Recipe courtesy of Bohemian Biergarten
Warm Apple Strudel
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 2094
- Total Fat
- 117
- Saturated Fat
- 66
- Carbohydrates
- 254
- Dietary Fiber
- 6
- Sugar
- 232
- Protein
- 17
- Cholesterol
- 608
- Sodium
- 468
- Total: 3 hr 5 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
Warm Apple Strudel:
1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/2 ounces light rum
1/2 cup golden raisins
5 Granny Smith apples
1 ounce butter
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 10-by-15-inch sheet puff pastry
1 egg
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Salted Caramel:
4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
8 ounces butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Pinch salt
Crème Anglaise:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
12 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt
Directions
- For the warm apple strudel: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (350 degrees F if you have a convection oven).
- Chop the walnuts into small pieces and toast in the oven until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the rum to the golden raisins in a bowl and let the raisins soak in the rum while you prepare everything else. Peel the apples, then cut them off the cores and cut into thin slices, trying to keep a uniform width throughout all your slices (I like to cut them 1 to 2 millimeters thick).
- In a medium saucepan, combine the apple slices, butter, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the apple slices start to soften and release liquid. Add the raisins with the rum and the toasted walnuts. Stir well. Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix well. Combine the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a mixing bowl with a whisk to create a slurry, then add the slurry to the pot with the apples. Mix very well until fully incorporated. The mixture should start to thicken up at this point. Turn off the heat but continue to mix for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and salt.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the apple mixture on it to cool. (You will want this mixture to fully cool before adding the puff pastry.)
- Form a log out of the apple mixture. Pack it tightly and try to eliminate any gaps in the middle, then transfer the apple mixture log to the puff pastry sheet. Roll the puff pastry all the way around this apple log, trying to keep the pastry tight to the sides of the log so no gaps exist. Transfer the wrapped pastry to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Combine the egg and heavy cream in a bowl to create an egg wash. Using a brush, brush the outside of the strudel entirely with the egg wash. Top the egg wash with a sprinkling of the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar to make a sweet, delicious crust on the pastry. Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Allow the strudel to cool before slicing, then slice into 1-inch-thick portions.
- Portions of the strudel can be reheated for serving in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Top with the crème anglaise, caramel and whipped cream.
- For the salted caramel: In a thick bottomed saucepot, combine the granulated sugar, vinegar and 1 cup water and whisk well until the sugar is fully dissolved. Put over high heat on the stove and let it boil. Do not stir! As much as we want to stir it, don’t stir the mixture. Wait until a nice amber color develops, about 20 minutes, then remove from the heat. Intermittently, add the butter and cream and stir to combine all the ingredients. After everything has fully dissolved, add the salt. Chill to serve.
- For the crème anglaise: In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, combine the cream, milk and vanilla. Bring to a simmer. Mix the egg yolks and granulated sugar together in a bowl, then immediately add to double boiler. Whisk well and let the mixture continue to simmer until it starts becoming thicker. Cook until the anglaise has become thick, about 20 minutes; remove from the heat. Add the lemon juice and salt. Let cool for serving.