Cherry Cheese Strudel Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), blend the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the farmer's cheese and continue to blend. Add the egg and mix. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla. 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 butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 of the ground walnuts. Repeat with the 2 remaining sheets of phyllo--reserving the some melted butter and nuts for the top, once rolled.
• Turn the sheet pan so that the phyllo is horizontal to your body. Two inches in from the left-hand edge of the phyllo, working from top to bottom and leaving 2 inches bare at the top and bottom, pipe or spoon a 3/4 inch thick line of cream cheese mixture.
• Alongside the cream cheese, pour the cherry pie filling. Turn the sheet pan a quarter turn and, starting at the edge the fillings are near, roll up the pastry to encase the filling. Keep rolling to form a log. 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 remaining sugar and nuts.
• 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.

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 1/3 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, cranberries and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts. , Unfold one pastry sheet and cut in half. Mound half of the cherry mixture on one pastry half to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining pastry half; pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. , Place on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into tops of strudels; brush with egg. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Use a bench scraper to cut butter into ½-inch cubes. (If butter begins to "sweat," dust with flour.) In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use 10-12 tablespoons of this liquid in the pie dough. Begin by sprinkling 4 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 4 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.
• Generously grease pie dish with softened butter. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Place one chilled pie disk on the work surface and lightly dust it with flour. (Reserve the other disk for another use.) Roll dough by starting at the center and lightly pressing down with the rolling pin to flatten slightly. Rotate the dough and repeat, pressing down so it's evenly flattened all around, about ⅛-inch thick. Then roll outward to make a circle, rotating the dough a quarter-turn at a time to keep it even. (If dough is softening too fast, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2-5 minutes.) Roll the dough until it's about 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish, all the way around. Use a pizza wheel to trim away the rough edges. (Save the scraps to make crust cookies!)
• Overturn pie dish onto the center of the dough circle, then remove and place it right side up on your work surface. Use the light indentation created by the rim as a guide for gently positioning dough into the center of the dish. (If dough is softening too fast, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Fit crust gently into dish, being careful not to stretch the dough. Begin crimping the edge by using your fingers to roll the dough firmly so it rests on top of the rim. Crimp by using your index finger and thumb on one hand to squeeze a letter "C" into the dough rim. (Lightly flour your fingers if the dough is sticking.) Repeat, crimping the entire pie and making sure the final fluted crust sits directly on top of the pan's rim. Pie is ready to be filled and baked.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wearing gloves, use a cherry pitter to pit the cherries, with a large bowl to catch the pits. Set cherries aside.
• Streusel: In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Combine using a pastry blender. Then cut in butter until the cubes are smashed and coated with dry ingredients. Wipe butter off of pastry blender and continue mixing with your fingers, rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until texture is similar to wet sand. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. (You can store streusel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to one month.)
• Filling: Peel the apple, then shred on the large holes of a box grater. Discard the peel and core. In a large mixing bowl, combine potato starch, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and bitters. Squeeze lemon juice into the cherries, then add to sugar-spice mixture along with the shredded apple. Toss until well mixed, crushing some of the cherries with your hands.
• Assembly: Pour filling into the refrigerated pie shell, packing down the cherries and adding all the remaining juices. Evenly distribute the streusel on top.
• Pie will bake for a total of 1 hour. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake until crust is set and beginning to brown, 20-25 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30-35 minutes longer. (If crust is browning but the filling isn't bubbling, cover with aluminum foil and bake until the filling bubbles.) Allow pie to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into it, 2-3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Beat first 4 ingredients until smooth.
• Coat jelly roll pan with spray.
• Cover phyllo with wax paper and damp paper towels to keep moist.
• Place 1 sheet phyllo on pan. Coat with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1 1/2 t graham crumbs on top.
• Repeat layering with remaining phyllo spray and crumbs ending with phyllo.
• Spoon cheese mixture in a 3 inch wide strip along 1 long side of dough leaving a 2 inch border on long and short ends.
• Top with pie filling.
• Fold ends and long side over filling.
• Starting with filled long side, roll.
• Place seam side down and coat with spray.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Cool.
• If desired, sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.

Steps:

• Line a sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the sieve and refrigerate until the liquid has dripped out of the yogurt, several hours or overnight. Discard the liquid.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cherries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside. Place the almonds, bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Set aside.
• Place the yogurt in a mixing bowl and whisk in the egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the beaten whites into the yogurt mixture.
• Lightly butter a baking sheet and set aside. Place a kitchen towel on a work surface and place 1 sheet of the phyllo on the towel, with the long side facing you. Keep unused phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel as you work. Brush the phyllo lightly with butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo. Top with the last phyllo sheet.
• Leaving a 1-inch border, spread half of the yogurt mixture in a 3-inch-wide strip along the side nearest you. Combine the remaining crumb mixture with the cherries and place on top of the spread filling. Spread the remaining filling over the cherries. Fold the sides of the phyllo in over the filling. Starting from the bottom, roll the strudel up like a jelly roll. Place, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the remaining butter. Make 4 short diagonal slices through the phyllo for steam vents. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, cut into quarters and serve.

