Burekas

A few months ago I was inspired to experiment with hand pies, both sweet and savoury. It is, after all the Year of the Pie . Hand pies are not new but of late I've noticed a huge revival of their popularity. Different doughs, different fillings, various cultures with their own form of pie and each has its own identity.

While travelling through the middle east years ago I was introduced to a savoury form of hand pie called Burekas; flaky and delicious and found made by home cooks, restaurants and street vendors. I was so hooked it was ridiculous. I couldn't pass a street vendor without buying one. I know, I'm sad. With the aid of Tenderflake Puff Pastry I can now whip up a batch in short order or freeze for a later date.

There are a multitude of fillings one can use but my very favourite is a combination of feta and mozarella cheese.

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup grated mozarella cheese

2 eggs

1 pkg. Tenderflake puff pastry

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Turn oven to 350 F

Roll out each piece of puff pastry separately to cut 6 even squares. If you prefer a thinner pastry, you could roll it thinner.

Place 1 heaping Tbsp of filling to the center of each square bringing two opposite points together; pinch. Using a floured fork pinch all the way around the joined area.

Place bourekas on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush tops with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

OMG, I'll bet you can't have just one.

Note: If you don't want your burekas to be too salty, rinse feta before crumbling and add more mozarella to offset the saltiness.