Best Phyllo Crisps Recipes

PHYLLO PECAN CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a food processor grind pecans with sugar until finely chopped. In a piece of parchment paper on a work surface arrange 1 phyllo sheet and brush with some butter. Sprinkle phyllo sheet evenly with half of pecan sugar and top with a second phyllo sheet, some butter, remaining pecan sugar, and remaining phyllo sheet, pressing down gently with your fingers and brushing with some butter. Slide a baking sheet under parchment and chill phyllo 10 minutes.
• Transfer phyllo with parchment to a cutting board and with sharp knife cut stack lengthwise into 2-inch-wide strips, cutting through parchment and discarding excess. Cut each rectangle diagonally in half and transfer triangles on parchment to baking sheet, separating triangles slightly. Cover triangles directly with another parchment sheet and bake in lower third of oven 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool crisps on baking sheet on a rack. Crisps keep in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

MOCHA MOUSSE WITH KUMQUAT CRANBERRY SAUCE AND PHYLLO PECAN CRISPS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan simmer sugar, water, and kumquats until reduced to about 2/3 cup and stir in Grand Marnier. Cool sauce to room temperature and stir in cranberries. Sauce may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.
• Have ready an instant-read thermometer in a cup of very hot water. In a small bowl stir together 1/4 cup water, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and yolks until smooth. In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water melt bittersweet chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Stir cocoa mixture into chocolate mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove bowl from pan and check temperature, tilting bowl to cover thermometer tip by a least 2 inches. If temperature is less than 160°F., rinse thermometer and return to cup. Check temperature every 30 seconds until thermometer registers 160°F. Remove bowl from pan, reserving simmering water over heat, and cool chocolate mixture to room temperature.
• Clean thermometer and put in a clean cup of very hot water. In another metal bowl stir together whites, cream of tartar, and sugar with a rubber spatula and put bowl over pan of reserved simmering water. Cook mixture, stirring constantly with rubber spatula (to keep mixture as froth-free as possible), checking temperature in same manner, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thermometer registers 160°F. and remove from heat. Beat mixture with am electric mixer until cool and meringue holds stiff peaks.
• Gently fold chocolate mixture into meringue until combined well and chill 15 minutes, or until just firm enough to hold its shape when piped. Spoon mousse into a pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch star tip and pipe about 1/2 cup mousse onto each of 2 dessert plates in a mound 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 2 inches high. Mousse may be piped onto plates 1 day ahead and chilled, covered loosely with plastic wrap.
• In a bowl with a whisk or cleaned beaters beat together espresso cream ingredients until cream just holds stiff peaks. Espresso cream may be made 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered.
• Dollop half of espresso cream on top of each serving of mousse and lean 2 or 3 crisps against mousse. Spoon sauce around desserts.

PISTACHIO PHYLLO CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Finely grind pistachios in an electric coffee/spice grinder, then stir in sugar.
• Cut phyllo sheet crosswise into 3 equal pieces, then stack pieces between wax paper and cover stack With a lightly dampened kitchen towel. Arrange 1 piece of phyllo on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet and brush with some butter. Sprinkle with half of pistachio sugar and top with another piece of phyllo. Brush phyllo with some butter and sprinkle with remaining pistachio sugar. Top with remaining piece of phyllo, pressing down gently, and brush with some butter. Chill stack 10 minutes.
• Using rim of a ramekin as a guide, cut out 2 (4-inch) rounds with a sharp paring knife and discard scraps. Cover rounds with a piece of parchment and bake in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool crisps on baking sheet on a rack.

CHAI-SPICED CRèME CARAMELS WITH RASPBERRIES AND PISTACHIO PHYLLO CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bring milk, cream, cardamom, peppercorns, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a boil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook granulated sugar in a dry small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, swirling pan (to help sugar melt evenly), until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel. Immediately pour caramel into ramekins, tilting to cover bottoms evenly.
• Whisk together whole egg and yolk in a large bowl. Bring spiced milk to a boil again, then add to eggs in a slow stream, whisking. Pour custard base through a fine sieve into a 2-cup measure. Add brown sugar and a pinch of salt, then stir until sugar is dissolved. Divide custard between ramekins.
• Bake custards in a water bath in middle of oven until set but still trembling slightly, about 30 minutes. (Custards will continue to set as they cool.) Remove ramekins from water and cool crème caramels on a rack. Chill, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 3 hours.
• Just before serving, run a knife around inside edges of ramekins. Arrange raspberries, open ends up, over entire surface of custards, pressing gently to adhere. Place a pistachio phyllo crisp over each ramekin and invert onto a plate, then carefully remove ramekins.

