Brik

[sharonb]

Another cooking-related topic. I've been curious lately about making something with feuilles de brik. Some kind of savory filling sounds delicious, but I wonder two things:

1. Do you have to deep-fry (or shallow-fry) the packets? Or can they be baked?

2. Are the kind of brik leaves sold in supermarkets good? Or should I head back to the Couronnes/Ménilmontant area to pick up something more authentic?

What are your favorite fillings?

Can they be reheated? (Stuffed ones, already cooked.)

Thanks!

[Ptipois]

1) They can be baked as long as you brush them generously with oil or melted butter. That is how b'stella (pastilla) is made.

2) I find supermarket brik leaves quite acceptable, I am not sure it's worth going to Couronnes for that, especially since there are few neighborhoods now deprived of good halal butchers (who carry all sorts of things). So far I've found the same brik packages at halal butchers and at Monoprix or Franprix.

3) My favorite filling is (all in the same brik, deep-fried) canned tuna, potato salad, one egg, chopped parsley and harissa, Tunisian style. Never better than in Tunisian street carts, but the Belleville Tunisian places make good ones too.

4) Failing brik leaves, I think Turkish yüfka is even better (it is slightly airier in texture). Widely available rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis (lower part) and any sizeable Turkish grocery/butcher shop.

5) Reheating does depend on the preparation but I think deep-fried brik recipes tend to get oilier when reheated and brushed brik recipes tend to get drier.