A mountain of Phyllo

Posted on April 19, 2006

I promised something unique. Something different. Something unusual. And now, I am delivering.

This was a brainstorm of mine one evening. You see, I set out to buy some puff pastry dough at the grocery store. In my madness, I bought Phyllo dough instead. Could we talk about more different? Phyllo is thin sheets of pastry that doesn’t puff. Ever.

So now I have this mass of Phyllo to work through.

My brainstorm? A savory ham napoleon…and boy did it turn out well.

The light and flaky crust was a fantastic complement to the sweet, creamy and salty interior contents. This surely isn’t a dish for everyone, but it is worth trying if you are in an adventurous mood.

Savory Ham Napoleon

Serves 1

2 sheets Phyllo dough
5 spears white asparagus (steamed for 5 minutes, drained and chopped)
½ cup chopped baby bella mushrooms
½ cup chopped ham (cooked)
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded asiago cheese
Cooking oil spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spray one sheet of Phyllo with cooking spray. Fold into quarters and place on parchment covered baking sheet. Spread 1/2 of the mushrooms followed by 1/2 asparagus and 1/2 ham. Top with 1/3 cheddar and 1/3 asiago.

Cut the second sheet of Phyllo in half. Spray both halves with cooking spray. Fold each half in half.

Place one folded sheet of Phyllo on top of the stack you’ve already made. Cover with the rest of the mushrooms, followed by the asparagus and the ham. Top with 1/3 cheddar and 1/3 asiago. Place the last folded sheet of Phyllo on top and cover with remaining cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.