Fruit Strudel Recipes

FRUIT STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Put the flour, sour cream and butter in a large zip lock bag. Mix until combined. Let sit in the refrigerator overnight, or put in the freezer for 1 ½ hours.
• After the dough is well chilled, divide into four parts.
• Flour work surface.
• Take one part and roll into a fat snake like shape with hands.
• Then with a rolling pin, roll into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.
• Spread jam evenly onto dough, leaving an small edge without jam.
• Roll up like a jelly roll.
• Press seams together and seal.
• Lay seam side down on a cookie sheet.
• With a sharp knife, cut slits across the strudel in a diagonal pattern.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• To make icing, combine the powdered sugar and milk. You want it to be thick.
• While strudel is still warm, drizzle powdered sugar mixture over strudel.
• Cut into bite size servings to serve.
• Feel free to add nuts with the jam.

RUSSIAN STYLE MIXED/DRIED FRUIT STRUDEL

Steps:

• Put the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. On slow, mix in the butter until it looks like very coarse meal. Mix in the sour cream until it masses together to form a dough. Pat into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
• Filling:
• Coarsely chop the prunes. In a small saucepan, cover the prunes with the prune juice and sugar. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Place in a food processor with the vanilla and puree to a paste. Mix in the raisins, cherries and walnuts. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a square 16 by16 inches. Place the filling in a log running along the bottom and roll up. Pinch the ends closed. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, seam side down. Mix the egg and water together to form a wash and paint the strudel. Bake for 30 minutes until crisp and golden. Let cool on a rack, then slice into 1 inch pieces.
• This was my Grandma Bessie's baking specialty. I haven't had this since she died but my brothers and I talk of it often, trying to re-construct what was in it. I re-discovered it at the Golden Key in Brighton Beach. Can be made on a rainy day with items in the pantry

MOCK FRUIT STRUDEL WITH ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in apples, raisins, and golden raisins. Saute for about 5 to 7 minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add pears, peaches, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• If phyllo was defrosted, make sure it is completely defrosted before handling it. Once removed from package, you will need to cover phyllo with waxed paper and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Working with 1 sheet at a time, lay out a dough sheet on a baking sheet and brush on butter. Lay another sheet on top and butter again, repeating for all the phyllo sheets, until you have a stack of 10. Start another stack of 10 on a separate baking sheet and butter in between each sheet in the same way.
• Fold cubed pound cake and bread crumbs into the fruit mixture. (This will absorb enough of the moisture to prevent the phyllo from breaking down.)
• Spread the fruit mixture evenly over each stack of prepared phyllo and gently roll up the dough from the longest side, folding the ends shut as you go. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in oven until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
• Serve at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce.

EASY STRUDEL

Steps:

• Cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolks and vinegar, then water. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
• Divide dough in half. Roll each half into an oval on a lightly floured board.
• To fill, make inch-long cuts along the long edges of the oval. Add the filling in a stripe along the center. Pull the snipped pieces over the middle, alternating sides. Press the dough strips together along the top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Filling should be bubbly and crust should be lightly golden.

QUICK PUFF PASTRY APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine apples, 3/4 cup sugar, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon in a large bowl for the filling.
• Dust a flat work surface lightly with flour. Unroll puff pastry and sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll out slightly and mark into 3 equal sections. Spoon filling into the central section then fold over the section on the left and brush with egg. Fold the right section on top, just like a letter. Make shallow diagonal cuts in the top layer of the apple strudel. Brush with egg and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until apple studel is puffed up and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

MIXED FRUIT STRUDEL

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine mixed fruit and brandy or juice; microwave 30 seconds. Let stand 10 minutes. 2. In a large bowl, combine apples, pear, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon and dried fruit with any remaining liquid. 3. Unroll phyllo; cover with damp towel. Lay out one sheet and brush lightly with some of the butter. Place another sheet on top; brush with butter. Repeat layering eight more times. 4. Spoon fruit mixture on long side of phyllo, 3 inches from edge, leaving 1 inch at either end. Fold both short ends over filling. Fold 3-inch-wide long strip over filling; roll up to enclose filling. Place, seam-side down, on rimmed baking sheet. Make eight slits in top. Brush strudel with butter. 5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes, until nicely browned. Let cool on wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Tip Keep strudel from splitting by rolling as you would a burrito and baking seam-side down. Variation: put some powdered sugar between each 2 layers of phyllo dough. After finishing assembling the dough put crushed almonds (or any other nuts) with cardamon and cloves, then fruits and layer of nuts again.

DRY FRUIT STRUDEL AS MADE IN ASSISI

Steps:

• A day before baking the cookies, prepare the fruit: Mix the chopped dried fruit and chopped apple in a bowl, toss with 1/2 cup of the sugar, pour in the vin santo, and stir. Cover with plastic wrap, and macerate overnight in the refrigerator.
• The next day, strain the fruit, catching and reserving the juices in a small saucepan. Return the fruit to the bowl, and toss with the chopped nuts.
• To make the dough: Stir together the flour, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil, tossing the dry mix with a fork to form coarse crumbs. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water, and pour over the crumbs, tossing and mixing them into a slightly sticky dough. Wrap the dough in plastic, press it into a small flat block, and let it rest briefly.
• Arrange two racks in the oven, and heat it to 375°. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Unwrap the dough, place it between two other pieces of parchment paper, and roll it into a thin rectangular sheet, 12 by 15 inches. Remove the top parchment, and spread the fruit-nut filling on the dough, leaving a 1-inch margin uncovered on all sides. Gently pat the filling so it adheres to the dough.
• Roll up the dough like a jelly roll, starting at one of the longer sides, into a cylinder or log about 15 inches long. You can lift the bottom parchment to support the dough sheet as you fold it over into a spiral, enclosing the filling. When the log is finished, wrap it fully in the parchment paper (so it doesn't stick to the table), and roll it back and forth a few times to make it more compact (and easier to cut).
• Unwrap the log, and trim off the ends with the serrated knife. Next, slice the log crosswise every 1/2 inch or so, into disk-shaped spiral cookies. (If these begin to crumble as you cut, re-form the log into a compact shape, and start cutting again.) Lay the cookies flat and spaced apart on the lined baking sheets.
• Place the sheets on the two oven racks, and bake for about 15 minutes, then rotate the pans-top to bottom rack, and back to front-and bake another 15 minutes or so, until the dough is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
• Meanwhile, heat the reserved fruit juices to the boil in a small saucepan, and cook until syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove the baking sheets from the oven onto wire racks, and while the cookies are still hot, drizzle the fruit syrup over them.
• Let the cookies cool completely. They will keep for a week or two if well wrapped or in a cookie tin.

FRUIT PLAIT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a large rectangle. Transfer to a lightly greased baking tray.
• Put the sultanas in a small mixing bowl with just enough warm water to cover them, and soak for 10 mins.
• Core the apples and pears and slice them into even-sized pieces - you don't need to peel them. Put the pieces in a bowl and add the honey and 2 tbsp apricot jam. Drain the soaked sultanas and add them to the mixture. Stir well and add the mixed spice and cinnamon to taste.
• Spoon the mixture in a thick strip down the centre of the puff pastry. Use a sharp knife to make roughly 8 diagonal cuts down each side of the pastry like a lattice. Fold the pastry strips alternately across the filling like a plait.
• Crack the egg into a bowl, whisk with a fork and, using a pastry brush, glaze the top of the puff pastry.
• Place the plait in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins or until the apples are soft and the pastry is golden brown. Serve with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.