Today is May first and I’ve got Germany on the brain and in the heart. As you all know, I typically go to Munich 3 or 4 times per year and usually once in the Spring. Being there over May Day is always a treat. And as you guys also mostly know, a friend of mind always every trip that I am over go on what we affectionately call the “Strudel Run” where we day trip from Munich to Innsbruck, Austria for Strudel at Cafe Kroll … and then often end up some other random place (Italy, Lichtenstein…). So, in light of the fact that I am stuck in rainy greater Boston today, I decided to make Apfelstrudel. I cheated though by using frozen pre-made phyllo sheets, which turned out phenomenally. I was going to make Vanillesoße (Vanilla Custard/Sauce) and included it in the recipe, but checked the egg and milk status before starting and decided that I didn’t want to go to the shops tomorrow (I try to conserve as much as possible) so skipped making it.
Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds Golden Delicious, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 1/2 teaspoons juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons golden raisins
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for serving
14 (14 by 9-inch) phyllo sheets, thawed
Directions
Toss apples, granulated sugar, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Cover and microwave until apples are warm to touch, about 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving. Let apples stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer apples to colander set in second large bowl and let drain, reserving liquid. Return apples to bowl; stir in raisins.
Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Stir a pinch teaspoon salt into melted butter.
Place 16 1/2 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper on counter with long side parallel to edge of counter. Place 1 phyllo sheet on parchment with long side parallel to edge of counter. Place 1 1/2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar in fine-mesh strainer (rest strainer in bowl to prevent making mess). Lightly brush sheet with melted butter and dust sparingly with confectioners’ sugar. Repeat with 6 more phyllo sheets, melted butter, and confectioners’ sugar, stacking sheets one on top of other as you go.
Arrange half of apple mixture in 2 1/2 by 10-inch rectangle 2 inches from bottom of phyllo and about 2 inches from each side. Using parchment, fold sides of phyllo over filling, then fold bottom edge of phyllo over filling. Brush folded portions of phyllo with reserved apple liquid. Fold top edge over filling, making sure top and bottom edges overlap by about 1 inch. (If they do not overlap, unfold, rearrange filling into slightly narrower strip, and refold.) Press firmly to seal. Using thin metal spatula, transfer strudel to 1 side of prepared baking sheet, facing seam toward center of sheet. Lightly brush top and sides of strudel with half of remaining apple liquid. Repeat process with remaining phyllo, melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, filling, and apple liquid. Place second strudel on other side of prepared sheet, with seam facing center of sheet.
Bake strudels until golden brown, 27 to 35 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Using thin metal spatula, immediately transfer strudels to cutting board. Let cool for 3 minutes. Slice each strudel into portions and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without the vanilla custard below, dusting with extra confectioners’ sugar before serving. You can also serve the Apfelstrudel with ice cream, whipped cream or plain.
Vanilla Custard
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 (you can also use whole milk)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a large glass or metal bowl, whisk egg yolks with cornstarch. In top of double boiler, combine milk with sugar and bring to a simmer.
In a thin stream, whisk hot milk into the egg yolks and return to double boiler. Cook until sauce is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Do not let the sauce come to a full boil boil or it can curdle. Stir in vanilla extract. Serve hot or cover with plastic wrap right on top of the pudding so that no ‘skin’ forms and refrigerate.
If the sauce does curdle, you can put it in a blender or through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Either method should smooth the sauce out to use.
