Orange and Almond Filo Rolls - a Perfect Vegan Dessert

I guess my next posts will be about filo pastry for a while, I'm in love with this stuff! It seems you can fill it with just about anything and it will taste gorgeous.

And to tell the truth - this filling isn't actually just anything: it combines so many flavours it just could not not taste perfect. Vanilla, orange, orange blossom water, almonds - and not to forget the Port glaze (no, I didn't accidentally spill some red wine on the plate - I'm considering to try white Port wine next time, because of the colour ;) ) And did I mention it's 100% vegan?

This portion was supposed to be for 5, but I ended up eating two right away.

For 5 big rolls you need:

• 5 A4-size sheets of filo pastry

For the filling:

• 150g silken tofu


• 75g soy-based cream-cheese


• 2 Tbsp agave syrup


• 2 Tbsp orange syrup (from home-made candied orange peel)


• 8g vanilla sugar


• 30g almond meal


• a handful of finely chopped candied orange peel (preferably home-made)

For the orange glaze:

• 3-4 Tbsp agave syrup


• 1 tsp orange blossom water

For the Port glaze:

• 200ml Port wine


• 2 cinnamon sticks

Preheat your oven to 200C. Combine all the ingredients of the filling in a bowl and stir until well combined. Place one filo sheet at a time on a working surface and place about 2 Tbsp of the filling at one corner, more or less the size you want the final product to be (leave a margin, though). Fold the pastry so that the result is a roll not dropping too much of the filling out :) This needs some getting-used-to. (One of mine broke quite badly, but I just wrapped it in one extra filo sheet.)

Place the rolls in an oven-proof dish and bake until golden brown and crispy. In the meantime, warm the agave syrup and the orange blossom water in a small saucepan and keep the glaze ready: as soon as the rolls come out of the oven, brush them with the syrup. Let cool a bit.

In the meantime, prepare the Port glaze: place the Port wine and the cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and let boil over high heat until the liquid has reduced to about 5 Tbsp. Now, place the rolls on a serving plate and pour 1 Tbsp over each. Decorate with a couple of mint leaves if you happen to have some.

Oh, and needless to say - serve your filo rolls with a glass of your favourite Port! Saúde!