Pear And Fig Strudels With Ginger Cream Recipes

GINGER CREAM

Steps:

• Combine 1/4 cup water, ginger, and sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Simmer until mixture is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Using electric mixer, beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold in ginger mixture. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

PEAR AND FIG STRUDELS WITH GINGER CREAM

Steps:

• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Generously butter large baking sheet. Place figs and pear pieces in single layer on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Roast until tender and beginning to brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Transfer fruit and any juices from sheet to medium bowl. Cool. Stir in cranberry-raspberry concentrate and lemon. Chill until cold.
• For strudels:
• Butter another large baking sheet. Mix breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl. Place kitchen towel on work surface. Place 1 phyllo sheet atop towel with short end toward edge of work surface (cover remaining phyllo with plastic wrap, then damp kitchen towel). Brush phyllo sheet with some melted butter; sprinkle with 1/8 of breadcrumb mixture. Top with second phyllo sheet. Brush with some melted butter; sprinkle with 1/8 of breadcrumb mixture. Repeat with 2 more phyllo sheets, brushing each with melted butter and sprinkling each with 1/8 of breadcrumb mixture. Top with fifth phyllo sheet; brush with some melted butter (do not sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture).
• Using slotted spoon, place half of fig mixture along 1 short side of phyllo stack; spread in 3-inch-wide strip, leaving 1-inch plain border on long sides. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon over fig mixture. Fold long sides of phyllo in over filling; brush folded sides with melted butter. Starting at filled short side, roll up phyllo, enclosing filling completely. Brush all over with melted butter. Place strudel, seam side down, on baking sheet. Repeat assembly process to make second strudel. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.)
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Brush strudels lightly with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Using serrated knife, cut each strudel on diagonal into 4 pieces; discard ends. Place 1 piece on each of 8 plates. Dollop Ginger Cream alongside. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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 AND GINGER STRUDEL

Steps:

• Prepare the filling first. Melt first measure of butter.
• Add lemon rind and juice, almonds, ginger and sugar.
• Peel and finely slice pears.
• Add to butter mixture and stir gently so that the pear pieces are coated with mixture. Set aside. Melt the second measure of butter.
• Combine ground almonds and ginger.
• Remove filo pastry from packet. Place on a flat surface and cover with plastic wrap so the pastry doesn't dry out. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Take the first sheet of filo and place it on the tray.
• Brush pastry with melted butter and sprinkle with some ground almond mixture. Lay another sheet of pastry on top of the first, brush with butter and sprinkle with ground almond mixture. Continue using all the pastry sheets and all the ground almond mixture. On the last sheet of pastry brush butter around edge of pastry in a 4cm-wide strip.
• Position prepared pastry on baking tray so that you have one of the shorter borders near you.
• Place the pear filling on the pastry keeping the mixture 4cm from the sides.
• Cover about two-thirds of pastry with pear filling.
• Fold over the pastry at the end near you; then turn in the sides.
• Roll the strudel away from you, enclosing the filling.
• Try and end with the of the pastry underneath.
• (Do not roll too tightly as the strudel may burst while cooking.) Brush with a little more melted butter.
• Sprinkle the top with sliced almonds and brush with butter again.
• Bake at 180 C for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• If pastry starts to dry out during cooking, brush once more with butter.
• Allow to cool 10 minutes on the baking tray before sliding onto a serving plate. Serve hot or cold, dusted with icing sugar and whipped cream.
• (Paulines Notes:---Use a serrated knife to slice the strudel with a gentle saw movement to avoid crumbling the cooked pastry. Assembling the strudel on the baking tray saves moving the strudel from the bench to the baking tray which can be difficult. Filo pastry will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. Make sure the plastic bag that it is in is well sealed.).

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.