SERVES 4
scant ½ fresh breadcrumbs
¼ cup superfine sugar
¼ cup ground almonds
¼ cup ground walnuts
5 sheets store-bought filo pastry
2tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus a little extra for brushing
½ tsp ground cinnamon
11oz (325g) fresh morello cherries, pitted
3 tbsp sliced almonds (optional)
confectioner’s sugar for dusting
To make the filling, mix the breadcrumbs, superfine sugar, and ground almonds together in a bowl and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). If you can’t find ground walnuts, grind some walnut pieces briefly in a food processor or blender. Arrange a sheet of parchment paper on a flat surface. Place a sheet of filo pastry on the parchment, with one of the longer edges of the pastry rectangle facing you. Brush the surface of the pastry with some of the melted butter and dust with a little of the cinnamon. Repeat with the rest of the pastry sheets, butter, and cinnamon. Scatter the breadcrumb filling over the pastry stack, leaving a 2in (5cm) border around the edge (this will help when you fold the pastry edges over to prevent the filling from escaping). If you want to make 2 strudels, cut the pastry in half, leaving a 4in (10cm) space in the middle. Scatter the ground walnuts over the filling and heap the cherries in a thick strip along the center of the pastry, leaving a 2in (5cm) gap at either end.
Fold in the short edges of the pastry rectangle. Then, using the parchment paper, fold over the long edge of the pastry rectangle nearest you, and roll up the pastry to enclose the filling and create a long roll. Brush the surface of the rolled pastry with more melted butter and scatter the sliced almonds, if using.
Lift the parchment paper with the strudel, seam-side down, onto a large cookie sheet and bake in the over for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.
Recipe from: Neal’s Yard Remedies ‘Healing Foods’ book ISBN: 978-1-4654-1472-4