Story and Recipes by Debbi Snook | Wine Commentary by Gary Twining
Photos by Beth Segal
For dessert, fluff thin-sliced phyllo with honey butter and nuts and bake into baklava cookies to serve under your favorite ice cream scoop. Think of it as a sugar cone gone irresistibly flaky.
- 5 TBS butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 5 TBS honey
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup ground walnuts or pistachios
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 – 8-ounce package frozen phyllo dough
- Extra honey for drizzling
Cookies can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in a covered container.
Before using frozen phyllo dough, thaw in refrigerator overnight, another hour unopened on counter.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place parchment paper on baking sheet.
Stir melted butter (still slightly warm) thoroughly with honey and cinnamon.
Remove dough from plastic wrap and re-roll it. Using sharp knife, slice roll in half, lengthwise. Then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch slices. Divide dough slices into four equal portions.
Place one portion of the dough slices in a bowl, and fluff gently and thoroughly with fingers until loose. Mix nuts and sugar and add 1/4 cup of mixture to dough.
Drizzle 2 generous tablespoons of the honey/cinnamon butter over the dough, tossing gently with your fingers to coat evenly.
Divide into thirds and pile each on cookie sheet, shaping lightly into circles about 4 inches wide and level. Don’t pat down. Bake until golden and crisp around the edges, 15-20 minutes.
Repeat process with remaining dough. Top each cooled cookie with an extra drizzle of honey, if desired, and a scoop of ice cream. Serves 6-12
Gary: With the honey used in the pastry, look for botrytised whites to echo the honeyed character. Late harvest whites, Moscatos (d’Asti, Beaumes-de-Venise, Samos) will pair nicely. Think also of oxidized, richly sweet whites to echo the nuts in the recipe; sweet Sherry, Marsala, Montilla and Tawny Porto.
