My friends Andrea and Colin were married last weekend (nice work!), and the food was just as beautiful as the occasion itself. The menu, like the entire affair, was tastefully elegant. The dishes were delicious and complex without being pretentious; simple ingredients expertly combined to produce interesting flavour and texture combinations.
The standout in my view was an Oka-stuffed phyllo pastry with microgreens and a cranberry compote. I have no idea who made it, but I am offering my inspired version of an Oka-stuffed pastry. I recently made some fig preserves, so I'll use them in place of a cranberry accompaniment.
Oka is one of the mainstays of Quebec surface-ripened, semi-soft cheeses. There's the original raw milk, longer-aged Oka Classique, and a pasteurized version, Oka Regulier, for softer palates and pregnant ladies. :) I use the raw milk because of the extra nuttiness it offers. I'm also a sucker for that lovely, raw, 'dirty sock' flavour.
Oka-Pine Nut Stuffed Phyllo Turnovers
200 g Oka Classique, grated
4 sheets of frozen Phyllo dough, thawed
6 tbsp melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup roasted pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped garlic chives
Preheat oven to 375°F . Stack the sheets of Phyllo dough together, brushing each with melted butter. Cut this stack into 9 squares.
Divide the grated Oka and pine nuts between the 9 squares, and place in the centre of each. Season with salt and pepper and half of the chives.
Fold the phyllo squares over the filling to form triangles. Seal the edges with melted butter and crimp with your fingers or the back of a fork. Brush each side with more butter.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.
Garnish with remaining chives.
Serve immediately with preserves of your choice, and microgreens, sprouts, or frisee to cut the richness.
Enjoy!
