Overcoming Fear of Fillo

Okay, so it's not the scariest thing in the world, but I was pretty nervous working with phyllo (aka fillo or filo) dough for the first time. My mission was to recreate the wild mushroom phyllo tart we had at our wedding. So I sauteed up some cremini, shitake, and woods ear mushrooms along with some shallot (which was way too strong, should have trusted my onion instinct, less is more!), added some dry vermouth, and thickened it up with a mixture of cornstarch and soy milk. Finally I added some chopped parsley. Now we're ready for the dough....

I followed all of the tips I found on the web. Defrosted for 24 hours in fridge, let it come to room temperature before opening, lay out dough on wax paper and cover with damp cloth, and work as fast as you can!! I had never seen phyllo dough before, so I was surprised at how dry and paper thin it was. Pretty much all of the "pages" had tears in them on the sides, but this didn't seem to matter. Here are the steps I took.... (like I'm some kind of expert, ha!)

1. Remove the damp cloth from the phyllo sheets.
2. Lay out a single sheet of phyllo on a dry surface, I covered mine with wax paper.
3. After spraying with olive oil, then layering a second sheet on top, add the filling on top of the phyllo sheet.
4. Roll it up, I just kind of winged this part and did what seemed easy. Maybe next time I'll try little triangles or something fancy.

5. Place the phyllo rolls in the oven. Mine cooked for about 20 minutes.
6. While you're waiting for them to cook, enjoy a glass of homemade cider (John is the brewer).
7. Enjoy your dinner with some broccoli on the side!


The verdict? Working with phyllo was actually relatively easy. You just have to be careful with the sheets to not rip them more than they already are. I wasn't totally crazy about the filling. Maybe too much shallot, maybe the wood's ear mushrooms were too strong. But I am not giving up (John begged me not to). Plus I think I'm now comfortable enough to make some of those Moroccan phyllo rolls from ED&BV to go along with our Thanksgiving dinner!

This was not the only first of the evening. Carob chips have made their debut in my mouth. I bought a bag out of curiosity... if Veggie Girl likes them so much, why shouldn't I? I made the mistake of trying one straight out of the bag (which I later learned is a mistake us non-carob lovers should not make). After consulting the Carob Queen, she directed me to her own S'mores muffins. I had to give them a shot...



Do you like my ode to carob via cookies (shhhh, they're chocolate!)? My only changes were using cocoa powder (had no carob) and instead of graham cracker I used these cookies. The result was a not-too-sweet muffin with yummy bits of melted marshmallow... and carob! I actually didn't mind it baked! I'm not saying I'm in love or anything, but I liked it enough to keep trying it. I think my taste buds just need to adjust. Thanks Liz for the motivation to try it!

Okay, I need to go back to my comfort zone for a few days now....

**Update** Had two of the s'mores muffins for breakfast this morning and they got even better overnight!