Chocolate Phyllo Purse Food

OUR 30+ BEST PHYLLO DOUGH RECIPES (+PHYLLO CUPS WITH FRESH FRUIT)

Steps:

• Mix the vanilla, sugar, and cream cheese until smooth.
• Use a piping bag to fill the individual phyllo shells.
• Freeze for 10 minutes.
• Top with fresh berries or fruit.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED FILO TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Break up 4 ounces of chocolate into 1/2-ounce pieces. Set aside.
• In a food processor, finely grind the remaining chocolate with the sugar.
• Lay 8 sheets of filo out on top of each other.
• Place one sheet lengthwise on the work surface. Keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel.
• Brush the sheet with some melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Place a second sheet over the sugared sheet. Butter the second sheet and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Add 2 more sheets, buttering and sprinkling between each.Cut the filo horizontally into 4 even strips. Starting at the left side of one of the strips, place a 1/2-ounce piece of chocolate 2 inches from the end. Fold the filo that is to the left of the piece of chocolate over the chocolate toward the back side of the strip, making a 3-inch triangle. The left end of the filo should be even with the back edge. Fold the piece of chocolate to the right, over itself, retaining the triangular shape. Fold the chocolate piece toward the front edge of the strip. Continue wrapping the chocolate, alternating the direction with each fold, until you get to the end. (It is like folding a flag.) Wrap the other strips in the same manner.
• With the remaining sheets, make 4 more chocolate-filled triangles.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the triangles on the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER PHYLLO PURSES

Steps:

• For brownies:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until thick and pale. Stir chocolate mixture into yolk mixture. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold egg whites into chocolate mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Press down edges until even with middle of brownies. Cool completely. Using 2 1/4-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.)
• For ganache:
• Bring 1/4 cup whipping cream and vanilla extract to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until completely melted. Refrigerate ganache until firm, about 1 hour. (Ganache can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter rimmed baking sheet. Stir peanut butter and 4 teaspoons sugar in small bowl to blend. Cut each phyllo sheet in half crosswise to form twelve 13x81/2-inch strips. Place 1 phyllo strip vertically on work surface. Brush with melted butter. Place second phyllo strip horizontally across first, forming cross; brush with butter. Stack 2 brownies in center of pastry. Top brownies with 1 tablespoon ganache and 1 tablespoon peanut butter mixture. Gather ends of phyllo strips together over brownies to form purse. Twist ends closed. Brush purse with melted butter and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients to form total of 6 purses. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

SWEET CHEESE PHYLLO PURSES

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.

WARM APPLE AND APRICOT PHYLLO PURSES

Steps:

• Soak the apricots and the raisins in the 1 cup of white wine for 2 hours
• Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the wine
• Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium flame
• Add the 1/4 cup of white wine
• Add the apples and the drained apricots and raisins
• Saute for 3 minutes
• Add the juice of 1/2 an orange and 1/2 of the lemon into the skillet and continue sauteeing
• Add the brown sugar, mix well with the fruit
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and remove from the flame
• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the juice of the remaining 1 1/2 oranges
• Stir vigorously until smooth
• Put the pan of fruit back on the flame
• Slowly add the cornstarch mix to the pan, stirring continuously
• The mixture should start to thicken and caramelize
• You want it to be sticky, not runny
• Remove from the heat
• Unwrap the phyllo dough and lay out the sheets
• Cut the layered stack lengthwise and widthwise to make 4 rectangular quarter-stacks of 12 sheets each stack
• Take one rectangular sheet, brush around the edges with the melted butter
• Lay the next sheet on top, but at an angle
• Continue doing this 4 more times for a pile of 6 sheets, each sheet at an angle to the one below it
• Place a small mound of fruit in the middle
• Top the fruit with a square of chocolate
• Lift one edge toward the middle, gathering and pleating the dough as you go around the pile, pulling the edges to the middle to form a purse
• Make 8 purses this way (8 piles of 6 sheets each)
• Brush and drizzle each purse with melted butter
• Place the purses on a parchment line cookie sheet
• Bake 10 minutes
• Raise the heat to 350 degrees F, and bake another 15 minutes until the purses are golden
• Serve warm
• If you make the sheets in advance, rewarm for a few minutes in the oven to warm the fruit and melt the chocolate

CARAMELIZED BANANA PURSES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• For Crumble:
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Stir sugar and butter in medium saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Mix in flour, nuts and salt. Spread on baking sheet. Bake until dry and golden, about 30 minutes. Cool. Break into small pieces. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• For Filling:
• Stir sugar, 6 tablespoons butter and lime juice in large nonstick skillet over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and stir until butter melts and mixture begins to brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Add bananas and liqueur; stir until bananas are coated with butter mixture, about 2 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool.
• Mix 1 cup hazelnut crumble into banana mixture. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface (keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap, then damp towel). Brush phyllo with melted butter. Fold phyllo in half crosswise, brush with butter, then fold in half again, forming square; brush with butter. Place generous 1/4 cup filling in center of phyllo square. Bring all edges of phyllo square up toward center and squeeze firmly at top, forming purse. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets, melted butter and filling, forming total of 10 purses. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Chill.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover phyllo purses loosely with foil. Bake until purses begin to color, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until phyllo is golden, about 15 minutes longer.
• Place 1 purse on each of 10 plates. Spoon 3 tablespoons warm White Chocolate Sauce around each. Sprinkle remaining hazelnut crumble over sauce.