Sour Cherry Strudel Recipes

Steps:

• Bring cherries (with any juices), 3/4 cup sugar, and cornstarch to a boil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then simmer 2 minutes. Transfer filling to a bowl and cool completely.
• While cherry filling cools, arrange 3 phyllo sheets in 1 layer on a work surface and let dry 15 minutes. Keeping 12 remaining sheets stacked, halve crosswise, then stack halves. Cover stack with a piece of plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Finely crumble 3 dried phyllo sheets into a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange 1 piece of phyllo on work surface with a short side nearest you (keep remaining sheets covered) and brush with some butter. Top with 3 more phyllo pieces, brushing each with butter.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons crumbled phyllo over lower third of buttered phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border along bottom and sides, then top with a rounded 1/3 cup filling. Fold bottom edge of phyllo up over filling and fold in sides to enclose filling completely, then roll up phyllo to form a strudel, about 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Transfer, seam side down, to a buttered baking sheet. Brush top with some butter, then sprinkle lightly with 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Cut 2 (1-inch) vents diagonally across top of strudel, about 1 1/2 inches apart, with a paring knife. Make 5 more strudels in same manner.
• Bake strudels in middle of oven until golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool 30 minutes.
• We used IFQ (Individually Quick Frozen) cherries from Friske Orchards (231-599-2604), in Charlevoix, Michigan.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the cherries, sugar, tapioca, butter, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Transfer 2 rounds of pie dough to two 9-inch pie tins. Divide the cherry mixture between the crusts. Cover the pies with the remaining 2 rounds of dough (in a lattice pattern, if desired). Sprinkle the pie crusts with water, and then with some sugar. Chill the pies in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Place the pies on baking sheets and transfer to the oven. Bake about 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking until the filling bubbles and the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool the pies on wire rack at least 2 hours before slicing. Store at room temperature up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Roll out pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold edges under. Crimp, forming high rim (about 1/2 inch above sides of dish). Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• For streusel:
• Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add melted butter and vanilla; rub in with fingertips until small clumps form. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.)
• For filling:
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch spills. Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand until cherries begin to release juice, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer filling to chilled crust, mounding in center. Sprinkle streusel over, covering completely and pressing to adhere.
• Bake pie 20 minutes. Tent loosely with foil. Bake until filling bubbles thickly and streusel is golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes longer. Cool on rack.

Steps:

• Bring cherries (with any juices), 3/4 cup sugar, and cornstarch to a boil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then simmer 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. While cherry filling cools, arrange 3 phyllo sheets in 1 layer on work sruface and let dry 15 minutes. Keeping 12 remaining sheets stacked, halve crosswise, then stack halves. Cover stack with a piece of plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Finely crumble 3 dried phyllo sheets into a bowl. Preheat oven to 400F. Arrange 1 piece of phyllo on work surface with a short side nearest you (keeping remaining sheets covered) and brush some butter. Top with 3 more phyllo pieces, brushing each with butter. Sprinkle 2 Tbs crumbled phyllo over lower third of buttered phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border along the bottom and sides, then top with 1/3 cup of filling. Fold bottom edge of phyllo up over filling and fold side to enclose filling completely, then roll up phyllo to form a strudel, about 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Transfer, seam side down, to a buttered baking sheet. Brush top with some butter, thn sprinkle lightly with 1/4 tsp sugar. Cut 2 (1-inch) vents diagonally across top of strudel, about 1 1/2 inches apart, with a paring knife. Make 5 more strudels in same manner. Bake strudels in middle of oven until golden brown and crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool 30 minutes. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream or whipping cream. NOTE: *Strudels can be baked 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature. *Cherry filling can be made 1 day ahead adn chilled, covered.

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.