Spiced apple strudel

Flaky golden buttery layers of pastry and sweet spiced apples, all the warmth you need on a cold winter day! This recipe is a cheat’s way that makes the traditional Viennese Apfelstrudel feel like a quick comfort dessert at home with a simple filo pastry. A mere mouthful and I find myself reminiscing over my holiday in Austria standing outside a quaint little strudel class at the Schonbrünn Palace with the fragrance of freshly-baked strudel wafting through the air! Indulge in a scoop of pure vanilla ice cream or custard with your warm strudel and trust that you’ll be in strduel heaven!

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8)

• 750 g apples (approx. 3 large apples)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 100g caster sugar
• 75g sultanas, soaked in dark rum
• 95g unsalted butter, melted
• 40g breadcrumbs
• 6 large sheets filo pastry (store-bought)
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

(Adapted from a recipe by Rick Stein)

METHOD

Place a  pan over a medium heat and add a few tablespoons of butter to it. Add in the the breadcrumbs and roast until they have a light golden colour. Take it off the heat and set aside.

Peel and core the apples, cut into slices and quickly sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine the caster sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and add to the apples. Add in the rum-soaked raisins, orange zest and lightly roasted breadcrumbs and gently stir together until all the apple slices are evenly coated.

Note: Soak the sultanas in rum overnight or even for a few hours until they plump up! If you choose to avoid the alcohol, fry the sultanas in some butter just before using them until they plump up!

Place a large dry tea-towel onto your worktop. Lay out the first sheet of the filo pastry and brush with the melted butter. Top with the next sheet and repeat the process until you’ve used up all the filo pastry.

Note: Don’t go easy with the butter for a lovely flaky pastry!

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

Once you’ve prepared the pastry, place the apple filling on one side leaving about an inch from the edge. Using the tea-towel as a guide, start to roll in the pastry and tuck it in as you go. Lightly brush with melted butter as you continue to roll.

Tuck in the edges as well and transfer onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the pastry turns a lovely golden brown.

Once out of the oven, set aside to cool for about 15 minutes and dust with icing sugar! Serve it up warm with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice-cream and enjoy your perfect Austrian delight!

PRESSURE POINTS

When rolling the filo pastry, be delicate while layering and brushing with butter. You don’t want to tear through the sheets.

Make sure to place the filo onto a dry tea-towel or else it gets tedious to roll the pastry and transfer onto a baking sheet without damaging it.

If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to see how it turned out. Leave a comment below and share your pictures on Instagram using the tag #thecookbooklife!

Guten Appetit!

Nikita xx

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