Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
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These delicious cheese pastries from the cradle of civilization are simple and easy to make. Admittedly, working with puff pastry can be frustrating, but here are some recommendations to get the best results with the least angst:
1. use reasonably fresh puff pastry; ours was left over from a previous project and had been in the (deep) freezer for some time
2. only roll the pastry enough to smooth it out; commercial packages generally contain pastry which is already the proper thickness for use in this recipe.
Make sure the cheese mixture is ready and the oven is at the proper temperature before handling the puff pastry. We call for some cheese types which are readily available in our area. In traditional recipes the cheeses are all ones which are unique to the middle east.
These are really best the day they are baked. Due to the tenderness of puff pastry it may or may not be practical to form them and then freeze them for future use, but it should be possible.
Makes 8 bourekas.
Equipment:
• large mixing bowl
• 2 sheets (1 package) commercial puff pastry
• 1 or 2 lined baking sheets
• rolling surface and pin
Ingredients:
6 oz ricotta or mascarpone
3 oz feta or chevre or similar
3 oz parmesan or grana padano, pecorino
1 ea egg separated; 1/3 of yolk in whites
8 sq puff pastry 4-5” on a side
to taste black pepper
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Get the egg and the soft cheeses out early to warm and soften.
3. Grate 3 oz of parmesan into the large mixing bowl.
4. Once they are warm, add the soft cheeses (feta and ricotta, or substitutions).
5. Separate the egg and add 2/3 of the yolk to the cheese.
6. Reserve the egg white and dab of yolk for the egg wash. It is okay to use only the egg whites in the egg wash.
7. Mix the cheese and egg yolk mixture thoroughly; a hand mixer may be helpful here, or good ol’ elbow grease.
8. Once the mixture is homogenenous, the mixture is ready.
9. Once the oven is at the proper temperature, lay out and prepare the puff pastry.
10. Learn from my mistakes and don’t roll it out. Just flatten it and cut into quarters.
11. Place a rough triangle of filling off-center toward one corner of each square, and then fold the opposite corner over and glue it closed with egg wash. Use of a fork is a good idea to ensure that the bourekas don’t leak while baking.
12. Place the bourekas on a baking sheet. They can be placed rather close together.
13. Bake in the center of a 350F oven for 35min or so, until they are golden-brown and look delicious.
14. Allow them to cool about 30 minutes before attempting to eat.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check our our Patreon!
patreon.com/loveyourfood
Need a kitchen thermometer? Check out ChefsTemp! Use code LoveYourFood for 15% off a meat thermometer!
shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2084649&u=3322095&m=111859&urllink=&afftrack=
These delicious cheese pastries from the cradle of civilization are simple and easy to make. Admittedly, working with puff pastry can be frustrating, but here are some recommendations to get the best results with the least angst:
1. use reasonably fresh puff pastry; ours was left over from a previous project and had been in the (deep) freezer for some time
2. only roll the pastry enough to smooth it out; commercial packages generally contain pastry which is already the proper thickness for use in this recipe.
Make sure the cheese mixture is ready and the oven is at the proper temperature before handling the puff pastry. We call for some cheese types which are readily available in our area. In traditional recipes the cheeses are all ones which are unique to the middle east.
These are really best the day they are baked. Due to the tenderness of puff pastry it may or may not be practical to form them and then freeze them for future use, but it should be possible.
Makes 8 bourekas.
Equipment:
• large mixing bowl
• 2 sheets (1 package) commercial puff pastry
• 1 or 2 lined baking sheets
• rolling surface and pin
Ingredients:
6 oz ricotta or mascarpone
3 oz feta or chevre or similar
3 oz parmesan or grana padano, pecorino
1 ea egg separated; 1/3 of yolk in whites
8 sq puff pastry 4-5” on a side
to taste black pepper
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Get the egg and the soft cheeses out early to warm and soften.
3. Grate 3 oz of parmesan into the large mixing bowl.
4. Once they are warm, add the soft cheeses (feta and ricotta, or substitutions).
5. Separate the egg and add 2/3 of the yolk to the cheese.
6. Reserve the egg white and dab of yolk for the egg wash. It is okay to use only the egg whites in the egg wash.
7. Mix the cheese and egg yolk mixture thoroughly; a hand mixer may be helpful here, or good ol’ elbow grease.
8. Once the mixture is homogenenous, the mixture is ready.
9. Once the oven is at the proper temperature, lay out and prepare the puff pastry.
10. Learn from my mistakes and don’t roll it out. Just flatten it and cut into quarters.
11. Place a rough triangle of filling off-center toward one corner of each square, and then fold the opposite corner over and glue it closed with egg wash. Use of a fork is a good idea to ensure that the bourekas don’t leak while baking.
12. Place the bourekas on a baking sheet. They can be placed rather close together.
13. Bake in the center of a 350F oven for 35min or so, until they are golden-brown and look delicious.
14. Allow them to cool about 30 minutes before attempting to eat.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
