Shelly's Recipe

FILO ONION ROLLS

Category: Hot

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp. pepper
18 sheets filo dough, thawed
More melted butter (I use about 1/3 cup)

In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and Gruyere. Set aside. In heavy skillet, sauté onions in 1/4 cup butter until very soft and beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another 1 minute. Cool 20 minutes.

Mix together onion mixture and cheese mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place one sheet filo dough on work surface. Brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet on top, brush with butter, and put one more sheet on top.

Take the onion mixture, divide it into thirds, and form a roll about 1 inch in diameter down one long edge of the stacked filo. Roll up carefully and place on cookie sheet. Brush thoroughly with more butter. Repeat with remaining filo and filling, making six rolls total. I place three rolls on each cookie sheet. Cover well with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 and remove the rolls from the refrigerator. Bake for 10-17 minutes or until rolls begin to brown and cheese filling melts. Let stand 5 minutes, then, using a very sharp knife, cut rolls into 1 inch pieces. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve. The onion filling right out of the oven is super-hot. Serves 8-10 - or 4-6, at my parties!

NOTES: These appetizer pastries need to be baked just before serving - but that is okay, since you actually make the pastries ahead of time. I bake the recipe one cookie sheet at a time, so they are fresh, crispy hot rolls to pass around again. They even taste wonderful as they cool.

You can also freeze these rolls. Wrap well in freezer wrap, label, and freeze up to 3 months. To bake frozen rolls, place rolls on cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 15-23 minutes or until the rolls are beginning to brown and crisp and cheese melts. Proceed as directed above.