My mom has French origins and always cooks in typical French style, but for some reason when she came to this country over 50 years ago she fell in love with American cream cheese. It's probably the only processed food she has in her kitchen even today, and she continues to pooh-pooh anything not French—except cream cheese. I've tried making this with goat cheese (French!), but it just doesn't come out the same. I recently asked my mom what she considers her "best recipe", and she said Leek Fillo—which she had just made a week earlier for the first time. What!? The best? "Oui! My meilleure recette!" I tried it, it was very good, but I still prefer the classic with spinach. My mom's recipes are notoriously difficult to pin down, as she changes them constantly and she isn't even sure what she puts in. You can make this with leeks instead of spinach, or mushrooms and onions, or just cheese. As long as you put enough butter and salt in, it's always a winner. - AlainB

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