Pear And Dried Fruit Strudel Recipes

APPLE PEAR STRUDEL WITH DRIED FRUIT AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment.
• Place the dried fruit in a bowl and pour on hot or boiling water to cover. Let sit 5 minutes, and drain. Toss the apples with the lemon juice.
• Heat a large, heavy frying pan over high heat and add 2 tablespoons butter. Wait until it becomes light brown and carefully add the apples and the sugar. Do not add the apples until the pan and the butter are hot enough, or they won't sear properly and retain their juice. But be careful when you add them so that the hot butter doesn't splatter. When the apples are brown on one side, add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and almonds, flip the apples and continue to sauté until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the pears and dried fruit, then scrape out onto one of the lined sheet pans and allow to cool completely. Divide into two equal portions (easiest to do this if you weigh it).
• Place 8 sheets of phyllo dough on your work surface. Cover with a dish towel and place another, damp dish towel on top of the first towel. Place a sheet of parchment on your work surface horizontally, with the long edge close to you. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on the parchment. Brush lightly with butter and top with the next sheet. Continue to layer all eight sheets, brushing each one with butter before topping with the next one.
• Brush the top sheet of phyllo dough with butter. Sprinkle on half of the almond powder (50 grams). With the other half, create a line 3 inches from the base of the dough, leaving a 2 1/2-inch margin on the sides. Top this line with one portion of the fruit mixture. Fold the bottom edge of the phyllo up over the filling, then fold the ends over and roll up like a burrito. Using the parchment paper to help you, lift the strudel and place it on the other parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with butter and make 3 or 4 slits on the diagonal along the length of the strudel. Repeat with the other sheets of phyllo to make a second strudel. If you are freezing one of them, double-wrap tightly in plastic.
• Place the strudel in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush again with butter, rotate the pan and return to the oven. Continue to bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature.

PEAR AND DRIED FRUIT STRUDEL

Steps:

• Dough: Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor fitted with steel blade. Add butter; pulse 5 times. Add shortening; pulse until butter bits are no larger than small peas and flour resembles cornmeal, about 4 more pulses. Mix sour cream with 1/3 cup cold water; add to flour mixture. Pulse until dough begins to clump, adding more water, 1 teaspoonful at a time, if dough does not start to come together.
• Gather dough together and transfer to lightly floured surface; turn pastry Wrap folded dough in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. (Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 weeks.).
• For the Filling: Combine dried fruits and citrus zests in large bowl. Pour brandy over fruit and stir to combine. Set aside to soak for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Toss lemon juice with pears to prevent browning. Add pears to dried fruit mixture along with honey, gingersnaps, and spices. Stir gently to combine.
• To Assemble the Strudel, roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a 14-by-16-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Trim off rough edges. Divide rectangle in half, forming two 14-by-8-inch rectangles. Working with one rectangle at a time, brush short edges lightly with cold water. Spoon half of filling in a narrow strip down center of rectangle, leaving about 2 inches uncovered at short ends .
• Fold one long side of pastry up and over filling. Brush upper edge lightly with cold water, then bring other side up, overlapping slightly; press gently to seal With sides of your palms, press filling toward center to keep it compact. Trim off ends of pastry if necessary, leaving about 1 1/2 inches at each end. Bring ends of pastry up and press gently onto top surface.
• Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place a baking sheet covered with parchment next to pastry. Gently ease strudel, seam side down, onto sheet Repeat process with other strudel, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Chill briefly while oven preheats.
• Brush strudels with cream, then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until pastry is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool strudels on baking sheet set on a wire rack until no longer hot. (Strudel can be baked up to 3 hours before needed and warmed at serving time.).
• To serve, dust with confectioners' sugar and cut into 2-inch slices. Place slices on plates.

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

GINGERED PEAR STRUDEL

Steps:

• In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears snugly, combine the water, sugar, ginger root, and vanilla bean. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and then increase the heat so that the liquid is simmering. Add the pears and poach them for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally so that they are evenly covered by the syrup. The pears should be tender enough so that they can be easily pierced with a toothpick, and the cooking time will depend on their ripeness. Let cool, and refrigerate.
• In a food processor, process the almonds and the sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and flatly ground. Do not overprocess.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Sift the almond powder and the flour over the top and combine to beat until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing the first one in thoroughly before adding the second. Add the rum and mix in thoroughly.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a large baking sheet. Halve the poached pears and scoop out the cores. Slice each half pear thinly lengthwise and set aside, keeping together in their original shape. Unroll the phyllo and cut it into 4-inch wide stacks. Separate the leaves of pastry and lay one single strip on the counter. Brush it with melted butter, and continue until you have a stack of 6 strips, buttering each one. Repeat until you have 6 stacks of buttered phyllo strips. Using a spatula, spread a layer of almond cream 1/4-inch thick on the top layer of each phyllo stack. Slightly fan out a pear half on one end of each stack and roll the stack over about 1 1/2 times to form a flat strudel package. Brush the outside of the strudel with butter, and repeat with the remaining 5 pear halves and phyllo stacks. Transfer the strudels to the baking sheet. (at this point the strudels could be refrigerated for up to 12 hours before cooking)
• Bake the strudels for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Cut them in half and place with cut sides up in the center of each of 6 dessert plates. Place a scoop of chocolate sorbet on the side and serve it at once

PEAR STRUDEL

Steps:

• Thoroughly mix the dried pears with the pecans in a large bowl.
• Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Lighly grease a baking sheet.
• Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a large sheet of wax paper.
• Brush with the melted margarine and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon crumbs.
• Top with a second sheet of phyllo.
• Brush with margarine and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of crumbs.
• Keep remaining phyllo sheets covered.
• Put half the filling near one long end of the top sheet, arranging it in a log shape and leaving a 1 inch border.
• Starting with that end, carefully roll up the dough as for a jelly roll, using the paper to help support the dough.
• End the roll with the seam on the bottom.
• Transfer the roll to the baking sheet and brush the top with margarine.
• Repeat with the remaining filling and remaining dough.
• Bake 25 minutes or until golden.
• Just before serving the strudel, sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar.
• Serve warm if desired.

CARAMELIZED PEAR STRUDEL

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add pears and cranberries; toss gently to coat. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add fruit mixture; cook and stir for 7-8 minutes or until cranberries pop. Stir in dried cranberries, ginger, orange zest and cinnamon. Cool., Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat the foil with cooking spray; set aside. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; coat with cooking spray. Repeat layers five times. (Keep phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel until ready to use each sheet.), Spread cranberry mixture over dough to within 1 in. of edges. Fold in sides. Roll up, starting at a long side. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheet., Bake 20-23 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.