Make Ahead
BÖrek Pie
- Serves 4-8
Author Notes
This is not a classical börek, as that would mean cigar shaped filo dough filled with feta cheese. Instead, I chose the road to a sturdy pie that can be easily sliced into rectangles and feed a party crowd (or a hungry Dutch lady;)).
What I wanted to achieve was a larger ratio of filling against the filo dough, and to add more taste to the feta cheese by using all the exciting spring green herbs. Feel free to amend the herbs you use, or to add a teaspoon of mustard in case you feel like.
I must admit that it has taken me some time to get comfortable and handy with filo dough, and my conclusion is that it very much depends on the quality of the product you can get your hands on. I would strongly advise to find a good oriental store where they have fridge-fresh filo dough.
I have been lucky enough to find a Mediterranean supermarket here in Frankfurt Ost that stocks up on fresh (!) filo dough in different shapes and sizes. The sheets are incredibly sturdy and easy to handle. I have gotten to like the cake wedge shaped ones, as they fit into any baking pan very well. It is well worth a search, but in case you can't get your hands on something comparable, just try a bit of patience with the super market sheets, it will all come together after spending some time in a hot oven (and a good sprinkle of olive oil). —Eline - Tuk's Kitchen
Ingredients
-
150 grams
filo dough sheets (preferrably fresh)
-
300-400 grams
feta cheese (preferrably good quality, the soft kind)
-
75 grams
creme fraiche (or yoghurt)
-
3
large eggs
-
1 tablespoon
freshly ground black pepper
-
1 big bunch (around 80 grams)
soft, fresh green herbs, such as chives, dill, parsley and mint (the addition of the latter is delicious, but use sparingly, around the leaves of two large stalks)
-
some sprigs
of fresh thymian
-
2 cloves
of garlic, finely minced (optionally)
-
1 teaspoon
of mild mustard (optionally)
Directions
- Sprinkle some olive oil in your baking pan before layering the filo dough into it, as it helps crisping up your dough, as well as preventing the dough from drying out. In case your dough is particularly dry, you can also consider to wet your hands before handling it, to smooth all out. Don't worry about your dough tearing, just try to make a patchwork out of it.
- For the filling, crumble the feta, mix in the herbs, black pepper and stir in the yoghurt and eggs. Feel free to adjust the amounts of herbs, as well as the ratio of yoghurt / eggs and cheese as the feta cheese tend to differ in density or smoothness. Pour the filling into the covered form and close as much as possible with the overlapping filo sheets. Sprinkle with some olive oil and bake in a moderately hot oven, on 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes (but keep a close eye on it as the filo dough easily browns).
- I like to keep a part of the pie open, to showcase the beautiful filling. More authentic (however, less photo genetic), is to cover the top of the 'börek', this will also be more practical to serve in small bites on let's say a birthday party. Either ways it will taste fantastic.
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