Steps:

• Brush a large rimmed baking sheet with melted butter; set aside. Combine the cherries and their juice, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon sticks in a medium high-sided skillet. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook until juice is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons of juice to a small bowl; add the cornstarch, and whisk until combined. Return mixture to skillet and cook, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on medium-high speed until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk, and beat to combine.
• Lay a large, clean cloth or sheet (at least 3 feet long and wide) on a work surface, and sprinkle well with flour. Place dough in center of cloth, and roll out to a 12-inch square. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out dough again to about a 20-inch square, and lightly brush entire surface with oil. Slide both hands, with slightly curved palms facing down, under dough toward the center. Holding this position, lift the dough off the cloth with your knuckles, and begin stretching from the center out to the edges until it is too large to stretch easily with your hands. Carefully set dough back on cloth, spreading it to smooth out any wrinkles or folds. Starting in the center again, continue to stretch out the dough in all directions, maintaining a rectangular shape, until the dough is almost translucent everywhere except the edges,which should be thicker. Don't worry if the dough tears while stretching: Once you're done, you will be able to patch any holes with some of the excess stretched dough.
• Using a pizza wheel or kitchen scissors, trim all the thick edges until the dough is about 30 by 28 inches. Drizzle 4 tablespoons melted butter evenly over the dough. With a short side facing you, and starting about 6 inches from the top edge, spread the cream cheese mixture in a 6-inch-wide layer, horizontally, leaving a 3-inch border on each end. Arrange the cherry mixture evenly on top of the cream cheese. Using the cloth, lift up and flip the 6-inch top edge of the dough over the filling. Repeat lifting and folding once, leaving sides open. Then fold in sides of dough to enclose the filling. Continue lifting and folding until the dough is completely rolled into a flat log. If the ends are very thick, trim them as you work.
• Place the prepared baking sheet lengthwise next to the log. To transfer, gently flip one end of the log onto the baking sheet, seam side down, then flip the other end, curving to form a crescent shape. Brush the surface evenly with the remaining tablespoon butter, and generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Using a wooden skewer, prick the surface of the dough to allow steam to escape.
• Bake until strudel is deep golden, about 1 hour. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool, 10 minutes. Using two large offset spatulas, release strudel from the sheet and slide it onto the rack. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, as desired.
• Strudel Dough
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add oil and warm water; mix on medium-low speed until dough just comes together, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook; mix until dough is smooth and shiny and doesn't stick to your fingers, about 5 minutes.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough, dusting with flour as you go and periodically slamming it against the work surface, until it is soft, smooth, and elastic. Leave dough on work surface; cover with an overturned bowl. Let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
• Strudel how-to
• A square of strudel dough is placed on a well-floured sheet on top of a large work surface.
• The dough is rolled and brushed with oil, then stretched into a very large, nearly translucent rectangle.
• If the dough tears, it can be easily patched with extra dough.
• Sweetened cream cheese is spread in a layer across the top of the dough, then covered with sour cherry filling.
• The cloth helps support the dough as it is folded around the filling.
• The flat log is transferred to a rimmed baking sheet, the ends curved to form a crescent. A skewer is used to prick holes in the surface.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Unfold puff pastry onto a flour-dusted, parchment-lined baking sheet. (If necessary, roll out slightly to form a rectangle that is approximately 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inches.)
• Cut out a 15-by-10-inch oval in dough. Fold oval in half crosswise from short ends, like a book; turn so folded side is facing you and dough resembles an arch. Working from folded side, and starting 1 inch in from either edge, cut along curve, leaving a 3/4 inch space of dough uncut at top of arch.
• Unfold, then cross outer border sections over each other, lining up edges as best as possible, to create a pastry shell with a 1-inch border and twists at top and bottom. Dock center with a fork. Trace a scored line just inside border, into but not all the way through dough. (This will allow the sides to rise up straight.) Freeze 15 minutes. If desired, score border with a knife in a decorative pattern.
• Brush crust with some of the beaten egg (reserving rest for filling); sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until puffed, about 20 minutes. Carefully pierce center with knife tip to release steam. Continue baking until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F; bake until crust is fully cooked in center (if top is browning too quickly, tent with foil), about 5 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes. Carefully (it will still be hot) press center in with a metal spatula to make a well.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine frozen cherries with 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons flour, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then cook until juices have thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. In a food processor, pulse cream cheese and ricotta with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour, and orange zest, until smooth. Add reserved egg and pulse to combine.
• Spread cream cheese mixture into well in crust. Top with cherry mixture, swirling juices in with a toothpick to create marbling. Bake until filling is set in center and puffed slightly around edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.
• Using parchment, slide pie off sheet onto rack; let cool completely, about 1 hour. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.