Banana Pecan Strudels Food

STREUSEL BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in lower third. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; line with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang on long sides. In a bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in butter and pecans until small clumps form and mixture is evenly moistened. (Streusel can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 3 days.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk; stir in bananas. Make a well in flour mixture and pour banana mixture in. Stir together until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle half of streusel evenly over batter. Add remaining batter, then sprinkle remaining streusel evenly over top.
• Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 20 minutes. (If top is browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Let cool in pan 20 minutes, then transfer using parchment to a wire rack. Let cool completely before serving.

BLUE CHEESE AND PECAN STRUDEL

Steps:

• Make the clarified butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the bubbling starts to slow down; remove from the heat and let cool. Skim the white foam off the surface and discard. Spoon the remaining butter into a bowl, discarding the solids at the bottom of the saucepan.
• Whisk the egg white, cream cheese and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Gently fold in the blue cheese and candied pecans with a rubber spatula.
• Lay out 1 sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board or work surface with a long side in front of you. (Keep the remaining phyllo covered with a slightly damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Brush the phyllo lightly with some of the clarified butter. Sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons breadcrumbs. Repeat to make 5 more layers (phyllo, clarified butter, breadcrumbs), stacking the phyllo as you go. (Reserve some clarified butter to brush on the strudel before baking.)
• Spoon the cheese mixture in a strip down the length of the phyllo, about 1 inch from the long side closest to you. Starting from that side, roll up the phyllo to make a thin log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap or cover with a towel and refrigerate until the filling is firm, at least 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place the phyllo roll seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush all over with the remaining clarified butter. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the phyllo is crisp and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool about 15 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to slice. Lightly drizzle the slices with honey and serve warm or at room temperature.

BANANA CHOCOLATE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with waxed paper. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the egg yolk and mix. Add the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla and cinnamon and mix. Add the chocolate and mix just until incorporated. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (or just set aside in a bowl).
• Transfer 1 sheet of phyllo to the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of the ground walnuts, and lay another sheet of phyllo on top. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of walnuts. Repeat with third sheet of phyllo. Reserve the remaining melted butter, sugar, and walnuts.
• Pipe half the cheese filling in a line along one short end of the phyllo, leaving a 2-inch margin on the top, bottom, and side. Arrange the whole bananas next to the cheese. Pipe the remaining filling next to the bananas. Starting at the filled end, roll the phyllo up tightly to encase the filling. Move the log to the center of the sheet pan and tuck the ends under to keep the filling from oozing out. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. You may not use up all the melted butter and walnuts.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes on the pan. Using a serrated knife, cut carefully into sections and serve warm.

BANANA CHOCOLATE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Arrange 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface with a short side of phyllo nearest you, keeping remaining sheets covered, and brush with some butter. Top phyllo with 3 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each with butter. Arrange bananas one above the other, horizontally, on lower third of phyllo, leaving a 1-inch border on both sides (trim bananas if too long). Sprinkle chocolate over bananas, then fold sides of phyllo toward middle (over ends of bananas). Fold bottom edge of phyllo over bananas and roll up bananas in phyllo.
• Transfer strudel, seam side down, to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or to a buttered baking sheet, then brush strudel with beaten egg. Cut 4 (1/2-inch-long) steam vents diagonally along top of strudel with a sharp knife. Bake in middle of oven until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack, then dust with confectioners sugar.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES AND BANANAS WITH PECAN STREUSEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce sweet potatoes with fork. Place on rimmed baking sheet or in roasting pan and bake until almost soft, about 40 minutes. Add bananas to roasting pan alongside sweet potatoes and bake until banana skins brown, about 10 minutes. Let sweet potatoes and bananas stand at room temperature until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes (maintain oven temperature). Cut sweet potatoes in half. Scoop flesh from sweet potatoes into large bowl. Peel bananas; add to bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter and honey; beat with wooden spoon until blended and fluffy. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to 8- to 10-cup ovenproof baking dish.
• Mix nuts, sugar, and flour in bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter; mix with fingertips until coarse crumbs form. (Potatoes and streusel can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill. Before continuing, preheat oven to 400°F.) Sprinkle streusel over potatoes. Bake until top is golden brown and potatoes are hot, about 25 minutes.

TROPICAL BANANA STRUDEL

Steps:

• FILLING:.
• Thinly slice bananas and put in heavy nonreactive saucepan.
• Add raisins, lemon juice and zest, cinnamon, vanilla, rum, brown sugar and stir to combine.
• Cook over medium heat until bananas are just tender, 2-4 minutes.
• Correct sweetness if necessary.
• In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into banana liqueur (or rum).
• Pour into the banana mixture and simmer 30 seconds or until mixture thickens.
• Let cool to room temperature and remove cinnamon stick and vanilla bean.
• Refrigerate until cold.
• STRUDEL DOUGH:.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine melted butter and oil.
• In a separate small bowl combine cracker crumbs and sugar.
• Following the directions on the filo dough box, prepare surface and dough (using damp cloth, etc.), alternately brush dough with butter mixture and one level tablespoon of the crumb mixture. Repeat until you have used four sheets of the filo dough.
• Mound half of the banana filling in a row along the long edge of dough closest to you. Roll up halfway.
• Fold in the short ends and continue to roll the strudel.
• Carefully transfer it, seam side down to an ungreased baking sheet.
• Prepare the second strudel in the same manner.
• Brush the tops with the rest of the butter mix and sprinkle with the rest of the crumb mix.
• Using a sharp knife, lightly score the tops of the strudels (do not cut through to the filling!).
• Bake until crispy and golden brown, 30-40 minutes.
• Cool slightly and cut into diagonal slices with serrated knife.