wrap in the fridge.

Ingredients for Phyllo Pastry:

• 185gm all purpose {plain} flour
• 1/8tsp salt
• 1/2 cup less 1 tbsp water, plus more if needed
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
• 1/2 tsp cider vinegar, {could substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, but could affect the taste}

Method:

• In the bowl of your stand mixer combine flour and salt. Mix with paddle attachment.
• Combine water, oil and vinegar in a small bowl.
• Add water & oil mixture with mixer on low speed, mix until you get a soft dough, if it appears dry add a little more water. Change to the dough hook and let knead approximately 10 minutes. You will end up with beautiful smooth dough. If you are kneading by hand, knead approx. 20 minutes.
• Remove the dough from mixer and continue to knead for 2 more minutes. Pick up the dough and through it down hard on the counter a few times during the kneading process.
• Thermomix: Place all ingredients in the bowl of the TM. Process on Speed 6 for 7 seconds. Then knead on bread setting for 3.5 minutes. Turn onto counter, roll into a neat ball.
• Shape the dough into a ball and lightly cover with oil
• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest 30-90 minutes, longer is best {Mine rested for 2 days and it was still perfect}

Rolling your Phyllo**

Remove all rings and jewelry so it does not snag the dough**Use whatever means you have to get the dough as thin as you can.

• Unwrap your dough and cut off a chunk slightly smaller than a golf ball. While you are rolling be sure to keep the other dough covered so it doesn’t dry out. Be sure to flour your hands, rolling pin and counter. As you roll you will need to keep adding, don’t worry, you can’t over-flour.
• Roll out the dough until it is as thin a circle as you can it. Don’t worry if you get rips in the dough, as long as you have one perfect one for the top you will never notice.
• When you get it as thin as you can with the rolling pin, carefully pick it up with well floured hands and stretch it on the backs of your hands as you would a pizza dough, just helps make it that much thinner. Roll out your dough until it is transparent. NOTE: you will not get it as thin as the frozen phyllo dough you purchase at the store, it is made by machine
• Set aside on a well-floured surface. Repeat the process until your dough is used up, about 15 sheets. Between each sheet again flour well. You will not need to cover your dough with a wet cloth, as you do with boxed dough, it is moist enough that it will not try out.
• Trim each circle to size using the dessert ring and a pastry wheel.

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