Looking to entertain a crowd with bite sized appetizers? Looking for something super quick, easy and presentable with minimum effort? Look no further than Phyllo Cups Appetizers. These bite sized beauties look as good as they taste.
What are Phyllo cups?
Phyllo or Filo is a type of dough used predominantly in Mediterranean cuisine for making pastries. These sheets of dough are molded into cups and sold in stores in the freezer section. Phyllo cups are used as a base for sweet and/or savory fillings to create the perfect bite sized appetizers.
Homemade or Store bought?
Though I am a big fan of making things at home, sometimes store bought ingredients work better. I prefer buying these cups readymade. The main reason for that is avoiding the labor and skill intensive process of making the phyllo. Making phyllo at home also requires special equipment such as a long table and roller to ensure that the sheets are paper thin. Since most of us do not have that at home, this is one place where I believe store bought ingredient triumphs over homemade ones.
The Toppings
This is where you can stay as simple as you like or go all out fancy if you prefer. Phyllo cups are empty shells that are to be baked for 5 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit before adding your favorite toppings to it. I chose three toppings for my phyllo cups recipe. Also, because I chose to add cheese, I added the ingredients and then baked it to melt the cheese. The great thing about the toppings is that you can make additions, subtractions and substitutions as you like! The three toppings I had were:
Caramelized onions, macadamia with gruyere
Think sweet, salty and crunchy in one bite! The caramelized onions provided the rich sweetness. The crunch from the roasted macadamia nuts and the the saltiness from gruyere provide the perfect bite. To make the caramelized onions, saute one medium onion (sliced) in oil until golden brown (about 15 minutes). The onion needs to be cooked on low to medium flame, season simply with salt and sugar. Feel free to add any other nut such as roasted pistachio or walnut instead of macadamia. Substitute gruyere with your favorite cheese.
Apricot Jam with Brie
I wanted to try a sweet and salt combination, so I decided to use apricot jam with brie cheese. Brie is a soft cheese made with cow’s milk. The sweet and sour apricot jam with the brie was a hit combination for sure. I happened to have apricot jam, you can try it with strawberry jam too!
Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Cheddar
Whip up a quick salsa, add your favorite cheese and you have a great appetizer idea. For this salsa, I mixed equal parts cooked black beans with corn kernels (thawed and microwaved for 2 minutes). I seasoned this salsa simply with salt, pepper, cilantro, lemon juice and onions (optional).
What are your favorite combinations for the phyllo cups? Do share them in the comments below. Here is my recipe for the phyllo cups:
PHYLLO CUPS
Ingredients
- 30 mini phyllo cups premade
- 5 tsp caramelized onions
- 10 macadamia nuts
- 10 tsp gruyere cheese shredded
- 5 tsp apricot jam
- 5 tsp brie cheese
- 10 tsp black bean and corn salsa
- 10 tsp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Place the phyllo cups on a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add half teaspoon caramelized onions, 1 macadamia nut and 1 teaspoon gruyere cheese to each of the first 10 cups.
- Add half teaspoon apricot jam and half teaspoon brie cheese to each of the next 10 cups.
- For the last 10 cups, add 1 teaspoon salsa and 1 teaspoon cheddar cheese to each cup.
- Bake the cups for 5 minutes until the cups get crisp and cheese melts. Serve hot!