Newbie Gourmet

Strudel! Could you imagine the labor involved in making the paper-thin dough? The stretching, rolling, why, it could take hours, right? I would never make strudel--too much work.

And then came the The Daring Baker's May Challenge: Linda of Make Life Sweeter and Courtney of Coco Cooks choose STRUDEL. Ay, dios mios.

I put it off until the very last day, yesterday. I just really did not want to make strudel. I thought, well, I can miss a few challenges, right? And then as the day dragged on, I remembered, oh yes, the point was to challenge me. So, at 6:45pm last night, I decided I would make my first strudel.

And boy, am I glad I did. It was easy, quick, painless, and most rewarding of all, delicious.

Now, the original recipe was an apple strudel, whose recipe follows, but as I waited until literally hours before it was due, I did not have the ingredients for apple strudel. I stuffed my strudel, which I divided into four small balls I could roll on my counter because a certain cat refused to get off the dining table, with chocolate, Andes mints, coconut, blueberries and cream cheese. Not all in one strudel, of course.


This recipe made four hand-size strudels, but the Daring Bakers say, and I now agree, it's easy enough to make and the ingredients are cheap enough that it is worth it to double the recipe. The dough also freezes well.

Apple strudel
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 tablespoons (30 ml) golden rum
3 tablespoons (45 ml) raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup (120 ml, about 60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds (900 g) tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

Strudel dough
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.


So, that's it. This recipe was so easy, I'm going to make it again this weekend for the neighbors. With my strudels, I sprinkled some raw sugar on them to make them look prettier and when I rolled them, I made them look more like crude palmiers than rolls (pictures below). I baked mine at 375 instead of 400, because of my fillings, which were mostly just chocolate. In other words, I just needed the strudel, not the stuffing, to bake. But if you make the apple stuffing, then follow the above temperature recommendations.



When rolling out the dough, don't skimp on the flour. The dough is very easy to work with, but it sticks to the surface like any other dough does.

And don't leave your strudel out on the coffee table, because even thought they're pretty to look at, the puppy can now reach the table and you are probably going to find her eating blueberry strudel on your white carpet! I would have killed her, but she's so adorable.

So, a while back I was on this low-calorie diet. You'd think that it would be horrible and bland, right? Well, I found this very nice recipe in the Picture Perfect Recipe Book some years ago, and have continued to use it, diet or no. I'm not sure if I've made changes to it, because I've lent the book out. It is not only delicious, but simple to make. It also makes for an elegant side dish.

Stuffed Portabellos

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Gigantic Portabellos
  
• 1/4 c. Italian Dressing
  
• 1/4 c. Balsamic Vinegar
  
• 6 Large Sun-Dried Tomatoes Halves in Oil, Minced
  
• 2 TBS Minced Garlic
  
• 1/8 c. Minced Shallot
  
• 1/2 c. Italian Bread Crumbs
  
• 3 Minced Fresh Basil Leaves
  
• 2 TBS Fresh Thyme
  
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
  
• Cooking Spray
  

Preparation:

1.) Remove the stems from your portabellos, mince the stems, and put them aside. I save the stems for omelettes and salads. You can also buy portabellos without stems, in which case, skip to the next step.*

2.) In a big zip-lock freezer bag, combine the dressing and vinegar, then add the mushroom caps. Let them marinate for an hour--any more than that and the vinegar taste will be too strong. Flip the mushroom bag over halfway through the marinating so that both sides of the mushroom caps will get the marinade on them.

3.) Take the mushrooms out of the bag, but don't throw away the marinade. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray, and put the mushrooms on the sheet, stem-side up. Broil for five minutes (they should start turning brown just before you take them out).

4.) In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, basil, thyme, and salt and pepper. Now, the tricky part. Remember the marinade in the bag? Add a couple of spoonfuls to the bowl, and mix it up. The consistency you're going for with the mix is moist, but not wet. You'll have to slowly add marinade until you get this consistency. For me, it's usually three or four tablespoons, but it can be more or less depending on the bread crumbs, tomatoes, and garlic you use.

5.) Stuff the mushrooms with the mix. Broil them for another five to ten minutes, until the filling is hot. Keep a close eye on them because they burn easily.

6.) Serve piping hot as a main dish (great alternative to meat) or a delicious (and filling) side dish. You can decorate the dish by placing fresh thyme sprigs on top.


*Note: The gills of the mushrooms will absorb a lot of the marinade, so if you don't like the vinegar taste, you can certainly remove the gills of the mushrooms with a spoon before going to step two.