Using Things Up

There's been some phyllo dough sitting in the freezer for a while and as part of our spring cleaning I decided I should turn it into something. I was too lazy to look up an actual recipe, but these two desserts turned out fine anyway. As a bonus, I was also able to use up some frozen pears and a package of chocolate pudding that had been languishing in the freezer and pantry respectively.

Pear Strudel

Add some sugar and cornstarch (if you need help with amounts, this recipe should help) to diced, drained pears and bring to a boil. When thick, set aside. Take a thin sheet of phyllo dough and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Repeat for several layers. Spread the pear mixture down the middle, fold over both sides and flip. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool before serving.


Napoleon Stacks

"Butter and sugar" phyllo dough as described above, then cut into rectangles about 2x3" in size. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes. When cool, layer with some pudding and serve. Note, when we made these "properly" years ago, we used two layers of vanilla pudding and then drizzled chocolate glaze over the top. I was tired this time and didn't feel like making glaze. Wouldn't you know that I discovered a small container of leftover vanilla icing when I cleaned out the refrigerator the next day?

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