Black Walnut And Cherry Strudel Recipes

CHERRY STRUDEL RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 410F/210C and line a large baking tray with a silicone mat.
• Place cherry pie filling, vanilla, sugar and ground arrowroot/cornstarch into a medium sized bowl and mix until smooth.
• Place one sheet of filo pastry onto your baking sheet, longest edge facing you, then brush lightly with melted butter. Lay the next sheet on top, then brush lightly with butter. Repeat until you have layered all 5 sheets of filo pastry. On your final sheet of pastry, brush lightly with butter again.
• Place cherry pie filling along the longest edge, about 1/2 inch away from the edge, neatly in a line, leaving a 1 inch gap at either end. (You may not need all of the cherry pie filling; I had a couple of tbsp leftover.)
• Take the 1/2 inch gap you left nearest you and gently fold over the cherry pie filling. Then gently continue to roll your strudel up until you get to the end. Hopefully you will end up with the seam side down on the baking tray, if not you will need to flip it. It will be fragile, so be careful! I used a spatula to lift half of it up, then placed a hand under there, then used the spatula again to help hold the other end, then I flipped it, so the seam was on the baking tray.
• Fold your ends underneath the strudel, then lightly brush with your beaten egg.
• Slash across your strudel a few times (just to allow some steam to exit!) and then place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden and crisp and the filling is bubbling.
• Leave to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing into 8 and serving. I dusted my strudel lightly with icing sugar before cutting.

DRIED CHERRY AND WALNUT STRUDEL BUNDLES

Steps:

• Place cherries in small bowl. Pour 3/4 cup boiling water over. Let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well. Pat cherries dry with paper towels. Mix cherries, nuts and jam in medium bowl.
• Lightly oil heavy medium baking sheet. Stack phyllo sheets on work surface. Trim to 10-inch square (save scraps for another use). Cover stack with plastic and damp kitchen towel. Place 1 phyllo square on work surface. Brush lightly with butter. Arrange another phyllo square atop, with corners at a slight angle. Brush lightly with butter. Repeat with 2 more squares, arranging corners at slight angle. Spoon 1/4 cup sherry mixture in center of phyllo stack. Lift edges of phyllo and bring together around filling, forming bundle. With string, tie bundle just above filling. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling, forming total of 6 bundles. Brush outside of filled portion (but not tops) of each bundle with butter. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover carefully and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake until phyllo is golden about 35 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack and cool. Carefully cut string from each bundle. Sift powdered sugar over bundles and serve.