Imagine salty, melty cheese studded with fresh parsley and black seeds, in between fluffy sheets of buttery puff pastry right out of the oven. It’s fresh, it’s decadent, it’s cheesy. It’s Birak!
This is one of my favorite Syrian appetizers, if not my favorite. A dinner party at my parent’s home wasn’t complete without a tray of these, and for good reason. You can’t beat the combination of all the flavors and textures of Birak, there’s just something so comforting and satisfying about it all. This was one dish who’s leftovers were ALWAYS welcome.
It comes together so quickly, in the same style as Fteert Al-Jaj, in which a filling is layered between the puff pastry, cut and then baked. Besides being fairly simple to make, a tray of Birak can be prepared ahead and popped in the oven right before you’re ready to serve. The filling itself can also be used to make individual Cheese Fatayir by using biscuit or bread dough and baking, or Cheese Samboosa by using an empanada dough and frying.
The filling is customizable in regards to spice and salt level, how much parsley (or other herb) you use, and if you want to include black Nigella seeds or not. Black Nigella seeds are known as Habbit Barakah in Arabic which translates to ‘the seed of blessing’ because it’s said to have medicinal qualities. The Nigella seed is sometimes referred to as black caraway, black sesame, or black cumin seed and is used in Middle Eastern, Indian, Turkish and some European cuisines. You can find it organic on Amazon: 4 ounce or 1 pound.
Even if you don’t have the black seed, try this out, I promise you will love it and revel in its leftovers ?.
Cheese Birak
Varied, average 24 pieces
4 cups shredded Queso Blanco,
1/2 cup packed chopped Parsley
1 Egg
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Black Seeds, optional
Sea Salt to taste
1 17.3-oz package Puff Pastry (2 sheets)
Sesame Seeds or Black Seeds for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Spray a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray, rub with a bit of oil or line with parchment paper.
Stir together the cheese, parsley, egg, black pepper, black seeds if using and salt* until evenly combined.
Spread one of the puff pastry sheets on your baking sheet, stretching it a bit to make it larger. A couple inches in each direction should work well. Spread the cheese filling evenly over the puff pastry leaving about 1/4 inch edge all around the perimeter.
Lightly stretch your second sheet of puff pastry and place it over the cheese, sealing the edges as you go. Sprinkle lightly with the sesame seeds if you are using.
Cut the Birak into desired size and shape. If the dough has softened too much and you can not cut it evenly, refrigerate until it firms up again.
Bake in preheated oven until the puff pastry begins to brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Serve warm and enjoy!
* Note: I used about 1 tsp of sea salt, but this depends on the saltiness of the cheese you are using. I have had a range of salt levels even from the same brand of queso blanco. If you are unsure, add everything but the egg and taste the filling. Once you have reached your desired salt level, add the egg. You will want to over salt the filling a tiny bit because the puff pastry will take away from the saltiness.
