Walnut And Raisin Strudel Recipes

Steps:

• Put the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer. On slow, mix in the butter until it looks like very coarse meal. Mix in the sour cream until it masses together to form a dough. Pat into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
• Filling:
• Coarsely chop the prunes. In a small saucepan, cover the prunes with the prune juice and sugar. Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Place in a food processor with the vanilla and puree to a paste. Mix in the raisins, cherries and walnuts. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a square 16 by16 inches. Place the filling in a log running along the bottom and roll up. Pinch the ends closed. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, seam side down. Mix the egg and water together to form a wash and paint the strudel. Bake for 30 minutes until crisp and golden. Let cool on a rack, then slice into 1 inch pieces.
• This was my Grandma Bessie's baking specialty. I haven't had this since she died but my brothers and I talk of it often, trying to re-construct what was in it. I re-discovered it at the Golden Key in Brighton Beach. Can be made on a rainy day with items in the pantry

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat 75g of the sugar and the vanilla seeds in a medium, heavy-based frying pan over a medium-low heat for 5-8 mins, or until golden brown and caramelised. Add the apples, currants, sultanas, allspice, nutmeg and walnuts, then cook for 10 mins or until the apple is tender. Remove the apple mix from the pan with a slotted spoon and cool to room temperature.
• Line two baking trays with baking paper. Place a sheet of filo on one of the trays, then brush lightly with the melted butter. Sprinkle over 1 tsp sugar. Repeat the process until there are 3 layers of filo. Repeat with the remaining sheets of filo on the second tray.
• Divide the apple mix along the shorter edge of both pastry sheets and gently roll into 2 logs, tucking in the ends as you go. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle over 1 tbsp sugar. Can be made up to one day ahead, kept chilled. Bake for 25 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Let cool slightly, then cut each strudel into 6 diagonal slices. Serve two slices each with a dollop of crème fraîche on the side.

Steps:

• For the filling: Put raisins and wine into a small bowl and set aside to macerate for 30 minutes. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until bread crumbs are golden, 3-5 minutes. Add raisins and wine, lemon juice, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring often, until filling sticks together when pressed with back of spoon, about 1 minute. Set aside to cool.
• For the dough: Put milk, oil, and vanilla into a small bowl and set aside. Sift flour, sugar, and baking powder together into a large bowl. Stir in egg yolk; add milk mixture and stir until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a clean surface and knead until smooth, 8-10 minutes. Divide dough in half and shape each piece into a rectangle. Lay out 2 large sheets of parchment paper on a clean surface and put dough rectangle in center of each with long sides of dough running parallel to long edges of parchment. Roll out dough to 9" × 11" rectangles.
• Bring a large wide pot of water to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Meanwhile, position 1 piece of parchment with a long edge horizontal to edge of work surface. Spread half the filling down center of dough, leaving a 1" border on each end. Grab edge of parchment closest to you with both hands and lift up and over filling, folding dough onto filling only, then peel parchment away from dough. Turn parchment around so that opposite side is closest to you. Brush edge of dough closest to you with egg white, then fold edge over so that dough edges overlap slightly. Brush 1 of the short ends of dough with egg white and fold edge over by 1" to seal end. Gently press out any air pockets along length of stuffed dough, then brush other short end of dough with egg white and fold edge over by 1" to seal end. Transfer stuffed dough to center of a large piece of double-layer cheesecloth, peel off parchment, snugly wrap, and tie off ends with kitchen twine. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling.
• Transfer stuffed dough to simmering water, partially cover pot, and cook, turning dough after 20 minutes, until tender, about 45 minutes. Carefully transfer strudel to a kitchen towel and remove cheesecloth. Put strudel on a cutting board, trim off 1" from ends, then cut strudel crosswise into 1"-thick slices. Arrange 3 slices, cut side up, on each of 6 plates and dust each with cocoa and confectioners' sugar.