Old Fashioned Pear Strudel Recipes

PERFECT PEAR STRUDEL

Steps:

• Make Pear Strudel: Place raisins in small bowl, cover with very warm tap water. Let stand 5 minutes to plump, then drain.
• Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add pears, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and plumped raisins. Cook 8 to 10 minutes or until pears are very tender and almost all liquid is evaporated, stirring occasionally. Spread mixture on small rimmed baking pan or plate and place in refrigerator 15 minutes to cool (this step can be done up to 2 days in advance).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in microwave. Place a stack of 3 phyllo sheets on parchment paper on work surface. Make a second stack of 3 phyllo sheets and place it so it overlaps the first stack by about an inch. Mound the cooled pear filling along one of the long sides of phyllo dough. Roll up like a jelly roll and transfer the parchment with strudel to rimmed baking pan.
• Brush strudel with melted butter. Score the dough into 1-inch portions using a serrated knife, but do not cut completely through the strudel. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, make Glaze: In small bowl, whisk together all ingredients.
• Slice strudel and serve warm with glaze.

EASY APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place raisins, water and extract in a large microwave-save bowl; microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-1/2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain. Add apples, 1/3 cup sugar, flour and cinnamon; toss to combine., In a small bowl, mix melted butter and oil; remove 2 teaspoons mixture for brushing top. Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface; brush lightly with some of the butter mixture. (Keep remaining remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Layer with 7 additional phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with some of the butter mixture. Spread apple mixture over phyllo to within 2 in. of 1 long side., Fold the short edges over filling. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting from the side with a 2-in. border. Transfer to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with reserved butter mixture; sprinkle with remaining sugar. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits in top of strudel., Bake until golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• 1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Stir the granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the apples and raisins and toss to coat.
• 2. Sprinkle additional flour on the work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the apple mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll up like a jelly roll. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Tuck the ends under to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut several slits in the top of the pastry.
• 3. Bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, if desired.
• 4. For best results, make sure to toss the apples and raisins until they're evenly coated with the flour mixture. The flour helps to thicken the juices released by the apples as they cook.
• 5. For some nutty crunch, 1/4 cup sliced almonds may be added with the apples and raisins.
• 6. For a Vanilla Sauce to serve with the strudel, stir 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup light cream, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 egg yolks, beaten and 1/2 vanilla bean in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla bean. Any leftover sauce is delicious over fresh berries or ice cream.
• 7. For Pear and Cranberry Strudel, you can substitute Bosc pears and dried cranberries for the apples and raisins in this recipe.

PEAR STRUDEL IN PHYLLO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200C; line a large baking tray with baking paper.
• Combine pears, half the walnuts and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a bowl.
• Place a sheet of pastry onto workbench. Spray with oil. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs. Top with another layer of pastry.
• Repeat with oil, breadcrumbs and pastry to form 8 layers.
• Spoon peach mixture along one long edge of pastry, leaving a 4cm border at short ends. Fold ends in and roll up. Lift onto prepared tray.
• Brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with remaining sugar, walnuts and cinnamon.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until pastry is golden. Stand for 10 minutes.

PEAR STRUDEL

Steps:

• Thoroughly mix the dried pears with the pecans in a large bowl.
• Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Lighly grease a baking sheet.
• Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a large sheet of wax paper.
• Brush with the melted margarine and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon crumbs.
• Top with a second sheet of phyllo.
• Brush with margarine and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of crumbs.
• Keep remaining phyllo sheets covered.
• Put half the filling near one long end of the top sheet, arranging it in a log shape and leaving a 1 inch border.
• Starting with that end, carefully roll up the dough as for a jelly roll, using the paper to help support the dough.
• End the roll with the seam on the bottom.
• Transfer the roll to the baking sheet and brush the top with margarine.
• Repeat with the remaining filling and remaining dough.
• Bake 25 minutes or until golden.
• Just before serving the strudel, sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar.
• Serve warm if desired.

OLD VIENNA APPLE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, and raisins in a medium saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour filling into a baking dish and stir in the walnuts; let cool to room temperature.
• In a small saute pan, melt 5 tablespoons butter and add breadcrumbs. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until toasted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Wipe pan clean and melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter; set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a double thickness of parchment paper.
• Lay a large, clean cloth or sheet (at least 3 feet long and wide) on a work surface, and sprinkle well with flour. Remove strudel dough from bowl without folding it over on itself and set it in the center of your work surface. Use the palms of your hands to flatten the dough. Dust dough lightly with flour and roll it in all directions, as well as rolling over the edges, making it as thin as possible. Lightly brush entire surface with oil.
• Slide both hands, with slightly curved palms facing down, under dough toward the center. Holding this position, lift the dough off the cloth with your knuckles, and begin stretching from the center out to the edges until it is too large to stretch easily with your hands. Carefully set dough back on cloth, spreading it to smooth out any wrinkles or folds. Starting in the center again, continue to stretch out the dough in all directions, maintaining a rectangular shape, until the dough is almost translucent everywhere except the edges, which should be thicker. If the dough tears while stretching; you will be able to patch any holes with some of the excess stretched dough.
• Once dough is stretched, let dry for 10 minutes.
• Using a pizza wheel or kitchen scissors, trim all the thick edges until the dough is approximately 24-by-30-inches. With the 24-inch edge facing you, scatter the breadcrumbs on a 12-by-4-inch rectangle of dough centered about 3 inches in from the 24 inch side so the 16 inch side of filling is parallel to the 24 inch side of dough. Scatter the cooled filling on the same space.
• Use a brush to drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of cooled butter all over the unfilled portions of the dough, reserving a little to brush the strudel with once it has been rolled.
• Roll strudel by folding 3 inches of dough from the 24-inch side of dough over the filling, then fold the unfilled dough in from each side. Lift the cloth and roll the strudel, stopping to fold the edges inward as you roll. Transfer to prepared pan, seam side down, positioning diagonally if necessary.
• Brush the top of the strudel with remaining butter, and snip vent holes in with sharp scissors.
• Place strudel in oven. Bake, rotating pan halfway though, until deep golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut on the diagonal into slices. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.