- Serves 10 - Ready in 3 hours (as you need to let the filo pastry sit at room temperature for 1.5 hours before using) - SERVE IMMEDIATELY SO THAT THE PASTRY IS CRISP -
*uses up 5 apples, I favour Granny Smiths in this recipe*
Gather together…
1 pack (200g) of filo pastry - I used ASDA own-brand, chilled 'ready rolled' filo pastry sheets, which includes approximately 12 sheets, each 27cm x 30cm in size.
1/2 cup (80g) sultanas (you can use raisins or currants if you prefer).
Juice and zest (finely grated) from a medium-sized lemon.
3 tbsp (30g) fine, white breadcrumbs.
7 tbsp (50g) flaked almonds.
5 tbsp (75g) brown sugar.
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon.
5 Granny Smith apples (or use any 5 average size apples or equivalent, I like Granny Smith apples in this as they hold their shape well when baked), peeled, de-cored and thinly sliced - I cut each apple into 16 slices (cut each quarter into 4 crescent moon shaped slices). DON'T chop the apples up until instructed to in the recipe, or else they will start to dis-colour in the air.
60g butter (sliced and melted in the microwave on high for 1 minute).
Serve with...
1/2 tsp Icing sugar (sieved) - applied just before serving.
Custard / Ice cream (posh vanilla with flecks in if possible).
Get cooking…
1. Allow the 200g pack of chilled filo pastry to warm up to room temperature, by removing it from the fridge 1.5 HOURS before proceeding further with the recipe - leave the filo sitting in its inner plastic wrap, so it doesn't dry out. OR, if you are pushed for time, microwave the plastic-wrapped-pastry on medium-low for 30 seconds or so, to warm it slightly.
2. Meanwhile, in a BIG bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of sultanas with the juice and zest from a medium lemon, the 5 tbsp of brown sugar and the 1.5 tsp of ground cinnamon. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside to let the flavours infuse (you can leave the ingredients in the bowl to soak for anywhere between 10 minutes and 2 hours).
3. Once the filo pastry has been at room temperature for 1.5 hours - or when you've briefly microwaved it - preheat the oven to 190 C (170 C fan) or Gas 5.
4. Scatter 3 tbsp of fine white breadcrumbs and 7 tbsp of flaked almonds on a baking tray and brown them in the heating-up oven for 10 minutes. PLEASE NOTE! If you put the breadcrumbs and almonds slices into an already pre-heated oven, then they will only need 5 minutes to brown.
5. Peel, de-core and chop the 5 Granny Smith apples - quarter each apple and cut each quarter into 4 (leaving you with 16 thin-ish crescent-moon-shaped bits per apple).
6. As soon as each apple is chopped up, put the pieces straight into the cinnamon-sugary-lemon mixture and stir to ensure the apple pieces are well coated to stop them from discolouring in the air.
7. By now the breadcrumbs will be toasted and ready, so scoop them off the baking tray with a spoon and add them to the mixing bowl (BUT DON'T ADD THE FLAKED ALMONDS YET) and mix to combine the breadcrumbs with the sugary apple pieces.
8. Tip the toasted, flaked almonds into a small bowl and set aside for later in the recipe.
9. Melt the 60g of sliced butter in the microwave (on HIGH) for 1 minute, in a small microwave-safe bowl. Careful, the bowl will be HOT.
10. Put a dry, clean tea towel on a chopping board. Remove the card and plastic wrapping from the filo, unroll the pastry and lay the entire pack of room-temperature pastry on the tea towel, with the sheets all stacked on top of each other (just as they are when you unwrap it). Cover the pile of sheets with a clean, slightly damp tea towel to prevent the pastry drying out.
11.Place two more clean, dry tea towels on your worksurface (wide enough for 70cm of pastry) and lay out three sheets of filo, overlapping in two places by approximately 5cm for each overlap. The shorter edge of each pastry sheet should be closest to you. (See the photo below to clarify the layout.)
12. Brush these three sheets with butter, (including under the two overlapping parts, so the butter acts like glue to seal the joins).
13. Sprinkle a small handful of toasted almond slivers over the pastry (doing this between each layer will help to ensure airflow and crisp pastry).
14. Now take two more pastry sheets (from the covered pile) and place them over the joins, brush them with melted butter.
15. Scatter on another handful of flaked almonds.
16. Put three pastry sheets on top (overlapping by 5cm at each join), brush with melted butter (including under the joins) and sprinkle on a handful of the flaked almonds.
17. You may have one or two filo pastry sheets leftover, if so lay them over the joins and top with melted butter and almonds.
18. Any leftover flaked almonds can now be stirred into the large bowl of sliced, sugary apple slices.
19. Tip the sugary apple slice mixture out along the horizontal middle of your pastry sheets. Be sure to leave at least 5cm uncovered pastry all the way around the outside. Fold the short side edges in.
20. Then use the tea towels to help you fold up the long edges of the strudel, to fully encompass the filling. The join will be on top for the time being.
21. Brush the strudel with the melted butter - make sure you brush inside the long join to help 'glue' the pastry parcel closed shut.
22. Butter-grease a large baking tray and (using the tea towels to help you) transfer the strudel onto the baking tray, rolling it over as you do so, meaning that the pastry seam is now touching the metal tray (so it is less likely to burst open when baking). As the strudel is so long (50 -60cm once the ends are folded in), it will probably need to sit in a curve on the baking tray.
22. Brush the top, ends and sides of the strudel with the remaining melted butter.
23. Bake the strudel in the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes, then set the grill to HIGH to brown the pastry for 2 - 3 minutes (but keep an eye on it, in case it starts to scorch the top rather than gently brown it!)
24. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of SIEVED icing sugar and SERVE IMMEDIATELY - the pastry will go soggy as it cools. Delicious with custard (apparently) or vanilla ice cream.
25. Keep the leftover strudel in an airtight container, in a cool place and eat up within three days. To reheat, cut the strudel into slices and place in a heating-up oven at 190 C (170 C fan) or Gas 5 for 10-15 minutes.
26. The cooled strudel can be sliced up and frozen in individual portions, then placed in a heating-up oven for 15 minutes to defrost and reheat.
This recipe was adapted from Rick Stein's Apple Strudel recipe on the Good Food website and Vanessa Greenwood's recipe in the Irish Times.