Cherry Cranberry Strudel
This whips up in a snap, and has all the cozy nostalgic flavors infused into it. Pie cherries, fresh cranberries, orange, and tonka bean (my absolute favorite spice!). Tonka beans have the aromatics of nutmeg, cherry, and almond, and they are grated just like nutmeg. The perfect pair to any cherry dessert. All this deliciousness wrapped in a buttery crispy puff pastry and sprinkled with course sugar.
Serves 6-8 | Level: Beginner
Ingredients
1 sheet of puff pastry (from the freezer at your grocery store, look for butter on the label)
5g cornstarch
30g water
300g pie cherries (I use frozen)
100g fresh cranberries
1/2 small tonka bean (sub 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 orange, juiced
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
14g butter
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk or cream
3-4 tablespoons course sugar, for sprinkling
Method
Thaw out your puff pastry, and when its ready preheat your oven to 425F. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small dish and set aside. Rub all the orange zest into the sugar to release the oils into the sugar. Add the cherries, cranberries, tonka or vanilla, sugar orange zest mixture, orange juice, and salt into a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer, and cook for 5-10 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally until the fruit is cooked. You will know it's cooked when the cranberries are burst. Add the cornstarch slurry and simmer until thickened, another three or so minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the butter and allow to cool. It cools faster if you transfer it to a separate bowl.
Flour a work surface and roll the thawed puff pastry to a 15x15in square. Make two indents into the dough, to mark it off into thirds. Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet, so you don't have to transfer it later. Pour the cooled filling down the middle, then with a knife cut the two sides into ribbons, as thin or thick as you want and you can braid them too! Tuck the middle top up over the filling by about an inch, then begin crossing the left strip over the middle, then the right, creating a vague herringbone pattern. Before the last two at the bottom, tuck the bottom flap over the filling then the last two strips over that to cover it.
Mix the egg yolk with the cream or milk and egg wash, then sprinkle with course sugar. Bake for 30-30minutes until its bubbling and golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before you slice it into 6-8 pieces.
Happy Eating! Did you make this? Tell me how it went below!
xoxo Slone's Kitchen
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