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Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa

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Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa

I was going through my bookmarks when I came across this recipe for a strawberry goat cheese banitsa that I had bookmarked a while ago. A banista is a Bulgarian pastry made with sirene (a Bulgarian feta cheese), eggs and phyllo dough. Banistas can be made savoury with spinach or peppers or they can be made sweet. This recipe for a sweet banista caught my eye immediately for its use of sweetened goat cheese (since I could not find the sirene), phyllo dough, strawberry jam and pecans. It simply sounded amazing! When I came across the bookmark I knew that I had to make it and it was the perfect opportunity to use some of the strawberry and rhubarb jam that I had made during the summer. As with most recipes that use phyllo dough, this one took a bit of effort but it was well worth it. The strawberry and rhubarb goat cheese banista with pecans turned out great! It was like a cross between a strawberry baklava and a cheesecake. The strawberry and rhubarb jam was like the syrup in the baklava and the goat cheese had a texture that reminded me of cheese cake. The phyllo dough on top and bottom was nice and crisp and the inside was moist and sticky and oh so good. The pecans added a really nice contrast in texture and finished off the banista nicely. Excuse me while I go and get another slice.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa

Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa

Prep Time:50 minutes Cook Time:30 minutes Total Time:1 hour 20 minutes Servings: 16
ingredients
  • 1 pound goat cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1/3 cup icing sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 orange (zest)
  • 2 cups pecans (chopped)
  • 1 package phyllo dough
  • 1 cup strawberry and rhubarb jam (or strawberry jam)
  • 1 egg (lightly beaten)
  • * granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup pecans (chopped)
directions
  1. Mix the cheese, eggs and yogurt.
  2. Sift in the icing sugar, flour, baking soda and mix.
  3. Mix in the orange zest and pecans.
  4. Lay 3 layers of phyllo dough into a 9×9 inch baking dish.
  5. Spread a third of the cheese mixture on top.
  6. Lay 2 layers of the phyllo dough on top.
  7. Spread half of the jam on top.
  8. Lay 2 layers of the phyllo dough on top.
  9. Spread a third of the cheese mixture on top.
  10. Lay 2 layers of the phyllo dough on top.
  11. Spread half of the jam on top.
  12. Lay 2 layers of the phyllo dough on top.
  13. Spread a third of the cheese mixture on top.
  14. Lay 2 layers of the phyllo dough on top.
  15. Brush the top with the egg and sprinkle the sugar and pecans.
  16. Bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Similar Recipes:
Baklava
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Strawberry Tart

Use leftover phyllo dough in:
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Mushroom and Feta Phyllo Pie
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Agginaropita (Greek Artichoke Pie)
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel with Balsamic Syrup
Tomato Tart
Baklava
Apple and Cheddar Quiche
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Chicken and Date Pastilla
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage
Lamb Exohiko (Lamb, Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)
Fiddlehead and Gruyere Tart
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  6. Elra says

    November 11, 2008 at 4:33 am

    Never seen and heard this unusual dessert before. It sounds really good the way you’ve described it, cross between “strawberry baklava and cheesecake” YUMMMM

    Reply

  8. Olga says

    November 11, 2008 at 4:35 am

    whenever I see your recipes, I’m inspired to make something just as fancy…but it never actually translates into anything.

    Banitsa is a very cool word.

    Reply

  9. Paula says

    November 11, 2008 at 6:03 am

    Oh man, sign me up for a serving of this! I can see why you wanted another slice. I’ve not seen anything like this, and wow does it have great visual appeal. Yum!

    Reply

  22. Cara says

    November 11, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    Kevin, you have outdone yourself. This sounds absolutely decadent, and amazingly rich with all that cheese! I have seen honey goat cheese in my supermarkets – I wonder how it would be with that, and skipping the sugar (or just cutting it down perhaps).

    Reply

  25. italianmama says

    November 11, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    just stumbled onto your site – made both your savory and sweet zucchini breads and wowed family and friends … can’t wait to try this one! 🙂

    Reply

  41. Rossi says

    November 13, 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Obviously I’m the first one here to have heard of banitsa 🙂 Really inspired rendition, I wonder if it would please other traditional banitsa eaters.

    Reply

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