Apple and Raspberry Strudel

Apple and Raspberry Strudel

I begin by saying this - please forgive the quality of pictures accompanying this post! They were taken very quickly before we tucked into and ultimately devoured this impromptu strudel, but it tasted so good I just had to share! As you can see, a little of the raspberry juice leaked in the oven, however I am pleased to report despite this there was not a soggy bottom scenario...

After eating a fairly early dinner on Sunday (about 5pm) by 8pm we were a little ready for something sweet. I hadn't planned a dessert, and it's not something that we keep ready to go in the house, so I had a little fumble in the back of the fridge to see what I could produce at short notice. The answer came in a half packet of filo pastry leftover from our Christmas Day starter, and a couple of leftover apples from the braised cabbage from Christmas Dinner - Strudel! Add to the mix a punnet of raspberries lurking in the back of the freezer, and a few spoonfuls of vanilla sugar on the top shelf of the store cupboard, and this tasty, crisp, sweet yet sharp Apple and Raspberry Strudel was born. 

Ingredients

2 large bramley apples
2 tbsp lemon juice
50g unsalted butter, melted
6 sheets ready made filo pastry
170g fresh raspberries
100g caster sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
20g vanilla infused sugar

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees
• Peel, core and slice the apples. Place in a large bowl with the lemon juice and toss well. The lemon juice will prevent the apples from browning
• Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper over a large flat baking tray
• Place the first sheet of filo flat on the greaseproof paper, and brush over the melted butter
• Continue to layer up the sheets of filo, brushing the butter between each layer until you have placed the last sheet on (do not brush the top sheet)
• Add the caster sugar, raspberries, nutmeg and ginger to the apples and mix well with your hands until well combined
• Bring the prepared filo, with the long edge of the sheets facing you
• Transfer the fruit mixture onto the filo pastry, spreading out to cover the first third of the pastry. Be sure to leave about an inch on either side of the fruit
• Fold the short sides over where you left the gap to prevent the filling falling out whilst baking. Then, using the greaseproof paper to support, roll the pastry over to encase the fruit like a cigar, making sure that the strudel sits on the seam of the roll
• Brush the remaining melted butter over the strudel, and sprinkle the vanilla sugar over 
• Make a series of slits across the top to allow steam to escape
• Bake for 20 minutes, until crisp and golden in colour
• Serve with double cream... or custard... or ice cream - whatever takes your fancy! 

You could of course add any fruit combination here depending what you have available, what is in season, or just what you fancy experimenting with. This dish took about 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake, and satisfied our sweet craving immensely. Gary even went back for seconds, and there is no higher praise than that! 

As this dish made use of plenty of leftovers, I am linking up to the No Food Waste Challenge, hosted by Elizabeth over at Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

If In Doubt - Make Soup

When I talk about a kick at the pantry door, the absolute essence of the philosophy is that moment when, for any one of a number of reasons, you find yourself in the kitchen, with all your cupboard doors ajar, the fridge door wide open, and you are asking yourself what on earth to make for dinner. Maybe it's not quite payday. Maybe you have neither the time nor energy to get to the shops. Maybe, as often happens in our house, you have a mixture of half used packages and leftovers that don't quite know how to assemble themselves into a proper meal.

Whenever this happens in my house, I make soup. Soup is one of the most under-rated, healthiest, lowest in calories, tastiest, and absolute easiest things in the world to make. It needs no recipe, culinary expertise, little time to make, and its possibilities are endless. I use one simple rule when I make soup - the volume of liquid must slightly outweigh the weight of the solids, normally 500g mixed vegetables to 700ml stock.

Today I made a soup from a bag of sweet potatoes that needed using up. I used a chicken stock cube to make my stock, and added to it the sweet potatoes peeled and chopped, three sweet peppers that were close to their best, and a generous helping of thyme. I left the pan to simmer for an hour whilst I got on with my chores, and returned when the vegetables had softened to the point that they were starting to break up. I added half a bag of spinach that was sitting in the fridge, cooked it through and then blended until smooth.

Gary and I enjoyed big steaming bowlfuls for lunch, with piles of buttered bread, and the remainder has been divided into individual pots and frozen, so that we can defrost and cook a single portion whenever the mood takes. This also makes a cheap and easy healthy lunch option if you work in a place where you have access to a microwave.

Making soup like this, the possibilities are endless, these are some of my favourite options;

Spicy Vegetable

Start by frying a chopped garlic clove and a fresh chilli, then add the stock and vegetables. If you do not have a fresh chilli, 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes could also be used. Butternut Squash or Parsnips are ideal flavours to compliment the spice.

Smoky Bacon and Lentil

Start by frying chopped onions and bacon in a little oil until golden, then add the remaining vegetables, potatoes, and red lentils. Then add the stock.

Chicken and Vegetable

Follow the recipe above, adding 200g cooked chicken. Leftover meat from a Sunday Roast is perfect, alternatively grill 2 chicken breasts, dice and add to the soup before blending.

I would love to hear some of your variations or favourite soup recipes, please post below!

Enjoy! V x