Apple strudel

This is a typical dessert from the Alto Adige region. Ideally, Renetta Ruggine apples should be used because they contain little water and do not soften the dough during cooking. Apple strudel is both a summer and winter dish.

Time

1 hour and 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For pasta

• 1 lb all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup water

For filling

• 2 lb apples
• 3 ½ oz breadcrumbs
• 1 ¾ oz butter
• 1 ¾ oz pine nuts
• 1 ¾ oz raisins
• lemon zest, grated
• 2 teaspoons Rum
• 3 ½ oz sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Method:

40 minutes preparation + 40 minutes cooking

Step 1

Make a well in the center of the flour, place the egg inside and add the water.

Step 2

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Step 3

Make a dough which is smooth and solid.

Step 4

Melt the butter in a pan, add the bread crumbs and brown well.

Step 5

Cut the apples into segments.

Step 6

Mix the apples with the bread crumbs, pine kernels, raisins, grated lemon, cinnamon and the remaining ingredients. Leave it all to gain flavor.

Step 7

Roll out the dough and lay the filling on top.

Step 8

Close the dough by wrapping up the filling carefully, prick all over with a fork, brush with sunflower oil and sprinkle some pine kernels on top. Put the strudel into the oven for about 40 minutes at a temperature of 425°F.

CHEF'S TIPS

The filling must be made some hours before to exalt the flavor.

Seal the dough well and bake in a preheated oven.

Food History:

Even if people generally think that strudel is an Austrian dish, this sweet is originally Turkish. In fact, the precursor to the strudel is baklava, a Turkish dessert stuffed with dried fruit and spices. The Hungarians and Austrians were introduced to baklava during the invasion of Eastern Europe by the Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. From 1526 to 1699, the Turks dominated the Hungary and, during these two centuries, the Hungarians adopted many different aspects of the Ottoman culture, including various Turkish recipes.
In 1699, when the Turks lost their power over Hungary to the Hapsburgs, the recipe for baklava spread throughout Austria and became known as strudel. Unlike traditional baklava, strudel was made with the apples that grew across Europe.
During the Congress of Vienna in 1816, Austria gained control of Venice and the surrounding region and strudel spread throughout Northeastern Italy.

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Spicy Tropical Fruit

YIELD: Makes 7 cups

COURSE: Desserts, Salads

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) container light sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
• 3 ripe mangoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 3 bananas, peeled and diced
• 1 (15.25-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
• Garnish: 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped

Preparation

1. Stir together first 6 ingredients, and, if desired, ground red pepper in a medium bowl. Fold in mangoes, bananas, and pineapple. 
2. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Garnish, if desired.

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Pineapple Yogurt Fool

Ingredients:

• Fresh Pineapple Slices - 10 nos
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Hung curd - 3/4 cup
• Cinnamon - 2 nos of  1" stick

Method

1. Combine chopped pineapple, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Microwave for 6 minutes till the pineapple turns soft. You can cook it on stove top too, on medium heat. It will take more time.
2. Remove the pineapple pieces  from the syrup. Blend it to a puree in a mixer grinder. Add the hung curd. Pulse to blend thoroughly. Chill and serve.
3. While serving the you can drizzle the left over syrup topped with  finely chopped pineapple cubes. There is not much syrup left and it can be added to milkshakes or fruit salads for a subtle pineapple flavor. This yogurt fool is similar to our own shrikand.

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Punjabi Fruit Trifle

Fruit Trifle is a very sweet toothed dessert popular among children and youths

Ingredients

• 1 litre Milk
• 6 tablespoons Custard powder
• Sugar to taste
• 1 packet Crystal Jelly any flavour
• 1 Short Cake
• Fruits (Grapes, banana, strawberry, mango, pine apple or other available)
• 1 package Thick cream chilled

Method: 

1. Prepared crystal jelly and set aside .
2. Now Add custard powder and sugar to milk and cook on medium flame till thick.
3. Now in a glass bowl place 1/2 cake at bottom and pour some crystal jelly over it.
4. Now add a layer of chopped fruits and then a layer of custard and then fruit layer at top custard layer.
5. Decorate top with pine apple, banana, strawberry. Make decoration with thick cream.
6. Delicious Fruit trifle is ready, cool and serve.

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Strawberry Trifle Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 angel food cake
• 2 pints fresh strawberries
• 1 large navel orange
• 6 tablespoons Splenda sugar substitute
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• fat-free cool whip

Method:

1. Wash, stem, and slice strawberries (use an egg slicer to get even slices).
2. Place strawberries in medium bowl.
3. Using a reamer, juice orange into the bowl of strawberries.
4. Stir, adding Splenda, extract, vanilla, and cinnamon.
5. Stir berries in this juice very well and set aside to allow berries to macerate while you assemble the trifle.
6. Tear half of angel food cake into bite-size bits and place in bottom of trifle bowl.
7. Add half of strawberries followed by the other half of the angel food cake torn into bite size bits.
8. Place remaining strawberries on top of cake.
9. Pour juice over the layers.
10. Top with Cool Whip.
11. Chill until ready to serve.

Suggestions: 

You can garnish the top of the cool whip by saving two or three of the strawberries and making a fan. To do this, place a strawberry stem side down in your egg slicer, slowly lower the top and slice into the strawberry just to the point that it is about to cut through. Pull the strawberry out and spread the slices.

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