Chevre, Pear, Prosciutto, and Walnuts in Filo Bundles
3 pears, peeled, cored, and diced
12 oz. chevre
2 oz. prosciutto, sliced very thinly and julienned
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tbl sage or pineapple sage, minced
1 pkg filo dough
1 cup butter, liquid
1 cup cream
garnish: chopped chives, 1 star fruit, 1 cucumber
Combine diced pears, 8 oz. chevre, julienned prosciutto, chopped walnuts,
and minced sage in a bowl. This is the filling.
Cut filo sheets in half so they are roughly square. You will use three
sheets, or six half sheets per serving, but you'd better count to be
sure you have enough. Lightly butter the bottoms of eight custard cups
or ramekins and place on a sheet pan. Lay six half-sheets, buttered with
a brush, over each other in a messy, offset pattern. Ease into a custard
cup. Repeat for all eight custard cups. Divide the filling among the
cups, placing it in the filo dough, and then twisting the tops into a
bundle over the filling. Brush the top lightly with butter. Bake the
bundles in a 350'F oven until nicely browned and the inside is hot,
about 20 minutes.
Combine 4 oz. chevre with 1 cup cream over moderate heat. Stir
vigorously to make the mixture smooth and reduce until the sauce coats a
spoon.
To serve, divide the sauce among eight salad-sized plates. Tilt the
plates to make the sauce evenly coat the inner area of the plate. Ease
the filo bundles out of the custard cups by loosening the edges with a
knife and then lifting it out with a spoon. Place a filo bundle in the
center of each plate.
Optional garnish: Sprinkle snipped chives on the sauce on the bottom half of
the plate. On the top half of the plate, place a thin slice of star fruit
on the right and a cucumber fan on the left.
See any book on garnishing for cucmber fan instructions. A cucumber fan is
made by slicing a cucumber in half lengthwise, cutting grooves in the skin
with a citrus zester/groove tool, and then making four thin slices cut at
a 45' angle, but held together in one corner. The fan is mooshed on to
the plate to make an ornamental fan. If you have a very sharp knife and a
steady hand, it's really quite easy.