Nutty phyllo tartlets
Delightfully light and crispy, these nutty phyllo tarrlets have a cardamom flavoured chopped nut and dulce de leche filling.
Ingredients
For the phyllo tartlets
- 1 roll phyllo pastry
- 3 tbsp melted butter
Sugar syrup for the phyllo tartlets
- 50 g (¼ cup) sugar
- 50 ml (¼ cup) water
- 3-4 cardamom pods, slightly crushed to opend the pods
For the filling
- 30 g roasted almonds
- 30 g roasted pistachios
- 30 g roasted cashew nuts
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom seeds
- pinch salt
- 5 tbsp dulce de leche (see instructions for making dulce from condensed milk in the notes)
- a few dried roses (optional)
Instructions
For the sugar syrup
- In a small saucepan, add the water, sugar and cardamom pods and turn the heat to medium high. Allow the syrup to simmer until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the phyllo tartlets
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Unfold defrosted phyllo and cut into approximately 20cm x 14cm rectangles. Cover the phyllo with a damp kitchen towel whilst working to prevent it from drying out.
- Each phyllo tartlet requires a rectangle of the phyllo pastry.
- Loosely roll the phyllo rectangle around a thin rod-shaped object for example skewers or chopsticks. Do not roll the phyllo dough all the way, instead leave a couple centimetres of dough unrolled (see image in post).
- Next, placing your hands at the end of the phyllo push inwards in order to crimple the phyllo. Hold the phyllo dough in the crimple shaped for a few seconds before gently sliding out the rod.
- Bring the two ends of the crimpled phyllo together and press together to form into a circular tartlet. Press down the ruffled unfolded part of the phyllo to form a flat base for the tartlet. For the tartlets to hold their shape, place them in a muffin tray or stack them on your baking sheet right next to each other to prevent them from unravelling.
- Brush the tartlets with the melted butter and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once baked remove from the baking tray and set to cool on a rack.
- Brush lightly with the cardamom sugar syrup.
For the filling
- Finely chop the nuts.
- In a bowl, mix the chopped nuts, dulce de leche, cardmom and pinch of salt.
Assembly
- Dollop a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of the tartlet.
- Decorate with torn rose petals.
Notes
If making you own dulce de leche, follow the instructions below:
Start with a can of condensed milk. Remove the sticker label and place the can in a pot large enough to completely cover the can with water.
Fill with water ensuring the can is fully submerged and turn the pan on medium high heat.
When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium/ medium-low to allow a simmer. Simmer for 2½-3 hours checking on the level of water every 30 mins and refilling as necessary to keep the can submerged. After 2 hours of simmering you will obtain a light golden dulce de leche; at 3 hours, you will have a darker, more flavourful dulce.