By Rebecca Reilly

Apple Cranberry Strudel

SERVES 6 TO 8

Here’s a perfect winter dessert that also makes a special breakfast treat on cold mornings.

½ recipe Filo Pastry
3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup apple juice concentrate
¼ cup apricot spread (100 percent fruit)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries
½ cup lightly toasted walnuts, optional
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Grape seed oil or walnut oil
Powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium nonstick skillet, combine apples, apple juice, apricot spread, lemon juice and dried cranberries. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed and apples are tender. Remove from heat.

3. If walnuts are used, place them in a small food processor and pulse until finely ground. Reserve.

4. Mix together sugar and cinnamon until blended. Reserve.

5. Roll out the filo pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap until it forms a thin rectangle about ⅛-inch thick. Remove the top sheet. Turn the dough so the short end faces you. Spritz or brush the dough with oil. Sprinkle nuts, if used, over surface. Spread apple filling over the short end of the pastry closest to you, leaving a 2-inch border at the bottom and a 1-inch border on the sides. Fold the bottom border over the filling and roll up the pastry like a jelly roll.

6. Place strudel, seam down, on prepared baking sheet. Spritz or brush with oil and top with cinnamon mixture.

7. Bake strudel in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

8. Remove from oven and cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve.

Each serving contains 224 calories, 7g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 20mg cholesterol, 18mg sodium, 40g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 2g protein.

 

---

 

Filo Pastry

ENOUGH FOR 2 STRUDELS

1¼ cups super-fine white rice flour

¼ cup sweet rice flour

¼ cup sorghum flour

4 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon agar powder or gelatin

1 egg

¼-½ cup warm milk of choice (rice, hemp, soy), divided

1 stick unsalted butter or margarine or dairy-free replacement, melted

1 tablespoon honey

1. Mix rice flour, sweet rice flour, sorghum flour, xanthan gum and agar together. In a separate bowl, combine egg, milk, butter and honey.

2. Make a well in the dry mixture and add the liquids. Mix together using a fork, gradually incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If dough is too dry, add more milk.

3. Gather dough into a flat cake. Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to use. Dough may be refrigerated for later use but should return to room temperature before it is rolled out.

Read More on These Topics

• Celiac/Gluten Free
• Dessert
• Breakfast