I’m not sure if you are aware but I am much more a savoury tooth than a sweet one…….I’ve been told I’m sweet enough! In saying that I thought it was high time that I put a dessert on the blog as I am sure there are a few sweet tooth’s out there that I really should provide for. When faced with a choice of desserts I always gravitate towards fruit and custards/creme brulee`s than cakes and puddings…..after a 3 course meal I just can’t physically fit them in. That is why I picked this delectably light strudel, laced with cardamom & cloves and the gorgeous buttery crunch of toasted pine nuts. Yum.
Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 Minutes $ Low Budget
Serves 6
6 Sheets of filo pastry
100gms of butter, melted
3 granny smith apples, peeled & cored and thinly sliced
8 dried figs, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fo sultanas
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of caster sugar
1/2 tsp of ground cardamom
1/2 tsp of ground cloves
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
3/4 cup of bread crumbs
Ice cream to serve (I used my favourite Kangaroo Island Fig & Honey but any will do)
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place the sliced apples, figs, sultanas, spices, sugar, lemon juice, pine nuts and 1/3 of the breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix well to combine.
Lay a sheet of baking paper on a bread board and place a sheet of filo on it. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with a small handful of bread crumbs. Repeat with the remaining five sheets.
Spoon the apple mixture in a pile from top to bottom, leaving about a one inch border on the left. Gently lift the pastry by the one inch border and carefully roll the pastry until you have a nice firm cylinder. Bits will fall out of the ends but just stuff them back in! Brush the top with melted butter and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Allow the strudel to cool for 10 minutes before serving, it makes it easier to slice into 6 equal portions.
I made this recipe ahead of time. I made the fruit component hours ahead of time and just covered it with cling wrap. The lemon juice will stop the apples from oxidising and turning brown in colour. I then made the strudel about 1 hour before everyone arrived and covered it snuggly with a sheet of baking paper to stop the pastry drying out and popped it in the oven while we had our main meal. Worked a treat 🙂