In Need of Nimble Fingers – Mini Apple Strudel Random Recipes #25

This month, ‘The Choice is Yours’, Dom from Belleau Kitchen suggests.  He’s asked us to ‘go back to the very beginning’ when Random Recipes first started.  Recipe selection in the first RR challenge was simplicity itself ‘pick & point’.  As I didn’t participate in the early RRs, this is a chance to go back to where it all began.

Using my patented ‘lucky draw, random number generator’ system, I selected a book.  The Women’s Weekly Easy Entertaining Cookbook.  How could this be?   I added at least five extra books into the pool and still came up with this 1980’s stalwart.  The choice is mine?  I choose not to use this book but….the rules demand it.  To be fair, this book served me well when I first started working and was keen on ‘dinner parties’.  I still make the Toblerone Chocolate Mousse and don’t think it will be heading to the op shop any time soon so at least RR has given me a chance to revisit the past.

The selected recipe is one that I have looked at many times as I’ve flicked through but never made.  On first glance, these apple strudel looked fairly standard.  Upon further inspection though I saw that all four apple strudel are made using only one apple and one sheet of pastry.  The apple doesn’t even need to be pre-cooked.  Economical to cook but a real bugger to make!  These miniature strudels require nimble fingers to fold and criss-cross the pastry into the desired shape.  Even my small hands were all thumbs.  So, take your time.

From the book…

They do look cute with a cup of coffee and as they can be frozen, they can be ready for guests at a moment’s notice.  Let’s hope though, that we’ve seen the last of the Women’s Weekly for a while.

• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled & finely chopped
• 1 tspn lemon juice
• 1 tbsp jam of your choice
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tspn butter
• 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
• icing sugar for dusting
• 1 pair nimble fingers

Method

• Combine apple, lemon juice and jam in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine almonds, flour, butter and cinnamon together, rubbing in butter.  Combine with apple mix and set aside
• Cut pastry into 4 even sized squares.  Divide apple mixture and place along centre of each square.

• Make 8 cuts in the pastry on either side of the apple mix.
• Fold the top and bottom strip of pastry around apple to enclose the filling.
• You will now have 6 remaining strips of pastry on either side.  Divide each of these (12 strips on either side of apple).
• Place strips of pastry across the apple in a criss-cross fashion. One side flipped in, then the other.  Repeat until all strips are used.

•  Place on a lightly greased tray, brush with some milk and place in oven at 220c for 10 -15 minutes or until golden.
• Cool slightly, dust with icing sugar and serve warm with cream.

Notes
– To freeze, prepare as above, omit brushing with milk and freeze uncooked and uncovered. Place in airtight container once frozen.
– To cook, allow pastries to defrost for an hour, brush with milk and place in pre-heated oven. Bake as above