Feta Cheese Beggars Pouches Food

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.

FRESH HERB, CHEESE AND BACON BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• Beat first 5 ingredients with mixer until blended. Stack 4 phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet lightly with oil before stacking. Cut stack lengthwise in half, then crosswise into thirds to make 6 (4-inch) squares. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets.
• Spoon 1 rounded tsp. cream cheese mixture onto center of each stack; gather 4 points, then pinch just above filling to seal. Place, 1 inch apart, on baking sheet. Refrigerate 15 min.
• Heat oven to 375ºF. Bake purses 10 to 12 min. or until golden brown.

FETA CHEESE BEGGAR'S POUCHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375*.
• Brush each square of phyllo dough with melted butter and stack them in eight stacks of four. As you stack them, turn them slightly so the corners do not match up evenly.
• Cover the stacks with a slightly moistened towel or plastic wrap to keep phyllo from drying out.
• Combine the spinach, feta, garlic and eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Place a portion of the mixture on each of the stacks of phyllo. Pull the phyllo up over the mixture and pinch it together to make a pouch. Place the pouch on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Repeat to form 8 pouches, placing them approximately 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
• Bake the pouches for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• To serve, put some marinara in a large serving bowl and set the pouches on top. Grind fresh pepper over the top of each pouch and garnish with basil and asiago cheese. Serve hot.