Fun with Phyllo!

As always, when I see a good recipe with more than 2 ingredients that can be home-grown...I grab it.

More often than not, it is a pretty healthy meal...but this one piqued my interest.

Not particularily healthy, but definitely tasty and different.

Not to mention we are BIG breakfast-for-dinner people.

I had intended to make a particular recipe but had to substitute an ingredient...the recipe called for puff pastry...but I couldn't find any frozen puff pastry at my local grocery store...

I bought Phyllo sheets instead...and what ensued was an evening of pastry delight!

I'll reprint the original recipe here:

(Found in Chatelaine magazine in a feature about brunch ideas)

Sunny Side up Tart

6 slices maple bacon, chopped (i used regular, not maple)

8 cups of baby spinach (i only had about 3 cups)

1 x 397 g package of puff pastry (i used phyllo)

8 eggs (i used 4)

(Original recipe calls makes 2 dishes in total)

1-position racks in top and bottom 1/3s of the oven.  preheat to 375 degrees. 

2-line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil

3-heat a large non stick frying pan over med heat.  add bacon and onion. cook until onion if soft.

4-add spinach, cook until wilted and set aside.

5-roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into 2 10x10 squares.

6-transfer each square to a baking sheet.

7-divide spinach mixture between 2 sheets and spread evenly, leaving 1 inch border on each sheet.

8-with the back of a spoon or spatula, make 4 shallow wells in the spinach mixture.

9-bake in top and bottom 1/3s of oven, switching sheets every 6 mins through until pastry is lightly golden, approx 12mins.

10-remove from oven and crack eggs into wells.  continue baking until egg whites are set and yolks are still runny, switching sheets halfway through (another 12mins approx)

11-serve immediately & enjoy!

So as I stated before, I only made 1 sheet with 4 eggs and the phyllo pastry.

Due to our relative lack of spinach, I substituted some chopped tomatoes.

I spread out one sheet of phyllo on the parchment papered baking stone.

I melted some marg and brushed it between the phyllo layers...5-6 in all.

I folded down the long and rough edges to form a neat edge.

During the time while I was creating this breakfast masterpiece...my husband noticed there were some leftover phyllo sheets.

He swiftly made off with them to another corner of the kitchen.

I was completely unaware of what he was concocting...

The desert he made was utter heaven...

He cored some apples and stuffed the pommes with a mixture of oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon.

Then he wrapped the apple with the phyllo and brushed it with melted butter.

The final touch was the sifted icing sugar on top and the rhubarb/raspberry drizzle on the bottom.....sigh....

Here is a shot of the inside of the treat.

What started out as a nice meal turned out to be an evening of phyllo fun.

And to think it was all because I couldn't find frozen puff pastry at my local grocery strore!

I discussed this challenge with my husband (the only actual trained cook in the family)

and he listed reasons why you wouldn't want to commit to making your own puff pastry.

The process is long, intense and did I mention long?

He talked about the folding and folding and folding some more...and I couldn't imagine going through all that trouble for desert or dinner.

I probably would have just served bacon, eggs and a side of spinach and onions.

But thats what cooking and discovering is all about!

Finding and pushing your boundaries.

Tell me...

"Is there anything you wouldn't make and why?"