Your family will think you worked all day when you set these beureks on the table. They are crispy and crunchy. When served hot, the cheese flows out. Serve them as appetizers with Persian cucumbers and a glass of wine. You can make these ahead and freeze them. When you’re ready to use, remove them from the freezer, let them thaw for about 30 minutes and then fry them.
Skill level: Easy
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Fried Cheese Pies “Beurek”
2014-06-14 18:34:35
Serves 15
Velvet Edition: “Mediterranean” Recipe
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
- 1 packet store bought pastry for frying
- Oil for frying
Filling
- 4 cups grated Cassique, Panela or Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco cheese (see note #1 below)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon mahleb – optional but preferable (see note #1 below)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley ( any kind )
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the filling together.
- Place a spoonful of filling in the center of a pastry dough disk and fold.
- Crimp edges with a fork. At this point you can place them on a tray, cover with a plastic wrap and freeze them.
- When you are ready to use, heat oil in a dutch oven to 320°. Make sure the oil isn’t very very hot, otherwise they will quickly burn.
- Place a few beureks in the oil making sure they don’t stick to each other.
- Turn side when they are golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.
- The filling should be enough for 15 pastry disks. If you fill them too much, they will burst during frying. If you have any filling left, you can freeze them in a ziploc bag, or make yourself a grilled cheese sandwich. Yields: 15 beureks.
♣ Notes
- 1. If you can’t find Panela, or Queso Fresco or Queso Blanco, any other cheese that melts well will work such as Jack cheese. I don’t recommend using Feta, because Feta cheese does not melt. Mozarella on the other hand, melts well but it does harden quickly.
- 2. Mahleb is an aromatic spice prevalent in Mediterranean cuisine, and particularly in baking. It is the pit of the bing cherry and once the pit is cracked, the kernel is extracted and ground into fine powder.
Velvet Edition https://www.velvetedition.com/
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