Leftovers #21 ~ Inside Out Apple Strudel

Having leftover apples is more like having apples that are bitterly bruised and well... have been hanging around for too long. The ones that typically make apple sauce, apple juice or what I usually make, an apple pie; because I needed neither and wasn't really itching to make pie, I made this inside out apple strudel. With a few simple ingredients it was easy to produce a such delicious dessert.  

Inside Out Apple Strudel

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1 package of ready made puff pastry, thawed and chilled, according to package 

8 apples, cored, peeled and sliced

1 to 2 handfuls of dried cranberries

1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts

3-4 heaping tablespoons dark brown sugar

2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon British mixed spice

1-2 tablespoons melted butter 

1-2 tablespoons melted butter for sealing the edges, nicely

Icing sugar 

water

First, preheat the oven to 350ºF. 

Then line a 9x 13 baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place all the prepared sliced apples into a large bowl. Add the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, British mixed spice, the cranberries, the walnuts and melted butter. Toss to coat the apple slices evenly.  

Reading the directions on the package of the ready made puff pastry, roll out as advised. I rolled both squares, the whole package, into a rectangle that would fit the baking tray however still had a bit of room. Then place the rolled out puff pastry onto the prepared baking tray. Lay the apple mixture on top; spreading evenly. Making sure to leave an edge to roll up. 

In a little bowl melt the second amount of butter. Roll up the edges of the pastry, creating a nice folded edge, doesn't have to be perfect, all the way around; and using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter over the now folded up edges.

Place in the preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the apples are cooked and the edges are nicely golden brown. Remove form the oven. Allow to slightly cool. 

Once the open strudel has cooled for a bit; in a medium bowl mix together some icing sugar and a bit of water to make a runny, not watery, icing paste. Then drizzle over the semi-warm strudel. Serve immediately. 

Notes: This recipe has a bit of flexibility with the measurements of ingredients. You made add more of one and not so much of another; except the puff pastry that is as stands. I went with what I had on hand and that was half the fun... being creative; the other half of course is sharing (eating) it.

At the end... the plate was clean not a crumb left. Before that it was sliced into squares.

Simple and delicious!

It was very rainy and dreary today. I didn't mind; I quite enjoy it. - JD  

Apple Pear Filo Roll

I was getting quite tired of seeing the box of filo pastry make it's way around the refrigerator. So I decided to make a fruit roll. After all the Asian pear and three apples in the fruit bowl were just begging for attention. The recipe is super easy. This filo roll, I think, is fairly simple and a great way to use up any fruit that may be hanging around. For my recipe you will need the following:

Apple Pear Filo Roll 

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2 tea bags, any flavour, I used Twinings Cherry Cinnamon that I bought in England

1 Asian pear, peeled, cored and chopped

3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup of roughly chopped dried cranberries

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

9 filo pastry sheets

melted butter

1 baking pan, lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare the baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Take a medium sized pot add about 1 1/2 cups of water. Place the two tea bags in the pot. Then place the pot on the stove and set to high heat. Bringing the pot to a boil.

In the meantime you can peel and chop all the apples and pears. Set aside. Then chop the dried cranberries. Set those aside too.   

When the water has boiled reduce heat and let simmer. Letting the tea steep. When all the flavours have come out and the water is a nice rich colour from the tea, remove the tea bags. Toss them out.

Add the apples and pears to the tea infused water and continue to simmer over medium high heat. Letting the fruit absorb the liquid. When the fruit is tender remove from heat. and let cool. If you find the fruit mixture is a bit runny take about 1 1/2 teaspoons of corn starch in a small bowl and mix with water until smooth. Pour into the fruit mixture and stir. This will help thicken the filling. 

Add the cinnamon and stir. Letting cool further.

Take the filo pastry sheets, unroll and lay one sheet on a flat work surface. Take the melted butter and brush the top of the sheet. Place another filo pastry sheet on top, brush again with the melted butter and repeat until all the nine filo pastry sheets are on top of one another. Then take your slightly cooled mixture and spoon it about an inch or two from the edge. Roll once and fold in the sides and continue to roll and fold in the sides until you have something that resembles a swiss roll.

Place the roll onto the prepared baking pan. Brush with melted butter and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with a side of vanilla ice cream.

This dessert is a simple way to finish any meal. - JW