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Jewish World Review Jan. 17, 2007 /27 Teves, 5767 Create your own European strudel, easily, right at home By Steve Petusevsky http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) When I visit an Austrian or Hungarian restaurant, I jump at the chance to order strudel. I don't know anyone who doesn't love that wonderful piece of crispy crust oozing sweet, cinnamon-scented apples or cream cheese spiked with raisins. But guess what? It may look tricky with its layers of pastry, but strudel is easy to make at home. I am not talking about making your own strudel dough from scratch. That's a difficult and laborious task. I remember my German work experience watching the head pastry chef making strudel dough. He had four apprentices to help stretch the dough until it was paper-thin. The sheets that measured 4-feet-by-6-feet resembled bed sheets laying across a giant table. Even my grandmother occasionally made strudel dough. It was an all-day affair. Today, however, phyllo dough is available frozen in most supermarkets. It even comes in a whole-wheat variety. Once you get the hang of working with this dough, the fillings are endless and take little time to prepare. Fillings are fun to make and should be well chilled. Moisture is the enemy of any good strudel, so fillings should be as dry as possible before rolling them in the dough. My German mentor showed me the trick of sprinkling some fresh breadcrumbs between the dough layers and the filling so they soak up any extra liquid. There are some ground rules to using the dough, however. It must be defrosted very slowly. I like to do it at room temperature. I take it out of the freezer a day before using and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Then I let it sit at room temperature for about three hours in the unopened box the day I intend to bake. Before opening the box, I make all my fillings. Once the phyllo is defrosted and your fillings prepared, remove the number of sheets needed for your recipe and lay them on a clean, dry surface. I find that layering five to six sheets gives the best results. You can refreeze the unused phyllo sheets if you wrap them carefully. Lay the sheets you plan to use on the work surface and immediately cover them with a damp towel or paper towels. Most recipes call for brushing the individual sheets of phyllo dough with melted butter, but I like to use a healthier mixture of equal parts butter and either canola or olive oil, depending on the recipe. Although strudel is typically made in lengths, phyllo dough can also be used to line muffin cups, form purses or be folded into triangles. Above I give you recipes for strudels made with two of my favorite fillings — a sweet and a savory one. RECIPES APPLE WALNUT APRICOT STRUDEL Makes 10 to 12 servings. Steve's tip: You can use raisins or figs instead of apricots, if you prefer. Use a tart apple for the filling. Filling: 5 large granny smith, fuji or gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup pure maple syrup 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots Juice and zest from 1 lemon 1 teaspoon cornstarch Strudel Assembly: 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 5 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/4 cup brown sugar, optional To make filling: Combine all the ingredients a large mixing bowl. (Can be made up to two days before assembling strudel; store in refrigerator.) To assemble: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. Combine oil and butter in a small microwaveable cup and microwave 25 seconds on high until melted. Set aside. Stack the phyllo sheets near where you are assembling the strudel and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a clean kitchen towel. Brush with the melted butter mixture. Place another sheet over top and repeat this process until all 5 sheets are stacked and brushed. There should be a bit of butter mixture leftover. Sprinkle bread crumbs down the center of the top piece of phyllo dough. Place the filling down the center length of the pyllo in a column about 4 inches wide. Lift up the edges of the kitchen towel and roll the strudel dough over the filling. Place, seam side down, on prepared pan. Brush with remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired. Bake 35 minutes until golden brown and apples are tender. Cool the strudel before cutting into 2-inch-thick slices. Per serving (without brown sugar): 199 calories, 27 percent calories from fat, 6 grams total fat, .98 gram saturated fat, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 36 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 24 grams total sugars, 34 grams net carbs, 3 grams protein, 78 milligrams sodium. Per serving (with brown sugar): 214 calories, 25 percent calories from fat, 6 grams total fat, .98 gram saturated fat, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 40 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 28 grams total sugars, 38 grams net carbs, 3 grams protein, 78 milligrams sodium. MUSHROOM, LEEK AND SWISS STRUDEL Steve's tip: Feel free to use any favorite cheese in this recipe. I like gruyere, but any shredded cheese mixture will work fine. Makes 10 to 12 servings Filling: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 large leek, heavy outer leaves removed and discarded, cleaned well and chopped 6 cups sliced mushrooms (a combination of button, shiitake, portobello and/or oyster) 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves pulled from the branches, or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1/2 cup dry white wine or sherry 1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs Strudel Assembly: 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 5 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, optional To make filling: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, leeks, mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook 4 minutes stirring often. Add the wine and cook 3 minutes until all the liquid in the pan evaporates. Cool 15 minutes and stir in both cheeses. To assemble: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. Combine oil and butter in a small microwaveable cup and microwave 25 seconds on high until melted. Set aside. Stack the phyllo sheets near where you are assembling the strudel and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a clean kitchen towel. Brush with the melted butter mixture. Place another sheet over top and repeat this process until all 5 sheets are stacked and brushed. There should be a bit of butter mixture leftover. Sprinkle bread crumbs down the center of the top piece of phyllo dough. Place the filling down the center length of the phyllo in a column about 4 inches wide. Lift up the edges of the kitchen towel and roll the strudel dough over the filling. Place, seam side down, on prepared pan. Brush with remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool the strudel before cutting into 2-inch-thick slices. Per serving: 194 calories, 42 percent calories from fat, 9 grams total fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 17 milligrams cholesterol, 19 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total fiber, 2 grams total sugars, 18 grams net carbs, 9 grams protein, 234 milligrams sodium. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Steve Petusevsky is the author of "The Whole Foods Market Cookbook". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) To comment, please click here. © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services