Cherry strudel
European 30 Mins Prep · 40 Mins Cook
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Zest the lemon. Pit the cherries.
- Place the cherries in a saucepan and add the sugar and cinnamon. Place over a medium heat and simmer gently until the cherries are soft and the sauce is reduced and syrupy. Set aside to cool.
- Separate the egg white from the yolk. Place the cream cheese, caster sugar, egg yolk, almond extract and lemon zest in a bowl and beat until smooth.
- Place the phyllo pastry on a clean surface. Cover with a damp tea towel while you work with individual sheets to prevent the pastry from drying out. Brush a phyllo sheet with a little melted butter. Top with another phyllo sheet. Continue layering until the pastry is finished.
- Spoon the ground almonds along the long edges of the phyllo, leaving a border around the edges. Top with the cream-cheese mixture and then the cooled cherries. Fold in the ends. Roll up to enclose the filling.
- Place the strudel, seam-side down, on the baking tray. Brush with the leftover melted butter and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
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