Phylo Dough Guava, Cherries & Queso Blanco

These past few weeks I had been on a rut, which is why not much had been posted on this blog. I had been noticing that every time I went to the grocery store I was buying exactly the same stuff week after week. Last week I finally decided that I would start looking out for ways in which I could break my habitual shopping. One of the purchases I made was phylo dough sheets, because I wanted to try my hand at making various types of pastries. I also got a block of guava paste and some queso blanco. Guava paste is something that I grew up with and love. When I was a little girl living in Colombia my mom used to put a small cube for snack time in my lunch box (mine was a Bee Gees tin one with matching thermos). Anyway, it was only later in life that I found out that guava is also a tremendously nutritious little fruit.

Alright, enough of my rambling. Here is what you will need to make these pastries. I made one cherry and one guava pastry:

Ingredients:
3 TBSP Butter (Melted-You will use this to brush it on the phylo sheets)
4 Phylo Sheets
1 Cup fresh Cherries (Pitted and cut in half)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (Dark or Light, it is up to you and your preference)
2-4 oz Guava Paste Block (Cut into slices about 1/4" thick)
1 32oz block of Queso Blanco (Grated)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Cherry Pastry How To:

Take two of the phylo sheets for  this pastry.

Place the fist sheet on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and coat with melted butter using a pastry brush. Fold in half and coat the top with another bit more of the melted butter. Place the second sheet on top and repeat the butter coating process. Your pastry will now have four layers of phylo.

Place half of your cherries at the center making a thick stripe with them but allowing enough room on the pastry so that you can fold the pastry and cover the cherries on both sides and a little bit of room at the ends so that you can fold those over as well. (see pictures below). Drizzle the cherries with the brown sugar, and then add a layer of the queso blanco. Repeat these steps with the remaining half of the cherries.

Fold the short ends of the phylo dough in first and then proceed folding over the sides making sure that everything is tucked in well so that the pastry will stay together.

Place in the baking sheet in the oven and bake the pastry for  20-30 making sure to check it often to ensure that the phylo is not browning too quickly or burning. You will know it is ready when your phylo looks golden brown and the contents look like they are bubbling.

For the guava pastry you will follow the same steps as for the cherry pastry except this one will only get the guava paste slices and cheese without the brown sugar.

Let them cool slightly and serve either on their own or with some ice cream of your choice.