Filitsa's Cheese Puffs

Everyone in Cleveland, Ohio (where my husband's relatives live) loves these tender, tasty, and elegant cheese triangles. When there is a family gathering, that's the dish to bring.

1 pound phyllo dough (bought frozen, thawed out)
1 pound feta cheese
1 pound ricotta cheese (see separate recipe on how to make it at home)
3 eggs
two pinches of nutmeg
pepper to taste
sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)
melted butter or margarine for brushing
a good, soft kitchen brush

Mix the cheeses, eggs, and spices in a bowl with a fork.

Have melted butter and margarine within easy reach on your countertop.

Spread phyllo dough sheets out on the kitchen counter and cover them with a damp towel to keep from drying out. Taking one phyllo sheet at a time, cut width-wise in six strips. Take one strip, brush it with the melted fat, and layer another strip on top of it carefully so that the two are aligned. Brush this one, too, with the butter. Take a heaped teaspoon of the cheese mix and place it at the bottom of the double strip. Fold triangularly like a flag (from left to right, then up right, then left, etc.) to the top of the strip. There is your triangle. Place it on a cookie sheet (no need to oil the cooking sheet; there is plenty of fat in the cheese pies). Arrange the cheese triangles in the cookie sheet so that there is no space between them. Play with different geometrical combinations! When you are done, brush all the tops with melted butter or margarine, sprinkle (optional) with sesame seeds and bake in a 350F (or 180 C) preheated oven for 10 minutes until the tops are lightly brown. Serve immediately to retain the crunch of the phyllo. Alternately, you can freeze the folded triangles and take them out to bake right before they will be eaten. They can also be frozen after they have baked.