Blackberry and sage filo stacks
Prep time: 1 hr Total time: 
Blackberry and sage filo stacks
These filo stacks are more straightforward than they look and most of the work can be done ahead. Save the leftover egg whites (they can be frozen) and use to make meringues or an egg white omelette
Prep time: 1 hr Total time: 
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Nell Gordon-Hall
Our food producer Nell’s cooking is rooted in the bold and fresh flavours of the Middle East and Mediterranean. Trained in professional kitchens and with a background in food styling, she understands exactly how to make food taste delicious and look great. The kitchen is where she works and – just as often – where she unwinds.
Ingredients
- 1 x 270g pack filo pastry sheets
- 75g unsalted butter, melted
- 70g caster sugar
- 250g blackberries, halved lengthways
For the crème pâtissière
- 240ml whole milk
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- ½ x 20g pack sage
- 3 large egg yolks
- 65g caster sugar
- 20g cornflour
- 10g cold butter, cubed
- icing sugar, to dust
Step by step
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Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7. Line two large baking trays with baking paper and cut two extra baking paper sheets of the same size. Remove the filo from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for a few minutes.
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Unroll the filo pastry. Arrange one sheet on your work surface, covering the remaining pastry sheets with a slightly damp tea towel. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Arrange another filo sheet on top and repeat with the remaining melted butter, sugar and filo until you’ve used it all up and have one layered stack. Leave the top sheet plain. Use a large, sharp knife to cut the stack into 6 columns and 3 rows to make 18 equal rectangles. Arrange the layered filo rectangles on the prepared baking trays. Lay a reserved sheet of baking paper over each tray, then place another baking tray on top to weigh down the filo stacks (if you don’t have enough baking trays, bake the filo in two batches). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the filo is crisp and golden, then leave to cool completely.
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Meanwhile, make the crème pâtissière. Put the milk, vanilla and sage sprigs in a pan and heat until almost boiling, stirring regularly, then immediately remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, use a balloon whisk to whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until pale. Strain the infused milk into a jug (discarding the sage leaves), then slowly pour the milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and whisk over a low heat until thick and bubbling. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter until melted, then press through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Press a sheet of crumpled baking paper directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming. Cool for 10 minutes, then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days ahead).
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Whisk the chilled crème pâtissière to bring it back to its creamy texture, then transfer to a piping bag. To assemble, pipe 6 small blobs onto a filo rectangle, leaving a small gap in between each blob for the blackberries. Tuck in the blackberries, cut-side down, then sit a second filo rectangle on top and repeat the piping and blackberry steps. Finish with a third filo sheet on top and dust with icing sugar. Repeat to make 6 stacks and serve immediately.
