My secret to an easy dessert? I start in my grocery store freezer for an Apple and Cherry Strudel that’s every bit as easy to pull together as a traditional homemade pie.
Hey, look at that. It’s November 1 and the entertaining season has officially begun!
But that doesn’t mean it has to be haaaarrrd. Easy entertaining should be just that, EASY, and our guests don’t need to be filled in on all of our little secrets. Us home cooks need to have a few tricks up our sleeves, right?
It seems like everyone does pie for holiday entertaining, but once in a while I want to buck the system and go left instead of right which means delivering a dessert strudel worthy of my German D.N.A.
Did I say dessert? Heck, in my book, this recipe works for breakfast too, and that’s the real sign of a great treat.
When Athens Fillo Dough asked me to create a recipe for them, I knew what had to be done. An Apple Strudel is tradition, but let’s add some boozed-up cherries to tart it up a bit shall we?
Phyllo dough is light, flaky, and the perfect envelope to deliver a dessert worthy of holiday entertaining or just a simple Sunday dinner. Why? Because it looks like so much more thanks to those golden layers of deliciousness. Phyllo is the secret I tell you.
My German grandparents would be proud, hop over to the recipe to find out why.
Apple and Cherry Strudel
PrintIngredients
- ½ cup dried cherries
- 1-2 tablespoons Brandy
- 3 Granny Smith apples , cored, peeled and thinly sliced
- Juice of 1 small lemon , (about 1 tablespoon)
- ½ cup granulated sugar plus about 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup dry fine breadcrumbs
- 10 9” X 14” sheets Athens® Fillo Dough , thawed
- ½ cup melted butter , (1 stick)
- Sliced almonds
- Coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, add the cherries and brandy and soak for about 30 minutes to an hour. Drain any of the remaining brandy and set aside.
- Add the sliced apples to a large bowl and coat with the lemon juice to avoid turning brown. In a smaller bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until blended, reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture and add the rest to the apples along with the cherries. Add the bread crumbs and gently stir to combine.
- Sprinkle a bit of the granulated sugar on a cutting board then remove one sheet of phyllo from the package and lay on the sugar. Cover the rest with a towel to avoid drying out. Lightly brush the edges of the sheet of phyllo with butter, working toward the center. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar on top then top with two more phyllo sheets. Add another phyllo sheet and spread with butter, then cinnamon sugar and top with one more phyllo sheet, making a total of five sheets.
- Layer half of the apple mixture on the phyllo dough, leaving a ½ inch border. Using two knives or cake turners to help flip, gently roll the phyllo and mixture ending with the seam down and tuck in the edges. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Create another roll with the remaining 5 phyllo sheets and apple mixture.
- Dip almond slices in remaining butter, and sprinkle on top the strudel rolls.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. For best slicing wait until completely cooled and use a serrated knife.
Thanks for supporting companies I partner with, like Athens Fillo Dough who paid me for recipe development, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. As always, all opinions are my own.
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