Ricotta And Cherry Strudel Recipes

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.

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 RICOTTA TURNOVERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, fold together the ricotta, confectioners' sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves.
• Cut the 16 phyllo sheets lengthwise into 4 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cover with a barely damp towel while you work.
• Set a strip on a work surface, with the long side facing you, and brush the entire strip with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar, then top with another strip.
• Brush the top with butter. Top with 1 tablespoon of the ricotta filling and 1 tablespoon of the cherries in the center about 1 inch from the left-side end. Gently pull the top left corner down, over the filling, to meet the bottom edge and form a triangle. Butter the top of the triangle.
• Now, gently grab the bottom left corner and lift it up to meet the top edge and wrap the triangle one more time.
• Brush the top with butter. Continue to fold the corners, as you would fold a flag, buttering every dry surface, until the sheet is completely folded into a large triangle. Transfer to 1 of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, butter, sugar and filling.
• Sprinkle the turnovers with granulated sugar. With a sharp paring knife, cut a small slit in the top of each turnover, taking care not to pierce through to the other side. Bake until puffed and deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Drizzle with honey to serve, if you like.

CHEESE AND CHERRY STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), blend the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the farmer's cheese and continue to blend. Add the egg and mix. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (or just set aside in a bowl).
• Transfer 1 sheet of phyllo to the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 of the ground walnuts. Repeat with the 2 remaining sheets of phyllo--reserving the some melted butter and nuts for the top, once rolled.
• Turn the sheet pan so that the phyllo is horizontal to your body. Two inches in from the left-hand edge of the phyllo, working from top to bottom and leaving 2 inches bare at the top and bottom, pipe or spoon a 3/4 inch thick line of cream cheese mixture.
• Alongside the cream cheese, pour the cherry pie filling. Turn the sheet pan a quarter turn and, starting at the edge the fillings are near, roll up the pastry to encase the filling. Keep rolling to form a log. Move the log to the center of the sheet pan and tuck the ends under to keep the filling from oozing out. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar and nuts.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes on the pan. Using a serrated knife, cut carefully into sections and serve warm.

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.