Babas Apple Strudel Wopt Fruits Food

APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, create a slurry by combining 1/4 cup of the apple juice with the cornstarch. Mix until smooth and set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples with the remaining 1 cup apple juice, raisins, sugar and cinnamon until the apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the cornstarch slurry (it may have settled) and add it to the apple mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and lump free. Simmer for 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool. Stir in the pecans, cover and chill.
• Lay out 1 phyllo sheet on a clean, flat, lightly floured surface. Brush with some melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs. Repeat this procedure with two more layers of phyllo, butter and breadcrumbs. Top with the fourth sheet of phyllo. Spread the apple filling evenly onto the phyllo surface, leaving a 1/2-inch clean edge on all sides. Roll into a log, folding the edges at each end beneath the log and brush with some melted butter. Carefully place the strudel on the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down. Bake the strudel until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 2-inch slices. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Serve plain or with ice cream.

BAVARIAN APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475. Butter a 13X9 baking pan and set aside.
• Place the raisins in a small bowl, add the rum and let soak while you proceed.
• Mix cold water and lemon juice, set aside.
• Peel and core apples, cut into eighths, then cut each eighth crosswise into thin slices, letting them drop into the water and lemon juice mixture; set aside.
• Combine the sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
• Spread the phyllo sheets on a damp cloth. Lightly brush the left half of the top sheet of phyllo with a little of the melted butter and fold in half as if closing a book. Fit into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and brush lightly with more butter. (You can also spray the sheets with butter flavored spray - it still tastes great and you save a lot of fat - very easy too).
• Layer in 5 more sheets of phyllo, buttering, folding and buttering as before. (The phyllo sheets may not fit the bottom of the pan exactly - if too big, tuck under any overhang; if too small, stagger placement so that bottom of pan is covered.).
• Drain the apple slices and pat very dry. Arrange half the slices in the pan on top of the phyllo.
• Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture and half the raisins and rum; then spread with half the creme fraiche.
• Top with four more phyllo sheets, again brushing with butter, folding and brushing again after placing in pan. Make sure the phyllo covers the apples.
• Arrange the remaining apples on top of the phyllo, sprinkle with remaining sugar, rum and raisins.
• Spread the remaining creme fraiche and set aside.
• Bring the cream and rosewater to a simmer in an uncovered small heavy saucepan over low heat, then pour evenly over apples. Finally top with remaining phyllo sheets (about eight), using the same buttering, folding and buttering technique.
• Place the pan of strudel on a baking sheet (to catch any boil over) and slide onto the middle rack.
• Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 400 and continue baking, uncovered, till bubbling and richly browned. *THE RECIPE DOES NOT SPECIFY A TIME HERE - begin checking after 10 minutes - I baked it about 20-25 minutes after the initial 10. (if it browns too fast, cover with foil).
• remove from the oven and cool 15 minutes.
• Sift confectioner's sugar evenly over the top, cut into large squares and serve at once.

MAMO'S APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• As you peel and dice the apples, sprinkle with lemon juice and mix frequently to prevent browning, or toss in iced water with some lemon juice.
• Place the apples into a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the pineapple, sugar, 1 cup water and salt. Cook until the moisture evaporates and consistency of the remaining fruit is thicker than preserves, 30 to 35 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning on the bottom. Cool, then stir in nuts.
• Refrigerate the apple filling at least overnight. Filling will last in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a pot, melt the butter over very low heat. A white foam will form as the top layer. Skim off the foam with a spoon. Once the foam is removed, add the oil. Stir and remove from the heat.
• On a sheet of waxed paper, lay out the first layer of phyllo dough. (Dough dries out quickly, so keep other layers not in use covered with a damp cloth over a sheet of waxed paper.) Using a pastry brush, gently brush the butter/oil mixture onto the entire sheet of dough. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture over the entire surface. Repeat for an additional 4 layers so each roll has a total of 5 layers of phyllo dough.
• Using a spoon, add a row of the apple filling an inch or two from the bottom of the dough. Do not overstuff or the strudel will burst when baking. Lift the bottom edge of the waxed paper with both hands, each about a third of the way in from the outer edges to support the phyllo as you roll up the dough, jellyroll style. As you roll, fold the sides inwards to form sealed edges as you continue to the end. End with the seam-side down.
• Coat a baking pan with the butter/oil mixture and place the first rolled dough onto the pan with the seam facing down. Then brush the roll all over with the butter/oil mixture.
• Repeat the steps above until you have filled the cookie pan with the rolls but keep at least a roll's width between each. Keep at least 2 to 3 inches between the rolls on the baking sheet to ensure even browning.
• Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven. During baking, baste 4 to 5 times with the butter/oil mixture.
• Cut into pieces while still hot so the crust won't break.

