Cornulețe, Romanian spicy cheese crescents

Name: Cornulețe, Romanian spicy cheese crescents
Ingredients: 500 g white flour; 12.5 g fresh yeast; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon sugar; 250 ml lukewarm water; 1 tablespoon flax seeds; 1 tablespoon poppy seeds; 2 tablespoons oil; 200 g spicy chili cream cheese; 100 g telemea cheese; 1 tablespoon yogurt; 1 egg; 45 ml milk; 1 tablespoon flax seeds

Appetizers - Cornulețe, Romanian spicy cheese crescents by Heracleea J. - Recipia

These cornulețe are Romanian spicy cheese crescents. Flax and poppy seeds go right into the dough, not just on the crust. The yeasted dough is filled with telemea and chili cream cheese, then baked until the outside is golden and the inside is fluffy. I tear them open while they’re still slightly warm and eat them with plain yogurt. Preparation: 35 minutes. Cooking: 30 minutes. Resting: 30 minutes. Total time: 95 minutes. Serves: 8. About 385 kcal and 12 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the dough

500 g white flour
12.5 g fresh yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
250 ml lukewarm water
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 tablespoons oil

For the filling

200 g spicy chili cream cheese
100 g telemea cheese
1 tablespoon yogurt

For brushing

1 egg
45 ml milk
1 tablespoon flax seeds

Preparation

1. Finely grate the telemea and mix it with 1 tablespoon of yogurt and the chili cream cheese. 2. Crumble the yeast into a bowl. Add the salt and sugar and mix until the yeast turns liquid. Pour in the lukewarm water, then add the flax and poppy seeds. 3. Sift the flour over the mixture and add the oil. Knead until you have a smooth dough, then cover it and leave it to rise for at least 30 minutes, away from drafts, until it has visibly puffed up. 4. Heat the oven to 170 °C, with the fan on. Tear off tennis-ball-sized pieces of dough and roll them out on a floured work surface. Cut each piece into 8 triangles. 5. Put a tablespoon of filling at the base of each triangle and roll it toward the tip. Arrange the cornulețe on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 6. Beat the egg with the milk and brush the cornulețe. Sprinkle the flax seeds on top and bake for 30 minutes, until golden. Leave them to cool slightly.

Notes

Telemea can be very salty, so choose a milder one if the cream cheese is already salty. In a cold kitchen, the dough may need more than 30 minutes; leave it until it has visibly puffed up. If the filling seems too soft, keep it in the fridge while you roll out the dough, so it holds its shape better on the triangles. If you don’t have chili cream cheese, you can mix 200 g plain cream cheese with 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes. They look like little savory turnovers, but the inside is yeasted and softer than puff pastry. Wheat flour contains gluten, the cheeses and milk contain dairy, and the egg is used for brushing. Once cool, keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The size affects how quickly they brown, so keep an eye on the color toward the end of baking. I serve them with plain yogurt, which goes well with the spicy filling.