Lately such a thing as serendipity seems to be raining on me non-stop. *smiles* By chance I discovered that I get equally excited by purchasing a new real chef’s knife (sometimes I am REALLY amazed by my own self) as by getting a bar of to-die-for chocolate. *wink, wink, wink* I also learnt that when at a morning rush hour on the metro you’re not sandwiched in a train between yawning people and nobody is tearing apart your coat and bag elbowing their way out or into the compartment, it’s only because you took the train in a wrong direction and now have to propel your own way through to work at a breakneck speed. *sigh*
And besides, I understood that when I bake something without any recipe on hand (and you, My Dear Readers, know – don’t you? - that when it’s concerned BAKING it’s practially a MUST to stick to the RECIPE) and, nevertheless, a final product of such a recipe-less baking of mine is damn good, the best way of self-reward for me then is a bunch of flowers, a glass of white wine and a piece (or maybe two *wink*) of my creation, and never mind how simple it might be...*a wink and a very proud smile*
*****V E R Y Simple Curd Strudel*****
And besides, I understood that when I bake something without any recipe on hand (and you, My Dear Readers, know – don’t you? - that when it’s concerned BAKING it’s practially a MUST to stick to the RECIPE) and, nevertheless, a final product of such a recipe-less baking of mine is damn good, the best way of self-reward for me then is a bunch of flowers, a glass of white wine and a piece (or maybe two *wink*) of my creation, and never mind how simple it might be...*a wink and a very proud smile*
*****V E R Y Simple Curd Strudel*****
Preparation time: 1-2 hours
Cooking time: 15-20 mins
You'll need:
1 sheet of puff pastry (I haven’t YET employed a talent of making a puff pastry at home, so presently I’m using an uncooked store-bought type of puff pastry)
1 egg white, beaten and mixed with one Tsp cold water
200 g curds (i buy fresh curds at a local market on Sundays)
60 g chopped walnuts, toasted until fragrant
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ Tsp acacia honey (or any other sort of honey you favour)
2 Tsp unsweetend coconut flakes
Method:
1 egg white, beaten and mixed with one Tsp cold water
200 g curds (i buy fresh curds at a local market on Sundays)
60 g chopped walnuts, toasted until fragrant
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ Tsp acacia honey (or any other sort of honey you favour)
2 Tsp unsweetend coconut flakes
Method:
1. Thaw pastry according to package instructions at a room temperature (usually it takes from 1 to 2 hours).
2. Combine curds, toasted walnuts, honey, cinnamon and coconut flakes and mix well.
3. On a slighly floured surface roll out the dough to make it thin enough (but don’t make it too thin as it might tear apart when put in a hot oven).
4. Spead the stuffing equally on the dough sheet and roll it up into a strudel shape. Seal the seam by pinching the sides together slightly. Brush the strudel surface with egg white pixture
5. Place a strudel, seam side down, on a slightly greased baking sheet and put it in a preheated to 230-240 C oven. Bake for 15-20 mins, or until golden brown (if strudel browns too fast, cover it loosely with a foil then).
6. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.
7. Enjoy!
Moist and flavourful curd stuffing with crunchy walnuts embraced in a crumbly puff pastry is a divine combination that’s worth a glass of dry white wine to be raised to!! Cheers! *wink*
P.S. The only thing I found difficult while making my strudel was to not eat up all the curds stuffing (I had to restrain myself really hard by pacing restlessly up and down my kitchen) before the puff pastry got thawed. *wink, wink, wink*
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7 comments:
A good knife is essential in the kitchen. As I eat a lot of raw food at the moment I use my Opinel a lot. Strudel is one of my favourites.
I love the addition of the coconut flakes. I seem to be on a coconut kick these days - made banana coconut muffins and banana coconut bread with chopped apricots. This looks like it would make a perfect breakfast!
Hope you have fun with your new chef's knife! Just watch out for your fingers, these knives are sharp!!
We're bookmarking this simple curd strudel recipe because there are times when we have a couple glasses of wine while cooking and an simple recipe comes in handy!
This looks fairly simple. Even i use store bought pastry all the time. I tried to make it from scratch once and never thought about it ever again. A chefs nice is such an essential part of a kitchen !
Cookiemouse - I fully agree with you on both a knife and strudel!! Once you are hooked, you'll probably never give up. :)
Toni - I seem to be on the same coconut kick recently, too. Fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes bring up alluring visions of far lands in my imagination, and my belly is fully on this with me! :) So, yesterday I made a coconut bread. Fab! :)
Todd and Diane - would you agree that chef's knife is somewhat sexy when in hands of a dedicated chef in kitchen? ;)
Kate - making puff pastry is something I don't have guts yet to do at home. But I definitely must give it a shot. Some other day, some other day. :)
A very nice recipe, Anya! I will want to try this, maybe during the Easter holidays. I love baking with store-bought puff pastry. It's so easy to use! Why even try to make your own, when the frozen kind is just as good. I've never made puff pastry myself. I remember watching my granny make it when I was little and it seemed like a LOT of work.
Greetings,
Tiina
Mmmm, this sounds divine! I'm very impressed with your creation! Congrats on your chef's knife - such a purchase is definitely worth excitement and merrymaking! (I loved your story about the train, too - because I'm so glad I'm not the only one who does that! :-)
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