Last summer, during my vacation in Greece, I visited the island of Naxos for the second time. The first time was a quick and I had it in the back of my mind to revisit this island with it’s delicious local products and cuisine.

I had the pleasure of lunching at highly regarded taverna “Axiotissa” in Kastraki. As per usual, I ordered an array of dishes and one of the standouts was a cheese pie filled with cheeses and fresh figs.

My recipe captures the essence of this appetizer and I make it approachable by using commercial phyllo and dried figs. The cheeses I use are Feta and Graviera, the latter cheese can easily be substituted with Gruyere or Gouda. Feta and yellow cheeses, when combined are lift each other up and the cream cheese brings the two together. Menage a Fromage!

Golden and crunchy phyllo outside, creamy, salty, sweet combo of cheeses and figs makes this a must for your holiday entertaining this winter.

Cheese Pies with Figs

(makes about 36-40)

1 package of phyllo pastry (thawed in the fridge overnight)

1 cup dried figs, finely chopped

1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1 cup grated Graviera (or Gruyere) cheese

1/2 cup cream cheese (room temp.)

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh mint (1/2 tsp. if dried)

pinch of cinnamon

fresh ground pepper to taste

2 large eggs

2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted

Optional: sesame seeds

1. Slice off and discard the stems from the figs. If the figs are too firm, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 15 minutes to soften them up. Drain and roughly chop the figs and place in a bowl.
2. To the bowl, add the Feta, Graviera, cream cheese, mint, cinnamon, ground pepper and the eggs. Mix with a spoon and set aside.
3. Take your thawed package of phyllo out of the fridge and allow 15 minutes to come to room temp.
4. Take your phyllo out of the packaging and place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray. Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
5. Lay your phyllo out on your work surface and cut the phyllo in to six equal strips, vertically.
6. Lay out about 6 phyllo strips on your work surface, brush lightly with melted butter and then top each with another layer (again buttered). Place a rounded tsp. of filling at the bottom of each strip and fold over to the top right, then upwards, then to the left, etc. until you’ve completed the triangle at the top. Place on your baking tray.
7. Repeat process until filling and phyllo are all used up. Brush the tops with butter (sprinkle with sesame seeds if you wish) and place in your pre-heated oven (middle rack) for about 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.