Comments on: mushroom strudel

By: Edie

Edie — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:20:48 +0000

Here is a simple tip that will make the whole process of working with phyllo faster and much more efficient than with a a brush…
lay sheets of phyllo on your board and use a small sponge paint roller (purchased from the paint store for a $1) soaked in melted butter to paint the phyllo sheets quickly and perfectly, thus avoiding dried out sheets!
Edie Mullen

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:45:47 +0000

Deb: what is pot cheese that you mention in your comment re spanikopita?

I have only used phyllo very occasionally and usually as a quick pie crust. I picked this technique up from Martha Stewart which made the buttering easier. Lay down the first sheet, spray it with butter spray (Pam) and then the next. Also easier to do in a small space than finding a space to lay it all down and butter and butter the next, etc. Laying them one on top of the other makes for buttering both sides.

By: Ruby

Ruby — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:20:22 +0000

Once you complete each triangle, do they need to be covered with a damp cloth too, so that the finished triangles don’t dry out before baking? Or are you meant to brush the top and all sides with the egg wash to prevent the whole triangle from drying out?

By: deb

deb — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:34:12 +0000

Yep — same stuff. I have no trouble finding it the supermarket.

By: Swati

Swati — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:16:10 +0000

Curious!! This is from a poor stupid gal who knows less and less of such specialty cooking ;) – I know of Filo dough from the Turkish cuisine? Is it the same thing that you use here – the phyllo pastry sheets? Can I buy them from a super market? Pls help – I am dying to make these strudel.

By: gail

gail — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:37:23 +0000

I didn’t read thru all comments so I don’t know if anyone suggested this phyllo tip….
if you can buy your phyllo at an ethnic market (Middle Eastern, Greek…), you will probably see that there are different thicknesses shown by a number on the box. Try #7. It is thicker than what you can buy in the grocery store. I think #4 is what’s at a regular grocery and it’s almost always in the freezer. If you can buy the thicker phyllo that has not been frozen, you will find that it is a dream to work with. Easy, easy..and you won’t insult anyone’s mother.

By: Joss

Joss — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Yes! Absolutely delicious. And I have half of the filling in the freezer ready for the kind of guest who will appreciate it. I do love this site . . .

By: Ligia

Ligia — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:45:24 +0000

Dear Deb,
first of all IÂ´d like to tell you IÂ´m a big fan of the blog and the recipes. And because of that, I was kind of confused today when I saw the above recipe and its related photo published in a Brazilian website called Panelinha. Panelinha has a community area where every member can post his/her recipes, and a member posted your recipe and your photo, mentioning that both (recipe and photo) were extracted from your blog. Although there are no specific rules about publishing recipes or images in the community and your blog doesnÂ´t mention any rule about it, I was sort of confused, so I thought it would be better to tell you. And the people at Panelinha also put a disclaim like “Andreia strikes again with a wonderful recipe”. HereÂ´s the link: http://panelinha.ig.com.br/site_novo/comunidade/colaboradores/receita_colaborador.php?id=827&receita_id=6523
Best,
Ligia

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:05:11 +0000

I love phyllo! :) It’s a pain in the tuchus at first, but you get used to it. One key is to wet a “tea-towel” (or a towel made from flour-sacking) and drape it over the phyllo you’re not currently working with. I keep mine wrapped in the plastic it came in (I use frozen phyllo) as well, which helps to keep it from drying out and that’s the key. Once it starts drying out, you’ll find the amount of insults to its mother increases (Oh, I know well what you meant!!!).

I know it’s hardly a “foodie” thing to do, but I find that using a spray such as Pam helps immensely in avoiding sturated fat *and* keeping the phyllo happy. Plus, it’s fast and convenient!

Making the triangles like you did is a great way to make things with phyllo. There are tons of great shapes you can make. You can also make little burrito-like shapes with a similar technique. What I really like is a recipe I have for a southwestern-type appetizer in phyllo that calls for sprinkling cumin on the butter (Pam, in my case) between the layers of phyllo. It is just gorgeous in the finished product!

By: sallysitwell

sallysitwell — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:07:44 +0000

There’s a little Greek deli by my work. They make this wonderful thing that looks like what you made, but it’s filled with wonderful cheese. Mmmm. I know it’s got a fantastic Greek-filled name, but they let me call it a cheese pie. It is wonderful. I think I will have one at lunch tomorrow.

Also, while your Mushroom Strudel look good, I am opposed to mushrooms so I don’t think I’ll be attacking this recipe. That eis Kaffee, on the other hand….