Apple-pear strudel

Everyone who knows me knows that I am very well connected to Germany, German culture and most important, the people. Even though my German is limited to about 10 words (well, maybe a little more if you count the bad ones), I also love the language. Some of my closest friends are German. I cannot say that German food is on top of my list of favorite healthy foods, but I fell in love with some German desserts and recipes that are staples of German cuisine. Of course, I then decided to adopt a few and make them my own.

Although there is no German blood running through my body, I’ve always been fascinated by the country and its people. The first time I was introduced to a German dessert was when a friend came to visit. My friend brought some store bought cookies and other baked goods with him when he came to visit one day. It was a bag of German cookies called Spekulatious, They are spiced cookies with slivered almonds on the bottom. These cookies are normally sold around Christmas time. The 2 other bags I had were Lebkuchen and the Christmas Stollen cake. Lebkuchen are soft, chewy, round cookies similar to gingerbread cookies, made with honey and spices and glazed with sugar icing. The Stollen, another traditional German staple, is a very dense cake. Stollen is usually in the shape of a loaf of bread. It’s made with yeast (some use marzipan too), has tons of dried fruits, and glazed with sugar icing. It was intrigue at first sight and love at first bite.

Needless to say, not too long after trying these treats, I found myself in my kitchen making these cookies and cake from scratch. I was so happy with the results, I set myself to explore other German recipes. It was time to experiment with, truly, one of my favorites – the apple strudel. I don’t think I’ve ever had a traditional strudel before making it myself. My sister used to make something similar, but it wasn’t a traditional strudel. What I love about strudel though, is that it is so easy to add variety and new flavors to it while keeping the same traditional recipe for the dough. My friend Manuel’s father owns a bakery in Germany and there are parts of my recipe that I am sure he would disagree with, but if I did everything the way it is “supposed” to be done then I wouldn’t be Dadi and all my friends would wonder what happened to the real me.

For mine, I used phyllo dough, because I did not want to make the dough from scratch. I also didn’t use just apples – I used a mix of apples and pears and I even roasted them in the oven to give the strudel a more complex flavor. To the mix of roasted apples and pears, I added a mix of dried fruits and nuts (like apricots, figs, dates, raisins, almonds, walnuts, and more).  Instead of using around 5 sheets of phyllo dough like most recipes, I used about 20, to make it even extra crispy. I brushed each layer with melted butter and sprinkled it with a mixture of brown sugar and nuts. Last year I even made a pumpkin strudel for a food magazine, who did an article about fall vegetables. I roasted the pumpkin separately, with vanilla beans and brown sugar and later added it to the roasted apples and pears.

I should mention here that next week’s blog will be about the German spekulatius cookies. They’ll be my take on the classic Christmas cookies. I know you’re all saying “But Dadi Christmas is a month away, why start so early with Christmas recipes?” I wanted to give everyone a head start to practice making perfect Christmas cookies, in case you want to give them as gifts.

Here’s my strudel recipe. Have fun.

Apple – pear strudel

2 large grany smith apples
2 large bosc pears
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons dried dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons dried figs, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons prunes, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional
20 phyllo dough sheets
1 stick butter, melted (you may need more than 1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pistachios, toasted and cooled
powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 400º F.

Peel and core the apples and pears and cut each into 1/2 inch cubes. Transfer the cubes into a big bowl and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, orange zest, brown sugar, vanilla and spices (including salt). Mix well and then let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Line 2 large sheet pans with parchment paper (1 would be used later for the strudel) and then pour apple-pear mixture onto the pan, spreading it in a single layer. Roast in the oven until fruit begins to brown and caramelized, about 15 – 20 minutes. During this time, make sure to rotate the pan and mix the fruit so they are evenly cooked. Cool completely.

Reduce oven’s temperature to 350º F.

Add dried fruits and walnuts (if using) to the apple mixture and mix until well combined.

In a food processor, pulse together the brown sugar and the pistachios until very fine.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface, keeping remaining sheets cover with a damp towel. Brush phyllo sheet with butter and sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar-pistachio mixture. Repeat with remaining 18 sheets, brushing each with melted butter and sprinkling with the brown sugar-pistachio mixture. The last layer should be brushed with butter but not sprinkled with the brown sugar-pistachio mixture.

Place the apple-pear mixture on the phyllo stack, (if mixture has lots of liquid in it, squeeze some out) leaving about 2 inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the apple-pear mixture and fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you until the filling is completely sealed in, and the seam is on the bottom.

Gently transfer the strudel to the prepared sheet pan and lightly brush with more melted butter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bake strudel until light brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or whipped cream. It’s a great warm dessert for cold winter evenings.

Peace and love and roasted apples.

Dadi