Gorgonzola-Basil Phyllo Kisses

Serve this as a welcome bite and your dinner party is off to an amazing start!  Phyllo, Filo or Fillo dough is paper-thin sheets of raw, unleavened flour dough used for making pastries. A popular dessert using filo pastry is baklava but there are oodles of other sweet and savory dishes out there using filo pastry. Whatever filo recipe you use, the end result will be a crispy and flaky pastry that will melt in your mouth.

Serves 12

6 sheets phyllo dough
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 pound Gorgonzola, cut into 24 pieces
24 basil leaves

Preheat oven 220c (425f).  Cut each sheet of phyllo into quarters. Brush each piece with the butter, fold in half, brush with the butter again, and fold in half again; spoon in 1 piece of Gorgonzola and close into a moneybag or kiss shape with your fingers.  Continue until you finish all the phyllo dough and Gorgonzola. Place on a baking sheet, brush the tops with butter, and freeze until you are ready to bake (up to 2 months in sealed containers); or bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Place a basil leaf under each kiss and serve hot or at room temperature.

The Culinary Chase’s Note:
Light, crispy and flaky bundles of pure delight! Love the contrast between the saltiness of the cheese and light peppery-anise flavor of the basil helps counteract the richness of the Gorgonzola. To keep basil fresh, wrap basil in paper towel around the base of the stems, wet it and seal the whole bunch in a plastic bag. This should keep in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks.  Watch the oven while the kisses cook as they might brown faster than the allotted 15 minutes.  A couple of kisses had the cheese ooze out but this did not in any way detract from the taste.  We enjoyed this snack with a glass (or two) of Grand Pré Champlain Brut.  Cheers!

5 Comments

  1. The Curious Cat on April 21, 2011 at 18:13

    Look delicious and I love the new look of the site – v professional! xxx



  2. The Culinary Chase on April 21, 2011 at 22:27

    Thanks Curious. Felt TCC needed some sprucing up! 🙂



  3. Kaitlin DH on April 25, 2011 at 13:39

    Looks very yummy!



  4. The Culinary Chase on April 25, 2011 at 20:42

    Thanks Kait and easy to whip up. 🙂



  5. Kevin on May 11, 2011 at 01:48

    Great way to enjoy some gorgonzola!