Richard Blanke, executive chef of the
Best Western Inn in Thousand Oaks,
California, uses fillo dough from Athens
Foods as a creative inspiration. “It’s an
easy-to-use, fast prep dough perfect for high volume hotel applications that can help with
different menu preparations—savory
or sweet, appetizers, amuse-bouche, or
entrées,” he says.
Blanke’s creations include a seared
shrimp fillo tower that tops a Greek salad. “I take a couple of sheets of the fillo
dough, brush them with olive oil, and add whole basil leaves and another layer
of dough,” Blanke explains. “I use ground shrimp paste with poached asparagus,
green and red peppers, and black olives.”
In addition to the fillo sheets, Blanke works with Athens Kataifi, or shredded
fillo, making miniature bird nest baskets out of them. “I cut the kataifi and press
it into mini muffin tins with either butter or olive oil and bake them until they’re
golden. It becomes a little vehicle you can use for amuse-bouche,” he says,
adding that he likes to fill them with goat cheese and Greek vegetables. And
while Chef Blanke appreciates Athens versatile Fillo Dough for many possibilities in hotel menus, the
ultimate appeal lies in its quality. “It’s a very consistent product,” he adds. —JM
Richard Blanke, executive chef of the
Best Western Inn in Thousand Oaks,
California, uses fillo dough from 
