Croustillants au chèvre-romarin-miel

This unusual French take on Mediterranean cheese pastries combines rosemary and honey with goat cheese to produce an intoxicating Provençal flavor. Similar pastries, also called cheese fingers or cheese cigarettes, are ubiquitous around the eastern Mediterranean rim. You may find them filled with spinach and feta, ground lamb and cinnamon, etc. This version is both light and satisfying, perfect for a summer’s evening.

Croustillants au chèvre-romarin-miel / Crisp goat cheese pastries with rosemary and honey

And there’s another plus: they’re fun to make. All you need is a roll of filo dough, some olive oil, a pastry brush or paint brush, and the filling. Unroll a filo sheet, paint on a thin layer of oil, add the filling and roll them up. You can get your guests and family involved. Suddenly, everyone’s a sculptor…

I first made these pastries a week ago — yes, it’s an Everyday French Chef invention. My guest enjoyed them, and so did my daughter, who complained vociferously that I hadn’t made enough. On Monday, a couple of cooking students arrived from the States and we made some more. Again, there weren’t enough to satisfy everyone. So my advice is, if these pastries are destined to serve more than two or three, double the recipe.

And happy cooking!