Although crunchy salads and freshly steamed vegetables are great with meat and fish dishes, sometimes a flaky pastry can satisfy the taste buds best of all. Not just any old pastry, but a phyllo (filo) or flaky pastry that is so light it flies at the touch of a knife. But it's no easy accomplishment to make it correctly; it takes time, patience and know-how.

Homemade phyllo needs to be rolled and stretched to a single large and very thin sheet, before being cut to size. You will need space - a large work surface/table and a long pastry roller. Continuously add a sprinkling of flour between layers to prevent tearing.

Traditionally, to make *1 lbs of dough: take 4 cups plain flour, 6 fl ozs ( cup, 12 Tbsp) of hot water, 1 tspn olive oil, 1 tspn white vinegar, 1 tspn fresh lemon juice, and additional flour for working the dough. Mix by hand in a large bowl for 15 minutes until soft and pliable - don't cut the kneading time, listen to a radio or a talking book or get a friend to chat! Once it is done, enclose in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before using.

You can now roll it out by hand or, if you have a pasta-rolling machine, use it to roll the dough several times until the desired thinness is achieved.

*Unused phyllo can be kept in the refrigerator, in airtight wrapping, for up to 8 days after making.

There is another very suitable pastry for pies; flaky. It's one I saw many years ago at a cooking show in London, its one of the best I've found - and it's relatively easy!

Take 4 oz (110 gms) of butter and wrap it in one piece in foil and put in the freezing compartment of the fridge for 45 minutes. After that time, making sure the kitchen is cool, sift 6 ozs (175 gms) plain flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Take the butter out of the freezer, partially unwrap the foil so that it forms a protective layer for your fingers and keeps the butter cool at the same time. Place a grater over the flour - coarse side up - and grate the butter, working quickly. If you dip the butter into the flour now and again it will make the grating smoother and easier to work. When that's done, smooth out and mix the gratings into the flour using a long palette knife - everything has to be kept cool, so don't be tempted to use your warm hands. Try to coat the butter flakes in flour until all are coated. Then sprinkle 2 Tbsp of cold water over evenly. Continue to use the knife until it is well mixed then finish it off by hand into a smooth ball of dough. If you've done it correctly the bowl will be almost totally free from any bits of dough. Place the dough in a polythene bag and chill for 30 minutes.

This freezes extremely well, and will need to be defrosted thoroughly to come back to room temperature before rolling it out on a floured surface to use as a pie crust or shaping into filled finger pastries - either savoury or semi-sweet.

Prepare your pie-dish for 2-4 people and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a frypan; add 2 cups mixed mushrooms, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 2 chopped shallots and salt to taste, and cook, stirring for about 3 minutes. Pour in 1 Tbsp Spanish Oloroso sherry or Chardonnay wine and simmer until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

In the meantime, mix and combine 2 large Tbsp cream cheese, 2 large Tbsp goat cheese, and a shake of white pepper in a medium bowl. Add to the cooked mushrooms and mix gently but well.

Pour this filling into your pie dish and prepare the phyllo "lid". Flour the work surface and roll the (defrosted if it was frozen) pastry out thinly, cut and add in 2 to 3 layers to cover the pie dish. Bake in the oven preheated to 200C (400F) for 25 minutes.

Alternatively, divide the pastry into 4 and roll out 1 rectangle at a time onto parchment paper set in a tart tin - allow the edges to come over, brush lightly with oil and scatter over 1 tspn of fine breadcrumbs. Keep rolling one piece of pastry at a time to build up the base by using a layer of pastry and another of breadcrumbs. Repeat this once more. Tuck in the edges to form a raised edge and spread with the mushroom/cheese mix. Finish with a layer of phyllo on top.

Bake the tart until the crust is brown and crispy for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a raised rack for 5 minutes. To serve, lift the parchment paper and slide the tart onto a cutting board or large platter. Serve warm.

The ideal wine is a medium weight red such as an Italian Chianti or Australian Yalumba Cabernet Sauvignon. It also works well with Guinness stout.

(HK Edition 10/18/2013 page7)