PASTRY RECIPES

CREAM CHEESE PASTRY DOUGH

1 c. cake flour, sifted
1 tsp. sugar (plus 1 tbsp. sugar for sprinkling on top)
Pinch of salt
1/4 c. chilled no fat cream cheese
4 tsp. light butter
2 1/2 to 3 tbsp. skim milk (plus 1 tbsp. for glaze)

Mix flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and salt. With pastry cutter, cut cream cheese and butter into flour mixture until crumbly. With fork, stir in enough milk until clumped together. Press the dough into a circle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. (Can be made ahead and stored up to 2 days).
On lightly floured surface, roll pastry to 1/8" thickness. Carefully place over fruit and tuck edges. Brush top with milk and sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over. Cut several slashes for steam vents.

Bake about 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly.

Cool slightly and serve with "fat free" ice cream or frozen yogurt.

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FROZEN PASTRY DOUGH

3 c. flour
3 egg yolks
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sweet butter

Mix together egg yolks, cream cheese and sweet butter. Add flour and mix well. Divide into 3 balls. Refrigerate or freeze.
When ready to use, keep dough at room temperature for several hours. Roll out and spread with the following fillings, as you desire. Cinnamon, sugar, raisins and nuts; poppyseeds and marmalade; lekvar and raisins.

Roll and cut 2 inch squares. Put filling on each. Bring 2 opposite corners together. Bake at 350 degrees until brown.

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DANISH PASTRY DOUGH

1 lb. unsalted butter
4 dry yeast packages
1 c. warm water
2/3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. cold milk
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
8 1/2 c. flour

Tear off two sheets of wax paper about 20 inches long. Place the butter sticks on the sheet of wax paper and about 2 inches apart. Cover the butter with the other sheet of wax paper. Roll out and work with it until it is completely spread over the entire sheet of wax paper. Place it in the freeze for later use.
Dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside until raised. Mix together rest of ingredients. Add yeast mixture to egg mixture. Put in refrigerator. Dough will be sticky so that's ok. Leave in refrigerator about 30 minutes.

Take out and gently roll it out to about 18 x 13 inches. Take the butter out of the freeze, peel off the wax paper and carefully put it on the dough. Score the butter in the center. Fold over and again roll out to about 24 x 12 inches. Fold ends in half, making the fourth layer. Repeat rolling and fold 2 more times. Put back in refrigerator for another hour. Dough will rise slightly in refrigerator.

To fill. Cut dough into 8 pieces. Put back into refrigerator while making each one. For cheese filling: 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese 1 egg 2 egg yolks 3/4 c. sugar 2 tsp. vanilla

This is enough to fill all 8 pieces. Or you can use whatever other filling you want. Let rise about 30 minutes, then bake. Brush top with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Watch carefully to that the bottom doesn't burn.

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BAKLAVA

2 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 1/2 inch piece of stick cinnamon
3/4 c. honey
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine sugar, water and cinnamon stick in medium saucepan. Heat to boiling and boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add honey, stir well. Cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and set aside to cool while you prepare pastry.

NUT FILLING:

2 c. walnuts, chopped finely (not ground)
1 c. blanched almonds, chopped finely (not ground)
6 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

PASTRY;
1 lb. frozen (filo, thawed & refrigerated) (also called phyllo or strudel dough)
1 lb. butter
Whole cloves (opt.)

Melt butter in small saucepan. In medium sized bowl, mix ingredients for nut filling, well. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter to the nuts, stir well and set aside.
Wet lightly the bottom of a large tray or cookie sheet. Cover the bottom with waxed paper. (Waxed paper will adhere to damp tray.) Remove filo from box and unfold carefully to full size sheets. Lay out on clean table or cutting board. Measure and cut sheets in half so that they will fit a 9 x 13 inch pan. Stack one half on top of the other, place whole stack on waxed paper-covered tray and cover with more waxed paper. (Cut filo with scissors or sharp knife.) Wet clean tea towel in cold water and wring out. Spread over waxed paper, covering filo and keep this on while you are working, uncovering only to remove a sheet of filo.

On work surface, arrange filo tray, baking pan, melted butter and nut mixture so that you can reach all of them easily from one spot. Using SOFT pastry brush, butter bottom and sides of baking pan, liberally. Uncover filo and peel off one sheet, place in pan and paint with melted butter. Repeat this for 10 sheets of filo, buttering each one and always covering the rest of the filo between sheets. When 10 filo are in place, sprinkle 1/4 of the nut mixture over them. Add 4 more sheets filo, buttering each one in the same manner. Sprinkle 1/4 more nut mixture over. Add 4 more filo, then third 1/4 of nuts; 4 more filo and remaining nuts. Cover with 10 more filo, buttering each as you go. Paint leftover butter over top layer. Refrigerate for about 1/2 hour.

After 1/2 hour, heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pan from refrigerator. With straight-edge and sharp knife, mark pastry into diamonds of the desired size, cutting down into pastry about half way. Stud each piece with whole clove. Sprinkle a little cold water over all. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then lower heat to 325 degrees. Bake about 1 hour more, or until golden brown and edges start to leave sides of pan.

Remove from oven and set on solid burn-proof surface. Remove cinnamon stick from syrup you prepared earlier and immediately drizzle COOL syrup slowly and carefully all over HOT pastry. (It will sizzle a little at first.)

Set aside to cool. Finish cutting all the way through pastry to remove from pan and serve. Very good made a day or two ahead of serving. Makes 1 large 9 x 13 inch pan. Can be frozen unbaked or baked.

Can use all walnuts if almonds unavailable. This is important because filo dries out very easily and is then nearly impossible to work with.