Cigars with Goat Cheese and Rosemary Honey
- Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 15 min
- Makes: 12 pieces
- Cost: Low
PRESENTATION
Goat cheese phyllo cigars are seriously good. They combine the crispy bite of thin pastry with the creamy, tangy flavor of fresh goat cheese—really, it's something else. So here's the thing: this snack, coming straight from Greece, totally stands out. Why? Because of the phyllo dough, that paper-thin pastry you find all over Mediterranean cooking.
When you fill those delicate sheets with smooth goat cheese, the mix of tender inside and crunchy outside is just super tasty. But the real twist? It's the drizzle of rosemary honey on top. This honey, infused with rosemary, adds a sweet but slightly herbal kick—making the whole thing taste fresh and exciting. For sure. It's that blend of salty cheese and sweet honey, with a crispy shell, that turns a simple bite into something really special. Perfect for any get-together.
These goat cheese pastry rolls are all about elegance without any fuss. And you know, rosemary-infused honey isn’t something you see every day, but it pairs perfectly with the salty richness of goat cheese. Plus, those flaky golden layers of phyllo? Can't go wrong. Fans of Mediterranean-inspired snacks or easy party appetizers are often surprised by how much flavor you get from such simple ingredients.
Variations even pop up in different parts of Greece. Some folks add herbs or a bit of spice to the cheese—pretty simple changes, really—but they make it fun for adventurous eaters. These rolls work great as finger food, which is great. Each one is neat to pick up, and you don’t need anything fancy to enjoy them.
Pretty much, they fit right in with other savory pastries or as part of a mix of honey and goat cheese recipes at a snack table. No matter where you serve them, that moist and creamy center, the crispy outside, and the tangy hit from the cheese with the rosemary honey are a combo sure to get people talking and reaching for more. Really, really good stuff.
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INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for 12 pieces
- Phyllo dough 2.1 oz (60 g) - (3 rectangular sheets 24x40 cm)
- Goat 4.25 oz (120 g)
- Lemon peel ½
- Black pepper 1 pinch
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- to butter the steel cones
- Butter to taste
- for frying
- Peanut seed oil to taste
- for garnishing
- Wildflower honey 1.5 oz (40 g)
- Rosemary 1 sprig
How to prepare Cigars with Goat Cheese and Rosemary Honey
To prepare the cigars with goat cheese and rosemary honey, take the 3 sheets of phyllo dough and stack them on top of each other. Use a small knife to cut the 3 sheets into 12 rectangles of 3x4 inches 1. The dough rectangles should be as long as your metal cylinder and wide enough to wrap around the cylinder 3 times. Our cylinders are 3 inches long and have a diameter of 0.4 inches. Butter them and wrap the dough around, tightening it well and ensuring it sticks out more on one side, so it will be easy to remove the cylinders later (2-3).
When you reach the end, seal the outer edge by brushing it with water 4. If the dough starts to dry out, you can brush the rectangles with water before rolling them. Proceed the same way with the others, trying to work quickly because phyllo dough tends to dry out 5, and place them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Meanwhile, heat the oil to a temperature of 320°F. When the oil reaches the right temperature, immerse one cylinder at a time 6 or, if the pan is large enough, at most 2, so that they do not touch each other.
Fry them for a couple of minutes at most until they are golden brown, then drain them 7 and lay them on a tray lined with paper towels. Let them cool slightly before gently removing the cylinders (8-9).
At this point, prepare the goat cheese cream: place the cheese in a bowl and add the grated lemon zest 10, a drizzle of oil 11, a grind of pepper, and mix everything with a spoon 12, until smooth. Transfer the cream into a pastry bag with a ribbed tip of 0.2 inches, and set aside.
Now make the rosemary honey: pour the honey into a small bowl and heat it in the microwave, then pluck the rosemary leaves and chop them finely 13. Add the rosemary to the honey in the small bowl and mix 14. Fill the cannoli first from one side 15
and then from the other 16. Arrange them on a plate and garnish with a few drops of rosemary honey 17 before serving 18.