If you're like me, and grew up within Mediterranean cultures, then, you might be all too familiar with this recipe! Yes! It's time to make Cheese Boreks! No matter how you pronounce them, or what they're called around the world, virtually, every country has a recipe for cheese turnovers. The recipe we'll be discussing here is for authentic Armenian style Cheese Boreks. If you're eager to know how to make them, you've come to the right place! Here's what you'll need.
- 1 Packet of Puff Pastry Squares
- 1/2 lb of Jack Cheese
- 1/4 lb of Feta Cheese
- 2 whole eggs, and 1 yolk
- 1/4 Tspn Aleppo Pepper
- 1 Tspn dried Mint
- 1/2 of a bunch of flat leaf Parsley diced
- 1 beaten Egg reserved with a tspn of water for brushing on top.
- Sesame Seeds
These are the amounts that work best for me, so I have listed them above. You'll need to thaw out the pack of puff pastry dough for at least an hour, before starting to make these, if you're making them the same day. If not, you can choose to freeze them for later use. They really keep well in the freezer. The traditional way is to make the dough by hand and roll them the same day. I have made this both ways in the past. Another way is to make them using phyllo dough, but we'll discuss that in a future post. For now, all you need is right here.
After thawing the dough out, it will be pliable and, easier to work with. If you take them out of the freezer and, want to work with them too quickly,(meaning it sat out less than an hour) they're likely to break when you attempt to fold them over at the corners. The technique on how to fold these, is explicitly shown in the video, on my channel Food Cravings, via YouTube. The first step after you thaw the dough, is to pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In essence, what you want to do is, grate your cheeses together, then combine all the ingredients, and mix it all together. Once mixed, it's time to start stuffing. You'll start by placing each square down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Then, place a table spoon of the mixture in the center. After that, you want to bring the other half over and press gently, to seal at the corners. Once that's done, it's time to brush the tops with your reserved egg wash, then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top (optional). The egg wash helps these babies reach a perfect level of doneness in the oven. I usually, like to keep them in a triangular shape, by cutting each square in half diagonally across. That's just how I roll, but what you do with these is up to you!
Hey! Don't forget! To learn the proper way to master the folding technique, you should watch the video, over and, over again while making the Boreks alongside me! That way, I'll always be by your side in spirit, as your guide. Here are a few pro tips... since ever oven is different, I recommend you keep an eye on this as it bakes. Typically, I bake mine for 20-30 min. at 350-375 degrees, but if you require more or less, heat, and more or less baking time, it's up to you. The scope of this blog, along with video recipes, is to help you establish the confidence you need, to successfully master the various dishes which are up on the site, along with many, more coming soon, so, you've got quite the workload ahead of you. Trust me, it'll pay off in the end. You'll understand why it may seem as if I'm only giving you partial help. In reality, you're getting just enough to stand on your own and, take a crack at these.
It is important to understand, the practice of safety when cooking, baking, or working in the kitchen. After you've decided that these Boreks were baked, properly, then, it's time to pop them out of the oven, and set them on a wire rack to cool. Allow them at least ten, to fifteen minutes! You don't want to end up burning the roof of your mouth. Once you successfully make these, and you wow, your guests? Guess what, I'll be so proud of you! Why? Because you believed in yourself, and were able to have the drive, and the patience to pull it off! Bravo! Now, let's get to it! The warm cheesy goodness, awaits! Hot, and fresh, out of the oven!
