Strawberry and Lemon Curd Phyllo Baskets

evelyn/athens's Note:

These are too pretty to eat! Fortunately, they're also delicious! The phyllo baskets make for a whimsical presentation. The strawberries and lemon curd are natural partners.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 4 phyllo pastry , thawed, covered with damp kitchen towel
• 1⁄3; cup butter , melted
• 6 teaspoons dry white breadcrumbs

Lemon Curd

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup butter , cut into pieces
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon rind , grated
• 1 pint strawberry , hulled and sliced
• fresh mint sprig

Directions:

1. For baskets: Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface.
3. Brush with butter.
4. Sprinkle 2 tsp bread crumbs over.
5. Top with second phyllo sheet, butter and sprinkle with 2 tsp crumbs.
6. Top with third phyllo sheet, butter and sprinkle with 2 tsp crumbs.
7. End with fourth phyllo sheet and just butter this one.
8. Cut out 12, 4-inch squares.
9. Brush every other cup of 2, ½ cup muffin tins with melted butter.
10. Place 1 phyllo square in each buttered cup, pressing down in center gently and around edges to mold (corners should stick up attractively – bend them slightly, but not all the way, back).
11. Bake until just golden-brown and crisp, about 10-12 minutes.
12. Remove and cool completely (can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container).
13. For lemon curd: Whisk sugar, eggs, butter, lemon juice and peel over low heat until butter melts.
14. Cook until mixture thickens to consistency of light whipped cream, about 5 minutes.
15. Pour into bowl.
16. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours (can be prepared up to 2 days ahead).
17. Spoon some berries into bottom of each basket, sprinkle VERY lightly with sugar, top with 2 ½ tbsp of lemon curd.
18. Arrange remaining berries in petal pattern on top of curd.
19. Garnish with mint.

Reviews

[Grace Lynn]

This is my first time making lemon curd and OMG, I love it! This recipe was so simple with such grand presentation. All my friends were impressed. Maybe the filo leaves are different in sizes in the USA and Greece, because I had to use 8 filo leaves to get 12 4-inch squares. This will definitely be on my "make again" list! Thank you, Evelyn!

[Jamie Suzanne]

These were a huge hit...too bad I am on a diet and just one was a splurge for me...I could have eaten an entire tray!

I used five layers of phyllo for each cup and I made them smaller and used mini muffin pans so they were bite sized. Had to cut the strawberries up pretty small.

I guess the biggest issue w/ the strawberries is that they're not in season, so not super sweet. Maybe mixing in a littel sugar to get them sweet and juicy would be a good idea. If I make these again, I will try it with raspberries as I just think the combination of the lemon and raspberry would be better.

Will definitely make these again. :)