073 / 75 · Smaller Meals and Sweet Finishes

Apple and Ricotta Filo Rolls

4 filled filo rolls;one whole roll per serving · Active 35 min · Cook 45 min · Total 1 hr 35 min

Print recipe · PDF

Thin filo sheets wrap a soft filling of cooked apple and lightly set ricotta. A measured brush of butter makes the layers crisp without a deep pastry crust. The apples cook first so their excess juice does not flood the rolls, and the dairy filling finishes in the oven. These are warm sweet smaller meals with a definite portion, not pastries with an unlimited cream topping.

Jump to ingredients

A crisp filo roll filled with cooked apple and softly set ricotta.

Thaw the pastry before the recipe clock starts

Use filo that is fully thawed according to its package, often overnight in the refrigerator. Trying to unfold icy sheets tears them and changes how many usable layers remain. Keep the stack covered with its wrapper and a barely damp clean towel while working; the towel should not lie directly on the dough. Take one sheet at a time and cover the rest again. This recipe uses eight measured sheets in four two-sheet rolls. If the package sheets are a different size, the stated total weight and workable dimensions matter more than blindly counting sheets.

Cook apple until the liquid stays with the fruit

Cut the cored apples into small even dice with their edible skins retained. They cook with lemon, cinnamon and half the honey in a nonstick pan. Stir until the dice are tender and there is no loose puddle, then cool on a clean plate. The honey belongs partly to this fruit and partly to the ricotta filling. Do not add syrup or an extra spoon of sugar at assembly. Cool apples protect the egg filling from partial cooking and make the filo easier to roll without a wet streak underneath.

Use a level strip of filling

Mix ricotta, egg, cornstarch, vanilla, salt and remaining honey just until smooth, then fold in the cooled apple. Divide before spreading so every roll receives the same share of fruit and dairy. Lay filling in a broad short strip, fold in the side edges and roll without squeezing. A little room lets steam escape through the small top slit instead of tearing the seam. Let the baked rolls stand before moving them; hot custard is softer than the same filling after ten minutes. Serve one complete roll with its crisp layers, including any edible flaky pieces from the plate.

Ingredients

  • 8 fully thawed filo sheets, about 12×16 inches/30×40 cm each (200 g total)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (35 g), divided
  • 2 medium apples, cored, edible skins retained and finely diced (300 g edible raw weight)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml/15 g)
  • 4 teaspoons honey (28 g), divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2 g)
  • 8 3/4 oz plain part-skim ricotta (250 g), not drained
  • 1 large egg, without shell (50 g)
  • About 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch (10 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (2.5 ml/2.5 g)
  • A small pinch fine salt (0.5 g)

Set out

Kitchen scale, small nonstick skillet and clean cooling plate, Mixing bowl, fork and pastry brush, Clean barely damp towel for covered filo stack, Large lined baking tray with usable base at least 16×11 inches/40×28 cm, Food thermometer and broad spatula, Foil for loose shielding only if pastry colors before filling is cooked

Allergens

Wheat, Milk, Egg, Check the actual filo package for additional declared allergens.. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Start with fully thawed filo; its package-directed thawing, possibly overnight, is excluded from the 95-minute recipe time. Keep sheets wrapped and covered while preparing filling. Heat oven to 375°F/190°C and line the tray.
  2. Put diced apples, lemon juice,2 teaspoons/14 g honey and cinnamon in the small nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, then uncover and stir for 4–5 minutes more until tender and any loose juice has reduced. Spread on a clean plate and cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Mix ricotta, egg, cornstarch, vanilla, salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons/14 g honey until smooth. Fold in all the cooled apple and divide into four equal portions. Do not taste the uncooked egg filling.
  4. Reserve 5 g melted butter for the finished tops. Working with two filo sheets per roll, divide the remaining 30 g butter over all eight sheets with a pastry brush: brush one sheet, lay a second over it and brush again. Keep unused sheets covered. Put one filling portion in a level strip about 8 inches/20 cm long near a short end, leaving clear side borders. Fold in the sides and roll gently. Repeat with all four portions.
  5. Set the four rolls seam-side down in one layer with at least 1 inch/2.5 cm between them, in four parallel rows, with the 8-inch/20 cm roll length running along the 16-inch/40 cm side. Brush with the reserved 5 g butter and cut a small slit in each top. Bake for 30–35 minutes until crisp and golden and each thick filling center reaches 160°F/71°C and is softly set, not liquid. If pastry colors early, cover loosely with foil while finishing. Rest 10 minutes and serve one whole roll per person.

A warm finish that is easy to divide

Four individual rolls avoid guessing at slices from a large strudel. Set aside and chill a later portion promptly rather than leaving all four on the table through the evening. Each serving includes its whole measured pastry wrapper and filling.

A useful detail

All 35 g butter is counted:30 g sheets plus 5 g tops. Honey 28 g is split 14 g apple and 14 g ricotta. The ricotta is weighed undrained. This recipe begins with thawed filo and does not imply that a frozen pastry pack thaws within 95 minutes.

Another way

  • Replace 300 g apples with 300 g ripe firm pear flesh, retaining edible skins and cooking until no loose juice remains.
  • Use 2 g ground cardamom instead of cinnamon for a different aromatic filling. The base estimate applies to apple and cinnamon.

Keep it well

Cool saved rolls promptly on a rack and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep covered at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 2 days, within any shorter dairy opening instruction. Reheat on a tray at 325°F/160°C until the filling center reaches 165°F/74°C; the pastry will be less crisp than freshly baked. Carry chilled rolls with two cold sources. Do not keep the egg-and-ricotta filling at room temperature while waiting for pastry to thaw.