Culinary expert Colleen Miner provides recipes and tips for making a perfect strudel.
- Since homemade strudel dough is time consuming and fairly difficult to work with, try using phyllo or puff pastry dough in its place.
- If you use phyllo dough (available in the freezer section of grocery stores), unroll it and place a piece of wax paper and a damp cloth over the phyllo so that it does not dry out while you work.
- When you're ready to use the phyllo, brush melted butter over the entire surface. For a crunchier consistency, add crushed nuts on top of the butter.
Apple Strudel
Ingredients:
4 lbs. tart apples, peeled and sliced
2 to 3 Tbs. lemon juice
phyllo dough
2 cups melted unsalted butter
bread crumbs
chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup sugar
1 cup raisins
parchment paper
dash of cinnamon or other embellishment of choice (optional)
powdered sugar
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients, including a few tablespoons of lemon juice over the apples to keep them from browning.
Roll out a piece of parchment paper. Peel off the first sheet of phyllo and place it on top of the parchment paper. Lightly brush melted butter over the entire surface of the dough.
Lightly brush the phyllo with melted butter. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the phyllo. Add chopped walnuts to the bread-crumb mixture, if you prefer, to add space between the phyllo layers and give the strudel height and flakiness. The bread crumbs will absorb the extra moisture from the apples and prevent the dough from becoming soggy.
To roll, lift up the parchment paper. Roll the paper forward in a continuous movement. Stuff and tuck in the dough.
Once the strudel is enclosed, lift up the paper and roll the strudel onto a baking sheet. Brush the outside with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Garnish with powdered sugar.
Sun-dried Tomato Strudel Appetizer
Ingredients:
8 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. softened goat cheese
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, softened in water
2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
2 Tbs. parsley
commercial bread crumbs
Preparation:
Brush melted butter over half a piece of phyllo dough, then fold it over. Mix together cheeses, tomatoes, oregano and parsley. Place a dab of the mixture--about 1/2 cup on the dough, the sprinkle bread crumbs on top of that.
Roll up the dough into a log shape. Brush dough with butter, back at 350 for 20 minutes.
The appetizers can be made ahead of time and frozen if you prefer.
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