Chocolate Fig and Walnut Scroll

Ingredients

250g dried figs
100g raisins, chopped
100g walnuts, chopped
100g good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/3 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
1½ tablespoons finely grated orange rind
½ cup honey
8 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
75g butter, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 22cm spring form pan.

Remove stems from figs. Place figs in a heatproof bowl; cover with boiling water and stand 15 minutes. Drain and chop figs. Place in a bowl with raisins, walnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, allspice, icing sugar and orange rind. Stir to combine. Add honey and mix well.

Place fillo flat on a work surface. Keep covered with a tea towel to prevent fillo from drying out. Take 1 sheet of pastry and brush with melted butter. Top with another sheet and brush with butter. Place ¼ filling in a 3cm-wide strip along one long side of the pastry about 3cm from the edge. Roll pastry to enclose filling, then, gently lay the roll against the inside of prepared pan. Repeat with remaining fillo and filling, to form a coil which fits snugly in the pan. Brush with butter.

Bake 30 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Remove sides of pan. Serve warm drizzled with honey, then dusted with cocoa and icing sugar. Accompany with ice cream.

To serve
honey, cocoa powder & pure icing sugar
ice cream

Apricot and Almond Galette

Ingredients

serves 4-6

825g can apricot halves
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons Demerara sugar
4 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
60g butter, melted
2 tablespoons marzipan, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Drain apricots and place cut side onto paper towel.

Grease a 20cm loose base quiche tin. Combine breadcrumbs and cinnamon with half the sugar. Cut pastry stack into two 22cm squares (total of 8 squares). Line quiche dish with pastry, brushing butter between each sheet and sprinkling 1 heaped tablespoon breadcrumb mixture between every second sheet. (rotate each sheet slightly so that the pastry covers the sides). Use scissors to trim away any excess pastry. Brush with butter.

Scatter marzipan over pastry. Top with drained apricots. Brush with butter. Place on an oven tray (to guard against leakage).

Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining sugar and scatter with almonds. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve warm with yogurt, cream or ice-cream.

Apple Strudel

Ingredients

serves 6

1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
425g can pie apple
1/3 cup sultanas
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
6 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
125g butter, melted
1 tablespoon caster sugar
extra icing sugar to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Mix half with breadcrumbs. Combine remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture with apple, sultanas and lemon zest.

Layer pastry sheets, brushing melted butter in between each layer and sprinkling 2 tablespoons breadcrumb mixture between every second layer. Combine remaining breadcrumb mixture with walnuts. Spread half of walnut mixture over bottom half of pastry stack. Pile apple mixture in a sausage shape along centre of walnut layer and sprinkle remaining walnut mixture over apple. Fold short pastry end over apple and roll up tightly. Place on a greased oven tray seam side down and brush with butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Cut 8cm long diagonal slashes through top of strudel at 4-5cm intervals.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Dust with icing sugar just before serving. Serve warm with cream or ice-cream.

Roast Vegetable and Feta Wraps

Ingredients

serves 4

350g peeled and seeded butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm pieces
1 red capsicum, quartered, veins and seeds removed
olive oil spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
ground black pepper
8 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
120g goats’ feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
salad leaves, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 220° C. Line a roasting pan with baking paper.

Place pumpkin and capsicum in prepared pan and spray with olive oil spray. Roast 25 minutes or until soft.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a frypan over a medium heat. Add onion and cook for 8 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, thyme and sugar; stir for 1 minute longer. Place into a medium sized bowl. Season with pepper.

Cut capsicum into 2 cm pieces. Lightly crush pumpkin with a fork. Add capsicum and pumpkin to onion; mix lightly to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 190°C.

Place fillo flat on a work surface. Keep covered with a lightly dampened tea towel to prevent fillo from drying out. Spray 1 sheet of pastry with oil. Top with another sheet of pastry; spray with oil, then fold in half, short edge to short edge. Spray with oil, then spoon 1⁄4 vegetable mixture along one long side of the pastry about 3cm from the edge and leaving a 3cm border on either side. Top vegetable mixture with 1⁄4 of the crumbled feta and 1⁄4 of the walnuts. Fold long edge over filling, then fold in side edges. Roll pastry to enclose filling. Place, seam side down, on a large oven tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining fillo, vegetable mixture, feta and walnuts. Spray wraps with olive oil spray and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.

Serve with salad leaves.

Chocolate Fillo Stacks With Macerated Strawberries

Ingredients

serves 6

60g hazelnuts
5 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted (plus extra to serve)
6 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
50g butter, melted

Chocolate Ganache

200g good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur

Macerated Strawberries

500g strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
mint leaves, to serve

Method

Make chocolate ganache. Place all ganache ingredients in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until thick but spreadable (about 90 minutes). Remove from the refrigerator and set aside.

Make macerated strawberries. Place strawberries and icing sugar in a bowl; cover and set aside.

Make fillo layers. Preheat oven to 170ºC. Spread hazelnuts on an oven tray and bake 5 minutes, or until toasted. Place in a tea towel and rub to remove skins (do not be concerned if some skins remain). Cool hazelnuts and place in a food processor. Process until finely chopped (not ground). Set aside.

Brush a sheet of pastry with some melted butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon icing sugar. Top with another sheet of pastry. Brush with butter, sprinkle with another tablespoon of icing sugar, then sprinkle with half the hazelnuts. Continue layering pastry, buttering and sprinkling 1 tablespoon icing sugar between each layer and sprinkling remaining hazelnuts over 4th layer. Brush top of stack with remaining butter.