BAVARIAN "PULLED" APPLE STRUDEL (GEZOGENE STRUDEL)

Steps:

• Work the flour, eggs, oil, water, and salt into a dough.
• Divide into three parts.
• Form a ball of each piece, brush each piece of dough with oil and let it rest for 45 min.
• Place a old clean tablecloth on the table, roll out a ball a thin as you can.
• Here comes the tricky part.
• Make sure you are wearing no rings-- go under the dough like you are making your hands into claws with your fingers pointing down at the table and the soft part of your knuckles is what is going to pull the dough toward you.
• You will do this all around in a circle until the dough is paper thin and you can see through it.
• Brush generously with melted butter during this process.
• Trim off the heavy edges.
• Sprinkle on the apples, some sugar, cinnamon to taste, nuts if you like and drizzle a little melted butter over all.
• Now take the tablecloth and fold about 5" over toward the center on each side forming a frame around the dough.
• From the long side, Lift one side of the tablecloth and roll up completely.
• Fold it as long as your pan is.
• Seal edges.
• Gently put rolled strudel into the pan Bake at 350* for about 45-55 min.
• Until golden brown.
• There are other fillings like cheese, cabbage, sweet or sour cherries, raisins/nuts can be added to the apples, even meats have been done with this dough.
• I prefer the apple and cheese myself.

BABA'S APPLE STRUDEL W/OPT FRUITS

Steps:

• 1. Peel, core and slice apples 1/8" - 14" thin in bowl, mix varieties together & Put aside. If apples are too thick, you could tear the dough when you roll the strudels. Do not use lemon juice on apples.
• 2. Melt 2 sticks of butter in a small saucepan. Be careful not to brown butter or clarify it.
• 3. In large saucepan, melt lard or crisco.
• 4. Add salt & vinegar
• 5. Add cold milk and vinegar to crisco and salt
• 6. Hand beat egg in separate dish with fork (I use a coffee mug). Gradually add beaten egg to still warm but not hot mixture so you don't cook the egg.
• 7. White warm, add enough flour to make a soft, but not too sticky dough in pot so that you can easily remove it from pot.
• 8. On lightly floured surface, kneed enough flour into dough to make dough so it's not sticky but still very soft.
• 9. Form dough into log and cut into 4 equal parts. Touch raw ends to flour to keep them from sticking and put back in pot while working. Put either lid or plate on top of pot to keep dough warm and moist while working with it.
• 10. Take one part of dough and roll out almost paper thin on lightly floured surface to form an oblong shape, with longer length leading away from you. You want the narrowest length L-R to fit inside your cookie sheet plus 2 inches on each end to fold over dough.
• 11. Brush melted butter on entire surface of dough.
• 12. Starting from the top edge farthest from you, lay the apple slices longways L-R across dough, leaving those 2 inches for folding without apples on both sides. Continue laying apples in rows next to each other as you work your way towards you on the dough. Leave another 3 inches of dough for folding over nearest you.
• 13. Add raisins if used, sparingly around surface of apples. I don't add any more than about 12 raisins in a strudel because raisins have a strong flavor and you don't want them to overtake the apples.
• 14. Add the pinapple or other moist fruits throughout the apples and raisins. You can add more pineapple since it's a milder flavor and it adds sweetness to the strudel...it's all a matter of taste.
• 15. Cover the entire surface heavily with cinnamon and sugar mixture. I use about 1 1/2 cups of the mix for 4 strudels.
• 16. Starting from the top edge farthest from you, begin rolling the strudel towards you, being careful to keep the apples in rows so the strudel keeps it's nice log shape. When you get to the end of the apples, fold the bare long edge over the top of the strudel, Be careful not to tear the dough as you roll it. If it does, you'll just have the apple juices running out onto the cookie sheet, loosing some of the moisture in the strudel. This will be addressed later on in the instructions.
• 17. Carefully lift the strudel onto the greased cookie sheet and drop the long flap of dough. Brush butter on the inside of the flap and use it to glue the flap onto the strudel. Do the same with the 2 inch pieces on each end, dripping the butter into the crevaces as you fold them over. Brush butter over the entire surface of the strudel. You can get 2 on a sheet.
• 18. Continue process until 2 strudels are on a sheet. Put that sheet in the 375 oven for about 25 minutes or until golden.
• 19. You can have the other 2 strudels ready to bake by the time these 2 are baked.
• 20. Immediately upon removing them from the oven, you must use 2 large spatulas to lift them from the sheet and place either on platters or (as I do) on sheets of aluminum foil for freezing. If you allow them to sit even a minute on those sheets, any leaked apple juice will quickly turn into hard candy and your now glued down strudel will be impossible to remove from the sheet. If you want to freeze them, layer the 4 sheets of foil on your cooling rack and place the strudels directly from the oven onto the foil, lifting each one and moving it to another cooling surface. Do not seal them in foil until completely cooled or they will get mushy.
• 21. Continue process untill all 4 are done. You can double this batch but allow another hour if you do.
• 22. Just before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on the strudel, slice in about 2 inch pieces and serve on either a pretty oblong platter or arrange on a circular plate.
• 23. OPTIONS: chopped pecans or walnuts, other moist or dried fruits chopped in small pieces sparingly.
• 24. NOTE: You can refrigerate for about a week or freeze for weeks, using heavy duty aluminum foil. To reheat, just preheat oven to 400 degrees and carefully unwrap foil and put foil with strudel on cookie sheet in oven for about 20 mins for frozen strudel and 10-15 mins for refrigerated one until the dough is crisped back up. It will taste like you just baked it.