Sue La Follette writes:
I read the edition of the newsletter. Your article about the fruit that is grown reminded me of the apple strudel my grandmother made (she was from Deutsch Minihof/Nemetlak). She had no recipe; she didn't even measure anything. I remember the dough being very thin, but not crusty as in baklava. I was wondering if anyone has a recipe for apple strudel from the Burgenland area?
Reply: Some of the commentary and the recipe for cabbage strudel is from newsletter 47A. Austro/Hungarian strudel stems from the Turkish (and Greek) baklava. It's one of the good things left behind by the Turks (coffee was another). Strudel will [actually] be crisp outside but stay soft inside in its many layers. Too often Baklava is not rolled from one sheet, but the phyllo sheets are piled one on top of another and then filled and rolled - as a result one gets a crisp and chewy dough outside of the filling. Baklava bakers argue over which method is best. The pile approach is easiest, so is often used commercially. Both Strudel and Baklava are very labor intensive - but they were developed to use up bits of food.
Using a basic strudel dough, you can fill it with all sorts of things - vegetables and fruits, even cottage cheese and meats. The trick is to pull the dough thin (you should see your hand through it) without tearing, fill it with a tasty mixture and roll it up. Fruit calls for sugar and lemon; vegetables need salt, pepper and perhaps herbs and cream. Both require fat to soften the dough and bread crumbs as a filler. Try apples and cherries (the very best strudel) for your first fruit attempts, cabbage for the first vegetable. Unless you were raised on it, potato can be a bit bland.
These portions are for 1/2 dough recipe (from the cabbage strudel recipe) or 1 store bought phyllo dough package (sometimes they are very dry).
- 1-1/2 cup flour
- 2 Tbsp. melted butter
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 lbs. apples more or less
- 1/2 cup or more sugar (can reduce if apples are very sweet)
- 1/2 lb butter or less (includes some to melt and brush rolled strudel before baking,
and to brown crumbs) - 1/2 cup raisins (plump in Rum and drain before using for a taste treat)
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs (don't burn and don't brown too long - should be moist from butter)
- zest from 1 lemon (grate over filling for easy distribution)
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
For apple strudel, make the dough as in the cabbage strudel recipe from newsletter 47A. Then cover the stretched dough with peeled and thinly sliced apples, sprinkle with grated rind of lemon and sugar, then melted butter and raisins and bread crumbs browned in butter. Some add a little cinnamon. You can also sprinkle with chopped walnuts if desired. Then roll up as in any other strudel and bake (350 °F for 40 minutes). Dust with powdered sugar before serving or serve with whipped cream for an elegant desert.