I've earned the right not to pit fresh cherries. I swear I once pitted seventeen million pounds for a batch of sour cherry pies, and I didn't have a pitter to help. All cherries were pitted by hand. Never again. So, when I feel like having a sour cherry dessert of some kind, I reach for the pre-pitted canned variety. I know, some people will think that's gross, but I've earned the right to be lazy with cherries.
cherry strudel
makes 4-6
1 can of pitted sour cherry pie filling, ready to use, no pitting required!*
14 or so phyllo sheets (1 package), thawed if frozen
6-8 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
*Or, if you want to be a better person than me, you can make your own filling by pitting several cups of fresh or frozen cherries, then bringing them (and any juices) to boil in a saucepan with a little sugar and a little cornstarch. Simmer for a couple minutes, then cool completely.
Arrange 2 phyllo sheets in a layer and let dry (about 15 mins). Keeping other sheets stacked, fold and cut each lengthwise then stack halves. Cover with some plastic wrap and a dampened tea towel. Crumble the dried phyllo sheets into a bowl.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a cookie sheet; set aside. Lay out 2 phyllo sheets, keeping the others covered. Brush with some melted butter. Top with at least 4 more sheets, brushing each layer with butter. Sprinkle some of the crumbled phyllo over the bottom third of top sheet (leaving a border along bottom and sides). Scoop some cherry goodness on top of the crumbled pieces. Fold bottom edge up over the filling, fold in sides (that stops it from leaking out the sides, like mine did), and roll it up. Place seam-side down on the buttered cookie sheet. Brush top with a little more butter and sprinkle with a little sugar. Cut a couple vents diagonally across the strudel. Continue making more strudels until all the cherries are gone.
Bake in the middle of the oven until crisp and golden brown (20-25 mins). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about half an hour. Serve with a scoop of vanilla or a sprinkling of icing sugar.
1 comment:
Love this, I've bookmarked this, I've made it a dozen times, my mother begs for it, so easy, considering it' the thinnest, fastest drying pastry! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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