Wintery And Warm Apple And Walnut Strudel

This apple and walnut strudel is just as easy as delicious. Strudel is a very popular pastry in Central – and Eastern Europe, both the sweet and the savoury versions of this pastry dish. For me, it’s a total comfort food and also the manifestation of a Sunday lunch at my Grandparents. My Grandma made the pastry all by herself, even when it was already available in the supermarkets. I don’t have the skills or the time, therefore I just bought filo pastry sheets, so it takes very little time to prepare this delicious dessert, around 40-50 minutes from scratch. Here’s my wintery and warm apple and walnut strudel recipe.

Traditional Hungarian Strudel

Strudel is a type of layered pastry (similar to filo pastry) with a filling that is usually sweet, but savoury fillings are also common (like cabbage! Wild, I know.) It has been a popular in the 18th century throughout the Habsburg Empire but also in Israel and the Balkan. Many people say it is in fact a Jewish dish. The main ingredients are flour water, oil, and salt. The dough is worked vigorously, rested, and then rolled out and stretched by hand. 

These days, you just buy the pastry in the supermarket. Filo pastry is not strudel pastry, but it works perfectly.

I also have a a delicious Hungarian Quark Strudel recipe on the blog.

Tips when making apple and walnut strudel

• If you have margarine or vegan butter block, that’s also perfect, in which case you have a vegan strudel!
• The apples should not be too sweet apples work better, they add a fine tanginess.
• I prefer chopped walnuts, but ground walnut is also ok.
• Only take the filo pastry out of the fridge when you use it otherwise it will be too warm and soft to work it.
• I just love it warm, straight out of the oven. I don’t add anything to it – but if you fancy vanilla ice cream with it, who am I to stop you? Of course it keeps for a few days 

Wintery and Warm Apple and Walnut Strudel

Wintery and Warm Apple and Walnut Strudel

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Balkan, Eastern-European, Hungarian

Ingredients

  

• 6 filo pastry sheets (for 2 strudels)
• 6 medium apples (not too sweet apples work better, they add a fine tanginess) peeled and chopped
• 100 g roughly grounded or chopped walnuts
• 150 g dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• splash of lemon juice about half a lemon squeezed
• 50 g unsalted butter or margarine

Instructions

 

• First, prepare the filling. (Oh yes. Preheat the oven too. 180C worked for me.) Peel, core and chop the apples and place them in a mixing bowl. Add walnuts, sugar, vanilla essence and cinnamon. Add half a lemon’s juice. Mix well. Taste the mixture and add some more sugar if you prefer it sweeter.

  Take the filo pastry out of the fridge NOW. You don’t want the filo go warm and soggy. Melt the butter and lay your first sheet of filo out on a clean tea towel. Brush with melted butter. Top with the second sheet, brush with butter and add the third sheet. Lay out another clean tea towel and repeat the procedure with the other three sheets. Be generous with the butter, it will create a fluffy, crunchy pastry.

  Arrange the mixture in the middle of the pastry leaving 2-3 cm on both ends for folding. First fold these ends up then roll it into a log. Line a baking tray with baking sheets or grease paper and gently transfer your strudels over. You might find that you need two baking trays, I was ok using just one. 
  
• Bake them for 25 mins, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Serve it warm.
  

Keyword Apple and Walnut Strudel

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