phyllo dough

okay, okay, the Napoleon recipe is here too!

offwhiteliving
looks fancy but it's pretty easy!

Here at Off White Living we anticipate your needs before you do.  See, we knew that if you read the previous post you’d be asking for the Napoleon recipe, so here it is!

16 sheets of whole wheat (or regular) phyllo dough – PS: Whole wheat is hard to find, we have it at the Davis Coop!
8 oz whipping cream
8 oz ricotta cheese (or marscopone)
1 tsp lemon rind, grated
juice of 1/2 lemon
1.5 cup chopped strawberries
1 cup blueberries, chopped or whole
1/2 cup of  a fine texture unrefined sugar (use a dry sugar)
1/2 cup butter, melted

Lay out 8 layers of phyllo dough on the counter or cutting board.  Place them on a cookie sheet 2 at a time and  baste them with butter and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.    Layer the next 2 on top of it in the same way until you have 8.  Cut them into 10 squares and gently separate.  Bake for about 7 minutes at 350, but DON’T BURN!!

Repeat this process with the second set of 8 layers, so that in the end you have a set of ‘tops’ and a set of ‘bottoms’, each 8 layers thick.  Set aside to cool.

Whip the whipping cream until stiff with the lemon juice, 1/2 of the remaining sugar and the lemon rind.  Fold in the ricotta and remaining sugar.  Mix on low until blended. Cool for 1 hour minimum.

In the meantime chop the berries but keep strawberries and blueberries separate.

To assemble:  Lay out the 10 bottoms.  Add 1 tbsp whip cream mix and spread.  Sprinkle with a spoon of berries.  Add a bit more whip cream mix and add a ‘top’.  Add 1 tbsp of whip cream mix to the top and sprinkle with a mix of strawberries and blueberries.  Serve immediately.

Option: make a balsamic reduction to sprinkle on top.  Do this by boiling 1/2 cup blueberry balsamic vinegar for about 3 minutes.  Reduce to a simmer and add 1/8 cup of sugar.  Slowly simmer for about 20 minutes until syrupy.  Chill for 1 hour before drizzling.

a new fast food “phyllo”-sophy

offwhiteliving
a quick lunch made from left-overs

You will quickly find that the theme of this post is “waste not, want not”.  It was a busy Saturday in the Tryon household.  I was busy making whole wheat berry-lemon napoleons (that turned out great, by the way – see below!), when I had about 7 layers of phyllo dough left over.  I just HATE letting good (and expensive) ingredients go to waste.  So I put on my thinking cap, and go to it.

The resulting creating was a delicious, crispy yet light chicken and veggie burrito.    I  spread out my 7 layers of phyllo (still stacked).  Next I took the left-over chicken from the previous night’s dinner and cut it into 1″ pieces and lay it length-wise along the midline of the phyllo.  Then, thanks to the creativity of the huz, I added chopped green onions, mushrooms, and the left-over parsley from the week’s cooking class.  Finally, a bit of pepper jack cheese and it was time to roll it up.  I rolled so that it was like a long burrito and then lightly (and I do mean lightly) basted it with melted butter.    To finish it off I dusted Matt’s end with some more pepper jack and placed it mid-over to bake for 6 minutes at 350.  The secret to the success of this burrito was the 4 minutes of broiling to complete the masterpiece.

So, in less than 15 minutes I had a hot lunch, with some fiber, green veggies, healthy chicken protein and a splash of flavor with the cheese.  Phyllo dough is very light relative to bread, thus overall grains and carbohydrate calories in 7 layers (split in 2, as I did share with the hubby!), is very little, yet the whole meal felt filling and satisfying.  Not to mention the internal satisfaction I get from being resourceful.

I purchased a phyllo dough 2-pack for about $4.00 and this provided me enough phyllo for two sets of the Napoleons  for social events (pic below, I PROMISE) and the burrito….and a bit for tasting, of course!

customize: half with cheese, half without!

 

And the picture you’ve really been waiting for….

(relatively) low sugar, lower fat berry-lemon napoleons