Phyllo dough vs Puff Pastry dough

ZORA: In response to half your question, I found the following information on the web describing the differences between Phyllo dough and puff pastry. I realize you said you did not need to know uses, just differences. I thought some of the uses helped explain the differences. Hope this helps until someone posts the recipes you requested. :-)


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PHYLLO DOUGH

The word "phyllo" is Greek for "leaf." Whether you spell it "phyllo" or the more Americanized "fillo," these TISSUE-THIN LEAVES OF PASTRY DOUGH are used for such classic dishes as spanakopita, a Greek pie made with spinach, feta cheese, eggs and onions; tiropita, a three-cheese appetizer; and baklava, a honey-drenched, spice-and-nut pastry popular in Greece and Turkey.

Traditionally, a leaf of phyllo is brushed with melted butter, then topped with another leaf of phyllo and more butter. A faster, less-fattening method is to lightly spritz each layer with low-calorie cooking spray.

Phyllo also can be used as a pie crust, to make strudels and for low-fat, healthy eggrolls that are baked instead of deep-fat fried. Phyllo dough can be backed in cone shapes and filled with pastry cream, like an eclair. Phyllo dough can be decoratively wrapped around chicken breasts -- perhaps stuffed with cheese or herbs -- or other kinds of meat for entrees that taste as special as they look. You can twist the ends closed to make a "purse," fold them into triangles, or arrange them into other shapes.

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PUFF PASTRY

"Puff pastry is called mille feuilles, or 'a thousand leaves,' in French, but that's an exaggeration," writes Dorie Greenspan in "Baking with Julia." "In fact, there are only 944 layers of pastry separated by 943 layers of butter, but no matter."

Like phyllo dough, puff pastry bakes up light and flaky. It may be a little easier to work with, since the layers are combined in one sheet instead of several thin ones. Because those layers are held together witH butter, it's higher in fat than phyllo.

Working with puff pastry is relatively ysimple. Yet it can give food a richer taste and an elegant look. An egg wash gives a glossy finish, and you can top your finished bundles with puff-pastry cut-outs for a decorative effect.

Puff pastry can be used to make Napoleons -- layers of puff pastry separated by pastry cream and sometimes fruit -- and Beef Wellington. In her cookbook, Phillips tops Brie with apricot preserves and dried cranberries, wraps it in puff pastry, forms a knot at the top and bakes it for a holiday treat. Puff pastry can be rolled thin in Parmesan cheese, black sesame seeds or fennel, baked and served like acracker.

Puff pastry can be used in place of a pie crust and makes a wonderful topping for a chicken pot pie.