PASRIES & VARIATIONS: Puff pastry has a lot of uses. This is the first of my collection of desserts that is made out of this pastry dough.

APPLE STRUDELS WITH RAISINS:

 

 

 

1 quantity of prepared puff pastry, see basic recipe

filling:

    5 medium-sized apples                               

    ½ cup sugar

    2 oz butter                                                  

    ½ tsp cinnamon

    1/3 cup raisins                                                        

    squeeze of lemon juice

3 tbsp. apricot jam                                                      

½ tsp. sugar

1 tbsp. brandy or water

 

 

 

Roll out puff pastry to ¼-inch thickness. Cut into 4 rectangles, each measuring 8x 2-inch. Transfer to baking trays and refrigerate pastry for 30 minutes.  

 

Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add apples, sugar and lemon juice and cook 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat. Add cinnamon and raisins and toss apples to coat well. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool completely.   

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Take pastry pieces out of refrigerator and lay them out on a floured work surface. Arrange apple mixtures on 2 pieces of pastry. Brush the edges with egg wash; then cover it with another piece pf pastry, sealing edges well.  Make slashes evenly in the centre crosswise down the length of each finished pastry. Brush with egg wash.  Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake 25 minutes more.

 

Remove from oven and cool on rack. Heat brandy or water slightly and mix in apricot jam and sugar. Brush jam over warm apple strudels to serve.