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS IN PHYLLO CRISPS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack positioned in the center. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, and set aside. Set 2 tablespoons of the thyme aside. Brush a mini-muffin tin with melted butter, and set tin aside.
• Place 1 sheet phyllo dough on a clean, dry work surface; brush the entire sheet generously with melted butter. Sprinkle lightly with reserved thyme. Place another sheet phyllo on top, brush with butter, and sprinkle with thyme. Repeat with 2 more sheets phyllo. Cut stack into twelve 3-inch squares. Gently press each square into muffin-tin cup. Bake until edges are just golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Repeat step two with 4 more sheets phyllo dough, melted butter, and thyme. Repeat again, for a total of 36 crisps. (The crisps may be made one day ahead and kept in an airtight container.)
• In a large skillet, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme. Continue cooking, stirring often, until mushrooms have released some liquid and have cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Place 1/4 teaspoon goat cheese in the bottom of each phyllo crisp, and place 1 heaping teaspoon of the mushroom mixture on top of the goat cheese. Transfer the filled cups to a baking sheet. Cook in oven just until heated through, about 3 minutes. Garnish with more thyme, and serve.

PEAR CLAFOUTIS WITH PHYLLO CRISPS, CIDER SAUCE, AND QUINCE SORBET

Steps:

• Make phyllo crisps:
• Arrange 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface (keep remaining sheets covered), then brush with some butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut sheet in half crosswise to form 2 rectangles and crumple each into a peaked free-form round, about 4 inches in diameter. Transfer to a baking sheet with a metal spatula and form 4 more crisps in same manner with remaining phyllo, butter, and sugar. Let dry, uncovered, at room temperature at least 8 hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Bake crisps until golden, 2 to 4 minutes (watch closely, since they burn easily). Transfer with spatula to a rack to cool.
• Make pastry cream:
• Whisk together yolks and 2 tablespoons sugar in a metal bowl. Sift flour and cornstarch into bowl and whisk until combined well.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with a sharp knife into a small heavy saucepan, reserving pods for another use. Add milk and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and bring to a boil.
• Add hot milk to egg mixture in a stream, whisking, and transfer to saucepan. Simmer, whisking, 3 minutes, then remove pan from heat and whisk in butter.
• Force pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and chill, its surface covered with wax paper, 1 hour.
• Make almond cream:
• Beat together butter, sugar, flours, and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg and beat well.
• Cook pears:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 300°F.
• Peel pears, then quarter lengthwise and core. Melt butter in a 12-inch ovenproof heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté pears, turning occasionally, 2 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over pears and cook, turning occasionally, until sugar is melted and pears begin to turn pale golden, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to oven and roast pears until very tender, 5 to 7 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
• Bake clafoutis:
• Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Butter ramekins generously and coat with sugar, knocking out excess.
• Whisk pastry cream into almond cream until combined well. Spread 1/4 cup cream evenly in bottom of 1 ramekin and top with 2 pieces of pear. Spread another 1/4 cup cream over pears and top with 2 more pieces of pear. Repeat in remaining 5 ramekins. Arrange ramekins on a baking sheet and bake clafoutis until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in ramekins on a rack 1 hour.
• Put 1 clafoutis (in ramekin) on each of 6 large plates and top each with a phyllo crisp. Serve cider sauce and quince sorbet on the side.

PHYLLO CRISPS

Steps:

• Line a full sheet pan with parchment paper and brush it with melted butter. Dust the paper with confectioners' sugar and place 2 sheets of phyllo dough side by side on the pan.
• Brush the phyllo sheets with butter and dust with confectioners' sugar. Place a second phyllo sheet on top of each of the first sheets, brush them with butter and dust with confectioners' sugar. Continue until there are two stacks of phyllo dough, each four layers high.
• Using a pastry wheel, cut each stack of phyllo into four columns and four rows, to create 16 small rectangular stacks from each large stack.
• Cover the stacks with parchment paper and another sheet pan (bottom down) to keep the phyllo flat. Bake at 325°F. until brown, approximately 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.