Prize Winning Festive Phyllo Tarts Recipes

STRAWBERRY-CREAM CHEESE PHYLLO TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350. Brush bottom and sides of 11x7 inch glass baking dish with butter. Cut piece of parchment paper to fit in bottom and up 2 ends of baking dish. Place in dish; brush generously with butter.
• Center 1 phyllo sheet in baking dish, forming about 1-inch border up sides of dish, turning over as necessary at ends; brush with butter. Repeat with remaining 5 phyllo sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or untill sides begin to curl. If puffed in center, prick gently with knife tip; press down gently with back of spoon to deflate.
• Meanwhile beat cream cheese in large bowl at medium speed 1 minute or until fluffy. Beat in sugar 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined. Beat in vanilla. Pour into partially baked phyllo lined pan.
• Bake 20 minutes or until filling is set and phyllo is golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove tart, lifting with 2 extended ends of parchment; place on wire rack. Cool 45-50 minutes or until room temperature.
• Cover with strawberries; brush with jelly to glaze. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

BERRY PHYLLO TARTS

Steps:

• Roll up phyllo dough and cut into 1/4-in.-wide strips. Place strips in a large bowl; toss with butter, sugar and orange zest until coated. Divide strips into six portions; shape into nests on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 5-7 minutes or until golden., In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat marmalade until melted. In a large bowl, combine the oranges and berries in a large bowl; drizzle with marmalade and juices. Sprinkle with lemon and lime zest; gently toss to coat. Just before serving, spoon into nests. Garnish with mint if desired.

SHRIMP PHYLLO TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In large bowl cream mayonnaise and cream cheese until smooth.
• Add remaining ingredients except shrimp.
• When well mixed add shrimp and mix together.
• Drop by scant tablespoonfuls into phyllo shells.
• Bake for 10 minutes or until heated through.

FETA-AND-HERB PHYLLO TART

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius.
• Brush one of the phyllo sheets lightly with melted butter and place, butter side-up, in a 9-inch/25-centimeter round tart pan. Press the pastry into the corners and then brush another sheet of phyllo in the same way, pressing it into the pan at a 45-degree angle to the first sheet. Continue twice more (using 4 sheets total), covering the base and sides of the pan with a uniformly thick layer of phyllo. Trim the overhanging pastry, but not completely, leaving 1/2-inch/1 centimeter of phyllo over the edges of the tart. Set both the pan and pastry scraps aside.
• Take another sheet of phyllo (unbuttered this time) and position the long side in front of you. Fold the bottom edge up to form a fold 1 inch/3 centimeters wide. Continue folding the pastry in alternating directions (as if you were making a concertina fan) until you end up with 1 long pleated strip. Repeat with the remaining sheets of pastry in the same way. (If the pastry breaks or tears, pat it back into place and continue as if the torn pieces were still connected.)
• Starting from the middle of the tart tin, coil 1 folded strip from the middle outwards to start forming a rough snail, spreading the strips roughly 1/4 inch/1/2 to 1 centimeter apart. (You want visible gaps between the phyllo strips, so you can fill them with chunks of feta and the custard.) Meet the end of the pastry with the second strip and continue the snail in the same way until the 4 sheets have been used. You may still have some space around the edge, which you can fill with the scrap trimmings, folding them in the same way as best you can.
• Brush the pastry carefully with remaining butter and set any pastry coils upright if they've fallen over. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the pastry is a dark golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix feta, pecorino and herbs until blended and set aside.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream and milk with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper.
• Gently press cheese and herbs in between the gaps of the phyllo pastry, being careful not to break the pastry base. Pour the custard over evenly, drizzling in just a little at a time and allowing it to soak evenly into all the gaps in the pastry. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the custard has set and the cheese has browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm, cut into slices.

BERRIES & CREAM PHYLLO TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lay unrolled stack of phyllo sheets on flat surface, cover with large piece of saran wrap or parchment paper & then cover with damp kitchen towel.
• Remove one phyllo sheet to a flat surface & brush with melted butter. Remove second sheet, lay over the first sheet & brush with butter. Repeat til you have 5 sheets total. (Re-cover the rest of the sheets each time to keep from drying out, but make sure to not get them wet with the damp towel).
• Using knife or pizza cutter, cut stack of buttered sheets into 6 squares. Lay one stack of squares into a muffin cup, gently pushing down in the middle & around the sides. Repeat with remainder of squares.
• Repeat steps 3 & 4 until all of the phyllo sheets have been used.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven & allow to cool in pans.
• In mixer fitted with wire whip attachment, combine mascarpone cheese, cream cheese, Splenda, strawberry jelly, powdered sugar & lemon juice til smooth.
• Fold in raspberries & blueberries.
• When phyllo shells are cool, spoon in the filling (I used a small cookie scoop) & top with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.
• Store in refrigerator.

CRAB PHYLLO TARTS

Steps:

• Place tart shells on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle cheese into each shell.
• In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and spoon about a teaspoonful into each tart shell.
• Bake at 375 F for 18-20 minutes or until pastry is browned and serve warm!

SAVORY SEAFOOD PHYLLO TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray or grease a muffin pan.
• For Filling:.
• Place cream cheese in mixing bowl. Add egg, half and half, and mix well. Stir in rest of filling ingredients.
• For Dough:.
• Working quickly, and keeping dough moist, lay out a sheet of dough on a cutting board and brush with melted butter. Lay onto buttered surface next sheet of Phyllo dough and repeat with 5 more sheets leaving last sheet plain without butter.
• Cut stacked dough into 6 equal pieces and place into muffin pan fitting into the bottom to make a well.
• Butter, stack, and cut remaining 6 pieces of dough.
• Fill cups with filling to top and bake at 350 F until set approximately 20 minutes.