I probably should not share this, but I often talk to myself. It can happen anytime. Anywhere. Once, I was talking to myself while getting out of my car in the driveway, and my partner (inside the house!), thought someone was with me. I am not sure why I talk to myself on occasion, but I am fairly certain it has been a regular part of my life.
Making the strudel for the Daring Bakers challenge this month was no exception.
I have been reading about a few cherry dishes at some of my favourite blogs recently. Even though we are quite a few months off fresh cherries here in Australia, I was keen to incorporate cherry into my strudel. So as a substitute, I bought some preserved sour cherries. With a small additional of breadcrumbs and sugar, this turned out to be a perfect filling.
I was disappointed with my pastry effort. I had quite a few holes as I worked the pastry and attempted to make it paper-thin. The actually dough was quite easy to make so will try again at some point. Despite the hiccups with the pastry, however, I was really happy with the challenge this month. Strudel pastry is not something I had made before.
When the strudel was baked, I needed to take a few photos. It was a little chilly outside and overcast. It has been practically raining non-stop here in Brisbane. So when picking a plate, I reached for black. It seemed to match the drizzle outside. The dark cherry looked nice against the colour, so off I went. I took a few photos and checked in the viewfinder. My ‘talking to myself’ habit then kicked in. I giggled and then said to the strudel – yes, an inanimate object! – “You are such a moody strudel!” Oh, I tried that in my best Austrian accent, too.
I continued to punctuate the conversation with my strudel with a few other snappy lines. And not one to let a joke die its natural death, I call out to my partner to include him in the banter, and declared, “my strudel is moody, ja?” He walked away grinning, shaking his head.
We have enjoyed our moody strudel the last few nights, slightly warmed with a tiny serve of vanilla ice cream. I do enjoy fruit desserts so want to definitely try this pastry again. And hopefully I have not disappointed my lovely friend M. in Austria. Hopefully it would past the test? I would send a test piece to you in Vienna if I could!
The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.
{ Apple strudel }
from “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers
* Ingredients *
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)
* Directions *
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
* Ingredients *
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
* Directions *
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.
May 27, 2009 at 7:51 am
The photos are fantastic. I love the red and brown against the black. I didn’t realise you had a “best” Austrian accent. My bf has a “Hans” voice. “Hans: makes occasional appearances when there’s German themed food around. I usually tell “Hans” to shut it, to no avail. 😀
May 27, 2009 at 11:18 am
Wow, great that you use cherry for the filling. It’s in season, so this must taste really good. Good job on this month challenge. Mine is not suppose to go online yet, lol. It’s still Monday, the 26th 6 PM.
Cheers,
elra
May 27, 2009 at 1:46 pm
i talk to myself too.
in front of people.
usually it’s when something requires my concentration, so it will go something like:
“mix the lemon and butter until a smooth paste forms” “take part A and insert piece B”
i do it when i’m serving customers too.
nobody has told me that i am insane.
yet.
May 27, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Nice choice of filling, great strudel! Very well done!
Cheers,
Rosa
May 27, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I LOVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY. Your strudel looks divine and the sour cherries add such a lovely European touch. My husband was born in Hungary and I have fond memories of sour cherries (‘meggy’ in Hungarian) on a visit to Hungary with him. I also have “Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers – a beautiful book and worth getting if you can find it.
I admire you for making the dough for strudel. I have made it only twice – once in a class at Melbourne’s Essential Ingredient with Loretta Sartori and one week later at home. It turned out perfectly in class with all the students helping, but at home I ALSO had holes in the pastry. I probably won’t ever make it again as it was such a chore but I had a wonderful feeling of accomplishment after making the strudel. I can imagine you are feeling this as well.
P.S. (I have joined both Daring Bakers and Daring Cooks thanks to your encouragement and will be in the next challenge for both)
May 27, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Sour cherry filling sounds wonderful, and your strudel and photos are perfection! Amazing job as always 🙂
May 27, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Hehe I think most of us enjoy putting on a good Austrian accent. An “moody strudel” has a certain ring to it. Shame about the pastry but the final result looks delicious!
