By Chef David “Smitty” Smith ·
While I was doing my apprenticeship, the resort I was working at had not only Master Chef Anton Flory, but for six months had one of the top pastry chefs from New York City working there. It was a great opportunity to learn as much about pastries and desserts as I could, so I arranged to work the breakfast shift from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. for my regular credit and then work 2 until 6 or 8 p.m. on a separate program of pastries. It made for a long six months, but it was highly worth it.
There are so many desserts to choose from, it was a tossup as to what recipe to write about. I ended up with strudel for a couple of reasons. First, we are coming into the peak apple season so finding nice apples is not hard. Also, it is a tossup between the strudel, chocolate blueberry cake and crepes as to what people order the most when I cook dinners.
There are several versions of Apple Strudel that you will come across at bakeries. It may be served as an individual pastry and look like a turnover. It is also possible that you will find it with either puff pastry dough, Phyllo dough or regular pie dough. Which one is the traditional strudel? They all can be.
When I think of strudel, I think of Austria or Germany. I’ve worked with a lot of Austrian and German chefs and I’ve seen them prepare traditional Apple Strudel. It has come out looking different depending on who made it so I guess it depends on the region they are from. Just remember the rule of there are no rules when it comes to cooking. Use the dough and style that you like and you are assured of a winning product.
I personally like using Phyllo dough because it comes out crisp and flaky, and to me puff pastry dough seems much more like a turnover. Again, it is personal preference. This recipe is one I picked up working at a small inn in Vermont where the chef was the owner and a close friend of chef Flory. For me there has not been any strudel I’ve had that compares, so give it a try and enjoy.
Apple Strudel
Each strudel will serve approximately 7
4 to 5 apples (I like Macintosh, Gala or Granny Smiths) peeled, cored & sliced about 1-inch thick
2 lemons
1 T cinnamon
1 t ground clove
½ t salt
2 T dark rum
3 to 4 sticks butter
1½ C breadcrumbs
2-3 T sugar
5-6 sheets Phyllo dough
1/3 C chopped walnuts
¼ C raisins
1 beaten egg
Place the apple slices in a bowl and grate the lemons in with them. Use only the yellow peel and avoid the white underneath. Squeeze the juice of one of the lemons into the apples and save the other for later to add if needed. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, salt and rum, and mix thoroughly. Let that stand, giving it an occasional toss while you prepare the rest.
Place the raisins and nuts in a bowl so they are ready to go. Lightly sauté the bread crumbs and sugar in three-quarters of a stick of butter. They should be golden and clumpy. Melt the rest of the butter in a small pot.
Unroll the dough and keep a slightly damp towel to cover the dough while building the strudel. Place a thin cloth that is slightly wider than the dough on your table and place one sheet of dough on it close to one edge. The cloth will make rolling and transferring the strudel to the pan much easier.
Brush the dough with melted butter and then repeat with a second piece of dough. Sprinkle this layer with some of the breadcrumbs and repeat two more layers. Add one more layer of dough with only butter and place the apple mix along the length of the dough slightly closer to the side that has the extra cloth. Sprinkle the nuts and raisins over the top and using the cloth roll the strudel from the long side of the cloth toward the opposite edge as tight as possible. Pick up the cloth and roll the strudel onto a parchment paper-covered sheet pan. Brush the strudel with the beaten egg.
Cook for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit until nice and golden brown. Let this stand for 15 minutes at least before slicing. Once sliced, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over it and serve.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. To read archived copies of Stir it Up, visit chefsmitty.com or TheTahoeWeekly.com. Contact him at smitty@chefsmitty.com or (530) 412-3598.
