One of my formative food experiences was a first bite of a phyllo pastry. I was about 8 years old, at a Greek church festival in Queens, N.Y., where I grew up. The warm, golden pie — a savory one, filled with spinach and cheese — held so much mouthwatering promise in my hand. Its shatteringly crisp crust was a revelation, and I have been enamored with the possibilities of the paper-thin sheets of dough ever since.
The accompanying recipe reveals phyllo’s ability to go sweet as well as savory, and to make for desserts that are not only compellingly beautiful and tasty but also more healthful: The phyllo has fewer calories than a typical pastry dough and is prepared here using healthful oil as opposed to butter or shortening.
The flaky phyllo envelops an aromatic filling made with Golden Delicious apples (unpeeled for rustic texture and more nutrition) enhanced with the homey, sweet flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of brown sugar and enlivened with bright, zingy bits of crystallized ginger. The lightly oiled sheets of dough are sprinkled with gingersnap cookie crumbs to echo the flavor of the filling and add an extra layer of sweet crunch to the crust. Baked until golden brown and served warm, these individual apple pies are pockets of pure pleasure.
Apple-ginger phyllo turnovers
4Golden Delicious apples (about 11/2 pounds total), unpeeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch salt
1teaspoon cornstarch
1tablespoon cold water
1tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
8large sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
3tablespoons canola oil
8small gingersnap cookies, crushed into a fine crumb (13/4 ounces, about 1/2 cup)
1/2tablespoon Demerara sugar or raw sugar such as turbinado
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Combine the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is just tender.
Whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth; stir this slurry into the skillet and cook until the juices in the skillet thicken, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat to cool to room temperature, then stir in the crystallized ginger.
Lay a sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board lengthwise (with one of the shorter ends facing you); brush with some of the oil. (Cover the remaining stack of phyllo with damp paper towels between building the layers, so it doesn’t dry out.) Top the oiled sheet of phyllo with a second sheet and brush that one with the oil. Sprinkle half of the crushed cookies on top, distributing them evenly.
Add another two sheets of phyllo, brushing each with the oil. Cut the layered, oiled phyllo stack into four long strips of equal width. (It’s okay if some of the phyllo sheets get torn; use a little oil to mend the breaks.)
Spoon a small mound of the apple mixture (about an eighth of the total amount) about an inch from the near edge of one strip; fold the phyllo over the mixture into a triangle-shaped pocket. Continue to fold the strip up to maintain the triangle shape, as you would fold a flag or paper football, to form a triangular turnover. Repeat with the other three strips.
Repeat the whole process again with the remaining four sheets of phyllo and crushed cookies so that you wind up with eight turnovers. (You might have leftover filling, which can be refrigerated for up to five days; see headnote.) Arrange the turnovers on a baking sheet, brush the top of each with oil and sprinkle with the Demerara or raw sugar.
Bake (middle rack) for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned and crisped. Allow to cool slightly, then serve; or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, then reheat in a 300-degree oven until warm and re-crisped.
Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition 5/8 Per serving: 230 calories, 3 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 19 g sugar
Ellie Krieger’s most recent cookbook is “Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). She blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.
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