Use a large knife to trim edges. Cut fillo sheet lengthways into thirds. Cut each fillo strip into 6 even rectangles (you should have 18 rectangles; each measuring about 9cm x 7.5cm). Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Place fillo rectangles onto prepared trays and bake 10 minutes or until golden, swapping trays halfway through cooking time to ensure even browning. Allow to cool.

To assemble, place one-third of the fillo rectangles on serving plates. Spread each with a heaped tablespoon of ganache. Top each with another fillo rectangle and spread each with another heaped tablespoon of ganache. Top with remaining fillo rectangles and lightly dust with icing sugar. Serve immediately with macerated strawberries garnished with mint leaves.

Cook’s Tip: Chocolate ganache can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and store at room temperature. Fillo layers can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container.

Roast Tomato and Onion Tart

Ingredients

serves 4-6

3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
4 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
olive oil spray
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
3 teaspoons crushed garlic
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons sugar
350g ripe tomatoes, sliced
12 black olives
fresh basil leaves, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Combine cheese and breadcrumbs. Cut pastry stack into two 22cm x 28cm rectangles. Layer pastry sheets on an oiled oven tray, spraying oil between each sheet and sprinkling 1 heaped tablespoon of cheese mixture between every second sheet. Spray top of tart with oil and fold edges over to form a1cm border. Spray border with oil.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil and fry onions over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden. Add garlic, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Spread over pastry base. Top with sliced tomatoes and olives. Spray tart with oil.

Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve hot or cold, scattered with basil leaves.

Mushroom Strudel

Ingredients

serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 leek, pale part only, split lengthwise and sliced
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
200g button mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup light thickened cream
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
salt & ground black pepper
8 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
120g soft goats’ feta, crumbled
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
salad to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 190ºC. Line an oven tray with non-stick baking paper.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook leeks for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, garlic and thyme and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Blend cream and cornflour together and add to mushroom mixture. Stir until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in fresh breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Cool.

Combine dried breadcrumbs and parmesan in a bowl and set aside. Place a sheet of pastry on a bench top (cover remaining sheets with a tea towel to prevent from drying out). Liberally brush pastry sheet with oil, then sprinkle with about 3 teaspoons of breadcrumb / parmesan mixture. Continue layering pastry sheets brushing with oil and sprinkling breadcrumb / parmesan mixture between the layers.

Pile mushroom mixture in a sausage shape along the long side of the pastry stack, leaving a 6cm border, along front and side edges. Sprinkle mixture with feta. Fold sides over filling, then roll up to enclose mixture.

Place on prepared tray, seam side down. Brush with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 20 minutes or until golden.

Scrunchy Low Fat Apple Pie

Ingredients

serves 4-6

1/3 cup raw sugar
800g can sliced pie apple
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 tablespoon plain flour
5 sheets Antoniou Fillo Pastry
olive oil spray
2 teaspoons icing sugar
fat reduced custard or ice cream, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C . Reserve 2 teaspoons raw sugar. Combine remaining raw sugar, apple, lemon rind and mixed spice in a bowl. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Place mixture into a 23cm pie dish.

Stack fillo pastry sheets. Cut into halves lengthways, then crossways, to form 8 squares (this will form a total of 40 individual fillo squares). Take one fillo square from the top of a stack and and pinch centre to form a scrunched flower-like shape, then place onto apple filling. Repeat with remaining squares (start from the rim and work toward the centre). Spray pastry liberally with olive oil spray, then sprinkle with reserved raw sugar.

Bake on a low oven shelf for 20 minutes or until golden. Dust with icing sugar. Serve with fat reduced custard or ice cream.

Fig and Pistachio Pastry Slice

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Ingredients

1/3 cup pistachio kernels
4 sheets Antoniou Thick Fillo pastry
75g butter, melted
6 teaspoons caster sugar
1 cup Greek style natural yoghurt
8 fresh figs (350g), sliced

Syrup

1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup water
1/3cup honey

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread pistachios onto a baking tray and bake 5 minutes or until toasted. Cool, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Combine all syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, without stirring for 8 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool.

Grease 2 large baking trays with some of the melted butter. Brush 1 pastry sheet with butter. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Top with another sheet of pastry. Continue layering with remaining pastry, butter and sugar (do not sprinkle sugar on top layer).

Cut pastry into halves lengthways, then cut crossways to form 12 rectangles (each measuring about 7cm x 14cm). Place on the greased trays and bake 6 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a surface lined with baking paper to cool.

To assemble, place 1 pastry rectangle on each plate. Spread each with 1 1/2 tablespoons of yoghurt. Top with about 6 fig slices. Repeat layering with pastry rectangles, yoghurt and figs, finishing with a pastry rectangle. Spoon some syrup over each stack, then top with pistachios.

Tropical Fruits with Malibu Cream

Ingredients

serves 6

3 sheets Antoniou Fillo pastry
30g butter, melted
75g honey roasted macadamia nuts, crushed
300ml thickened cream
1/4 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons Malibu liqueur
1 medium mango, pureed chopped tropical fruits, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line an oven tray with baking paper. Cut stacked fillo pastry sheets in half. Place a sheet of fillo on lined tray, brush with butter; sprinkle with a heaped tablespoon of crushed nuts and top with another sheet of fillo. Continue layering remaining fillo, butter and nuts.

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool, then break into pieces.

Combine cream, icing sugar and Malibu; beat until thick. Lightly swirl in mango puree. Divide between 6 bowls. Serve with tropical fruits and pieces of nut flavoured fillo.