May 27, 2009 at 10:44 pm
oh, that looks good– cherry is my favorite strudel flavor, btw! and i do think it impossibile to resist the urge to talk to a strudel in an austrian accent…i know i did!
May 27, 2009 at 11:28 pm
This looks delicious, Julia! I love sour cherries.
May 27, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I’ve finally found you Julia. googled for you, & otherwise with little luck. Finally found a link to you at Lemon Pi. Didn’t know you were a DB, else would have caught ya on the blogroll. Love your post, love the filling, love the accent, love the moody strudel…& LOVE the pictures. One day I shall make a cherry strudel too. It sounds just the right strudel to make…except for the ‘pitting cherries’ part of it. Thank you for stopping by. Really love having you over
May 27, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Great! Now I’m craving cherry streudel! Thanks alot! LOL
Question-Have you ever tried to make cherry danishes?
May 28, 2009 at 2:21 pm
hello there
great job on the challenge, I love the flavours your choose, the photos are beautiful too.
May 28, 2009 at 4:41 pm
So now you see how many of us actually “self-talk”…I am no different. 🙂
The cherry filling is so very refreshing from most of the apples that I have seen. Great work.
New here but love this place 🙂
May 28, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Lovely lovely lovely :-)!! XOXO
May 28, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Cherry Strudel is my favourite! Great choice 🙂
May 31, 2009 at 9:01 am
Y – too funny. I’m glad I’m not the only one with little voices. My partner often tries to shut me up to with the same outcome. None! 🙂
Elra – yes, I think we sneak in a few hours early. I think I was actually late in the day even for Australian time.
the projectivist – I like the connection to concentration. Good point. I do think that many times I talk to myself I am completely engrossed with internal thoughts or instructions. My poor co-workers have to constantly guess whether I’m talking to them or myself. They’re slowing figuring it out. 😉
Rosa – thanks. I’m still thinking about your spinach and feta strudel. That looked amazing!
Corry – thank you. I hope to kick my photography up. I’ve actually enrolled at a local TAFE for a photography course. Need to find out what all those buttons do! I have a field trip today in fact so fingers crossed. I checked your blog to see what you had done hoping you joined DB this month. I’ll be looking forward to seeing your challenge next month. I keep checking online to see if it’s posted yet. I’m impatient! 🙂 I have just put that book on my wishlist in Amazon. Did you get that Sherry Yard one?
Lisa – thank you. Your BBQ pork version was awesome!
Lorraine – thanks. I was disappointed with all the holes. I think I will need to let it rest longer like the suggestions. It did taste really nice though, so at the end of the day, if I had to choose presentation or taste I’d have to go the latter. But hopefully better luck next time for me!
Steph – thank you. I’ve never had cherry strudel before so wanted to give it a try. Yes, I think you’re right. How hard is it to talk about strudel without an accent? You had double accent activity with your two selections, too. As a sweet person, I was attracted strongly to your mushroom strudel, too. My sugar radar usually wins out every time.
Eileen – thank you. Sour cherries are great. Particularly pitted ones! 😉
Deeba – ohhhh, so sorry. I must not have left my little link correctly. Thank you for finally finding me then. And thanks to Y for the hook up! 🙂 Your strudel was great, too. Loved the little individual ones.
Hannah – sorry for your craving. Your cherry pie looked pretty good, too! 🙂 No, I’ve never made Danishes before. But I bet Beatrice would have a recipe in her book! I want to ‘dedicate’ July for making pastry, so maybe I should add Danishes to my list and see if I can fit it in. Are you going to try, too???
Arlette – I can’t seem to add a comment to your site. Keep getting an error message. 😦
Navita – thanks for stopping by. Good to find a fellow ‘self-talker’! 🙂
Gine – thank you. Loved your little strudel cupcakes.
Anita – glad you like. I love cherry, too. 🙂
June 1, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I think your Strudel would pass the ‘Austrian Test’. It looks delicious and perfect as it should be. Was giggling while reading your post – looks like talking to your strudel helped to make the recipe work.
Cherries here in Austria turn red now – but our tree is still little – only 7 cherries on there so not enough for strudel.
You should defenitely go on with strudel dough -> I still can’t make it without any holes. Good luck with the baking….