Chocolate Pistachio Phyllo Roll

Phyllo, filo, or fillo dough are paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine.

The practice of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets probably evolved in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace, based on Central Asian prototypes. Yufka may have been “an early form of filo” since the Diwan Lughat al-Turk, a dictionary of Turkic dialects by Mahmud Kashgari recorded pleated/folded bread as one meaning of the word yuvgha, which is related to yufka, meaning ‘thin’, the modern Turkish name for phyllo as well as a Turkish flatbread also called yufka.

Phyllo dough is made with flour, water, and a small amount of oil and rakı or white vinegar, though some dessert recipes also call for egg yolks. Homemade phyllo takes time and skill, requiring progressive rolling and stretching to a single thin and very large sheet. A very big table and a long roller are used, with continual flouring between layers to prevent tearing.

Machines for producing phyllo pastry were perfected in the 1970s and they have come to dominate the market. Phyllo for use by home cooks is now widely available from supermarkets, fresh or frozen.

Chocolate Pistachio Phyllo Roll

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely ground in a food processor
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup shelled salted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
• 6 sheets phyllo dough (12 by 17 inches each), thawed if frozen
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Put chocolate in a medium sized bowl.

In a saucepan, heat cream with cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Pour heated milk over the chocolate and stir until melted.

Finely chop 2 tablespoons nuts; set aside. Stir the remaining nuts into the chocolate mixture.

Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface (cover remaining sheets with a damp kitchen towel). Lightly brush surface with melted butter; lay another sheet on top, and brush with more melted butter.

Immediately spoon the chocolate along a short side of phyllo, leaving a 1 ½ inch border uncovered along the edges. Tightly roll into a log, lightly brushing with butter at each turn and tucking in ends. Brush log with butter; cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat the process to make 2 more logs.

Transfer logs to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Rotate sheet; brush logs with butter. Sprinkle with reserved nuts. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To serve: dust lightly with sugar and cut in a swift motion to divide each log into 8 pieces.