Friday's Recipe

Picking apples is one of the greatest pleasures of the fall season — and eating them is another. Harvested in September and October and available all year round, the versatile apple is not only the perfect healthy snack but also a great addition to some of your favorite dishes. We've found this delicious pastry recipe for the breakfast table and beyond, so you can enjoy the fresh, juicy flavor that makes autumn truly delicious.

Apple Strudel



Directions:

This popular dessert takes its name from the flaky pastry used to wrap around the filling like a strudel, the old German word for "whirlpool". In Germany, it was a traditional harvest-time dessert and still is today during Munich's Oktoberfest. Strudel is best served the same day it is baked, and warming it for 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven (never in a microwave) enhances it, especially if you serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups apple juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and
sliced ¼ inch thick (5 cups)
½ cup dark seedless raisins
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans
4 sheets phyllo dough
1/3 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Vanilla ice cream, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, create a slurry by combining ¼ cup of the apple juice with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch; mix until smooth and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples with the remaining apple juice, and the raisins, sugar and cinnamon until the apples are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the cornstarch slurry (it may have settled) and add to the apple mixture, stirring constantly until smooth and lump free. Simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool. Stir in the pecans, cover and chill.

3. Preheat the over to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Lay out one phyllo sheet on a clean, flat, lightly floured surface. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of dry bread crumbs. Repeate this procedure with two more layers of phyllo, butter and crumbs. Top with the fourth sheet of phyllo. Spread the apple filling evenly onto phyllo surface, leaving a ½ inch clean edge on all sides. Roll into a log, folding edges at each end beneath the log, and brush with melted butter. Carefully place the strudel on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Bake the strudel for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before cutting into 2-inch slices and sprinkling with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Serve plain or with ice cream.

This weeks recipe can be found at ivillage.com/recipes