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.