Cheese And Cherry Strudel Recipes

CHERRY-CHEESE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Line a sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the sieve and refrigerate until the liquid has dripped out of the yogurt, several hours or overnight. Discard the liquid.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cherries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside. Place the almonds, bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Set aside.
• Place the yogurt in a mixing bowl and whisk in the egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the beaten whites into the yogurt mixture.
• Lightly butter a baking sheet and set aside. Place a kitchen towel on a work surface and place 1 sheet of the phyllo on the towel, with the long side facing you. Keep unused phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel as you work. Brush the phyllo lightly with butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo. Top with the last phyllo sheet.
• Leaving a 1-inch border, spread half of the yogurt mixture in a 3-inch-wide strip along the side nearest you. Combine the remaining crumb mixture with the cherries and place on top of the spread filling. Spread the remaining filling over the cherries. Fold the sides of the phyllo in over the filling. Starting from the bottom, roll the strudel up like a jelly roll. Place, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the remaining butter. Make 4 short diagonal slices through the phyllo for steam vents. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, cut into quarters and serve.

CHERRY CHEESE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Beat first 4 ingredients until smooth.
• Coat jelly roll pan with spray.
• Cover phyllo with wax paper and damp paper towels to keep moist.
• Place 1 sheet phyllo on pan. Coat with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1 1/2 t graham crumbs on top.
• Repeat layering with remaining phyllo spray and crumbs ending with phyllo.
• Spoon cheese mixture in a 3 inch wide strip along 1 long side of dough leaving a 2 inch border on long and short ends.
• Top with pie filling.
• Fold ends and long side over filling.
• Starting with filled long side, roll.
• Place seam side down and coat with spray.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Cool.
• If desired, sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.

BLACK WALNUT AND CHERRY STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix egg and water together in a bowl.
• Beat cream cheese, white sugar, and lemon juice together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
• Roll each puff pastry into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture down the center of a long side of each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Top each of the cream cheese layers with 1/2 of the cherries and 1/2 of the walnuts.
• Fold opposite end of each puff pastry over the filling, brushing the edges with egg mixture to seal. Tuck the ends underneath the roll and place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of each strudel with egg mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool strudels on baking sheet set on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until desired consistency for glaze is reached; drizzle over strudels.

EASY CHERRY STRUDELS

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 1/3 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, cranberries and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts. , Unfold one pastry sheet and cut in half. Mound half of the cherry mixture on one pastry half to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining pastry half; pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. , Place on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into tops of strudels; brush with egg. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

CHERRY-CHEESE STRUDEL PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Unfold puff pastry onto a flour-dusted, parchment-lined baking sheet. (If necessary, roll out slightly to form a rectangle that is approximately 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inches.)
• Cut out a 15-by-10-inch oval in dough. Fold oval in half crosswise from short ends, like a book; turn so folded side is facing you and dough resembles an arch. Working from folded side, and starting 1 inch in from either edge, cut along curve, leaving a 3/4 inch space of dough uncut at top of arch.
• Unfold, then cross outer border sections over each other, lining up edges as best as possible, to create a pastry shell with a 1-inch border and twists at top and bottom. Dock center with a fork. Trace a scored line just inside border, into but not all the way through dough. (This will allow the sides to rise up straight.) Freeze 15 minutes. If desired, score border with a knife in a decorative pattern.
• Brush crust with some of the beaten egg (reserving rest for filling); sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until puffed, about 20 minutes. Carefully pierce center with knife tip to release steam. Continue baking until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F; bake until crust is fully cooked in center (if top is browning too quickly, tent with foil), about 5 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes. Carefully (it will still be hot) press center in with a metal spatula to make a well.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine frozen cherries with 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons flour, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then cook until juices have thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. In a food processor, pulse cream cheese and ricotta with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour, and orange zest, until smooth. Add reserved egg and pulse to combine.
• Spread cream cheese mixture into well in crust. Top with cherry mixture, swirling juices in with a toothpick to create marbling. Bake until filling is set in center and puffed slightly around edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.
• Using parchment, slide pie off sheet onto rack; let cool completely, about 1 hour. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

RICOTTA AND CHERRY STRUDEL

Steps:

