Culinary Arts Creations
by Ava Morlier, Culinary Arts Writer
Happy April! Today’s recipe makes an elegant (but delicious) accompaniment to your Easter feast: Blueberry Strudel.
Sweet and savory, the blueberry strudel is a great way to invite spring to your table. Blueberries bring bright and sweet notes of flavor, while the delicate layers of phyllo dough wrapping up the sweet filling provide an element of delicious savoriness (and makes the pastry an easy handheld).
Today’s strudel isn’t rolled like a traditional strudel. Instead, it is folded into triangles for elegance and to ensure the filling is well wrapped within the phyllo. Phyllo dough is very delicate. Rips are bound to happen (and that’s okay!). If it rips, sandwich the broken sheet between two unbroken sheets. The triangle will still fold just as well. Too many ripped sheets? All good! Make crackers by brushing the sheet with butter, placing another piece on top, and repeat until the desired thickness is reached. Sprinkle seasonings between layers and on top, bake until golden brown, let cool, and serve. Your mistakes will make a delicious snack! Enjoy the delicious flavors of this pastry, and may it help you have a sweet Easter!
Blueberry Strudel
Ingredients
3 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 pinch of salt
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
½ lb. phyllo dough, thawed
cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
Make the filling: Start a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. In the saucepan, mix together the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Once done, pour into a bowl and let cool until room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 4000. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Melt the butter in a small bowl.
Fold the strudel: On a clean workspace, unroll phyllo dough gently. Cut into 3-by-11-inch strips and stack. Cover the stack with a wet paper towel to ensure that it doesn’t dry out (the wet paper towels may need replacing as you work the phyllo dough).
Gently peel a sheet from the stack and place it with the long side nearest to you. Evenly brush butter on the entire surface.
Add another layer of phyllo dough on top of the first, so it covers the first sheet, and brush with butter.
Lay a final sheet of phyllo dough on top of the first two sheets.
Spoon a small amount of blueberry filling 1 inch away from the left edge of the pastry.
Fold the top left corner of the rectangle to the bottom over the filling so that it creates a triangle. Brush the rest of the sheet with butter and continue folding so that the strudel resembles a triangle.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a wet paper towel. Repeat until filling runs out.
Take wet paper towels off the folded triangles and brush with butter. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the tops of the strudels. Cut a small vent into the tops of the strudel with a knife. Place the sheet in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
Take out of the oven and place strudels on a cooling rack. Let cool for 20 minutes and serve.
Tools Needed
Medium saucepan, dry measuring utensils, medium bowl, small bowl and pastry brush (for brushing butter), wet paper towels (to cover phyllo dough), medium baking sheet, parchment paper, cooling rack.
*With credit to Claire Robison’s Blueberry Strudels recipe on foodnetwork.com
