Food Fact: Phyllo

Delicate Dough: Phyllo, also spelled filo, is a paper-thin pastry dough commonly used in Greek and Middle Eastern cusines to create crisp crusts and pastries. You'll find it in your supermarket's freezer section near the puff pastry. Before using, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator, in its original packaging.

How to Use it: The dough dries out easily, so remove phyllo from its package only when you're ready to use. As you work, keep the phyllo you aren't handling covered with a damp paper towel or cloth. Most recipes call for stacking sheets of phyllo with melted butter or oil brushed between each layer to help them stick together and brown.

Cooking with Phyllo: Use Phyllo to make crusts for meat or spinich pies. You can also create a lighter top crust for a chicken potpie. For desserts, it can be used to make baklava or other sweet pastries.

Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine