Apple And Cherry Strudel Recipe

My secret to an easy dessert? I start in my grocery store freezer for an Apple and Cherry Strudel that’s every bit as easy to pull together as a traditional homemade pie.

Ingredients:

½ cup dried cherries

1-2 tablespoons Brandy

3 Granny Smith apples cored, peeled and thinly sliced

Juice of 1 small lemon about 1 tablespoon

½ cup granulated sugar plus about 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup dry fine bread crumbs

10 sheets Athens® Fillo Dough 9” X 14”, thawed

½ cup butter melted (1 stick)

Sliced almonds

Coarse sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, add the cherries and brandy and soak for about 30 minutes to an hour. Drain any of the remaining brandy and set aside.

Add the sliced apples to a large bowl and coat with the lemon juice to avoid turning brown. In a smaller bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until blended, reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture and add the rest to the apples along with the cherries. Add the bread crumbs and gently stir to combine.

Sprinkle a bit of the granulated sugar on a cutting board then remove one sheet of phyllo from the package and lay on the sugar. Cover the rest with a towel to avoid drying out. Lightly brush the edges of the sheet of phyllo with butter, working toward the center. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar on top then top with two more phyllo sheets. Add another phyllo sheet and spread with butter, then cinnamon sugar and top with one more phyllo sheet, making a total of five sheets.

Layer half of the apple mixture on the phyllo dough, leaving a ½ inch border. Using two knives or cake turners to help flip, gently roll the phyllo and mixture ending with the seam down and tuck in the edges. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Create another roll with the remaining 5 phyllo sheets and apple mixture.

Dip almond slices in remaining butter, and sprinkle on top the strudel rolls.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. For best slicing wait until completely cooled and use a serrated knife.