• The dough
• Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Drizzle olive oil over; toss with flour. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons water over, 1 tablespoon at a time; mix in with fork (small clumps will form). Knead mixture in bowl until dough comes together and is pliable, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Turn dough out onto work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour to work surface only if dough is sticky, about 6 minutes. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill overnight. DO AHEAD Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before rolling.
• The filling
• The strudel dough is sprinkled with a breadcrumb mixture and topped with drained ricotta cheese and drained cherries. The remaining cherries and juices are turned into a cherry sauce.
• Breadcrumb Mixture
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs; stir constantly until light golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 6 tablespoons sugar; cool.
• Ricotta filling
• 1. Line large strainer with double layer of cheesecloth; set over deep bowl. Place ricotta cheese in strainer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (liquid will drain from cheese; discard liquid). Transfer cheese to clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• 2. Using electric mixer, beat 1 3/4 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons butter in medium bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat until smooth and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Add drained ricotta, lemon peel, orange peel, and vanilla; beat just until blended. Refrigerate filling while preparing cherries and rolling out dough.
• Cherries
• 1. Stir drained cherries and 11/2 cups reserved juices, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and liqueur in medium bowl; set aside at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• 2. Drain cherry mixture, reserving liquid. Place 2 cups cherries on layers of paper towels; reserve remaining 1 cup cherries for sauce.
• 3. Transfer reserved cherry liquid to small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in reserved 1 cup cherries. Cool sauce completely.
• Putting it together
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush 18x12-inch rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in small saucepan and set aside. Lightly flour large work surface. Using long rolling pin, roll out dough from center to edges into 22x17-inch thin rectangle with 1 long side parallel to work surface (dough will resist and retract slightly).
• Pull and stretch
• As dough gets thinner, very gently pull and stretch dough into 22x17-inch rectangle (dough need not form perfect rectangle and may tear slightly in spots). Slide long kitchen towel 4 inches under long edge of dough farthest from you so strudel can be transferred to baking sheet more easily when filled.
• Brush dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over dough, leaving 1 1/2-inch border on all sides. Starting at long side closest to you, about 2 inches from edge of dough, spoon ricotta mixture lengthwise in 3-inch-wide log, leaving 3-inch plain border on short sides. Press 2 cups drained cherries lightly into top of ricotta mixture, spacing evenly.
• Roll up
• Starting at long side closest to you, fold up dough over filling. Gradually roll up strudel, enclosing filling completely. Fold short ends of dough under; pinch to seal.
• Transfer
• using towel as aid, transfer strudel to prepared baking sheet, seam side down and bending into crescent or horseshoe to fit sheet. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter over strudel. Cut several 1-inch-long 1/8-inch-deep slits along top.
• Place strudel in oven; reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake until firm and light golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes (strudel may crack and juices may spill onto sheet). Run thin knife under strudel to loosen. Cool on sheet. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Strudel Shortcut
• No time for making dough? Follow recipe as directed but replace the strudel dough with purchased thawed frozen phyllo sheets. You will need 32 thawed frozen phyllo sheets (14x9-inch size) from one 16-ounce package and 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted. Place large kitchen towel on work surface. Slightly overlap four 14x9-inch phyllo sheets, forming 22x17-inch rectangle atop towel. Brush with butter. Repeat 7 more times with remaining phyllo and butter, forming 8 layers total. Assemble as directed with prepared breadcrumb mixture, ricotta filling, and cherries. Roll up strudel; brush with butter. Bake at 375°F until phyllo is golden, about 1 hour.

QUICK 'N EASY STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls. Press into bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking dish, without pressing seams together.
• Breat cream cheese, 12/4 cup of the sugar and 1 teaspoons of the vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Spread over crescent rolls. Misx pie filling, 1 teaspoons cinnamon and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla. Gently spread over cheese mixture.
• Unroll second can of crescent over fruit. Brush top with melted butter. Top with a mixture of remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, nuts and remaining 1 teaspoons cinnamon.
• Bake 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm.
• SUBSTITUTION TIP: Substitute cherry pie filling with apple pie filling. Increase cinnamon used in fruit filling from 1 tsp to 2 teaspoons.