Shared by Hila Alpert
Shared by Hila Alpert
Phyllo Bundles With Feta, Honey, and Black Pepper
Yield: 8 bundles
Phyllo Bundles With Feta, Honey, and Black Pepper
Yield: 8 bundlesFamily Journey
Kibbutz Ma'ale HaHamisha, Israel
Tel Aviv
While one is not required to consume dairy on Shavuot, it is a popular custom. Here, it’s wrapped inside phyllo dough and sweetened with honey. Black pepper keeps the sweetness in check.
This recipe is featured in our cookbook "The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long." For more holiday recipes from around the world, get your copy!
This recipe was shared by Hila Alpert. Read more about her family in " Israeli Culinary Journalist Hila Alpert Looks Back on Shavuot on the Kibbutz" and try her recipes for cheese and chocolate truffles and lali salad.
Ingredients
- 6 sheets of fresh or frozen phyllo (defrost the package of dough overnight in the refrigerator; see headnote
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 pound full-fat feta cheese, cut into 1¾-inch squares or into pieces that will make squares of this size (see headnote)
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
Cut each phyllo sheet crosswise into 3 equal strips, to make 18 wide strips. Keep the phyllo covered with a clean cloth or sheet of plastic as you work to prevent it from drying out, which it will do quickly.
Step 3
Lay one phyllo strip horizontally in front of you on the work surface and brush it with melted butter. Place a second strip of phyllo vertically across the center of the first strip, forming a cross. Brush the second strip with melted butter.
Step 4
Place a square of feta approximately 1¾ inches across and ½ inch thick on the center of the two layered phyllo strips, fitting two or more smaller pieces of cheese together if necessary to form the square.
Step 5
Fold the right side of the bottom phyllo strip over, covering the cheese. Brush it lightly with butter. Fold the bottom of the second strip of phyllo up and over the cheese and brush it lightly with butter. Fold the left side of the bottom phyllo strip over the center and brush it lightly with butter, then fold the top of the second strip of phyllo over onto the center of the phyllo bundle. Repeat until there is no remaining unfolded phyllo and you have a neat bundle.
Step 6
Brush any unbuttered spots with butter and place the bundle seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo strips and feta (you'll have 2 phyllo strips left over; you can discard these, or reserve them for another use).
Step 7
Bake until the phyllo bundles are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Step 8
Arrange the phyllo bundles on a serving platter and drizzle the honey over them, then sprinkle with the pepper. Serve immediately, while the cheese is warm and the pastry is crisp.
