Russian Style Mixed/Dried Fruit Strudel
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut into pea sized bits
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup pitted prunes (half of a 12-ounce box)
- 1/2 cup prune juice
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- Put the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- On slow, mix in the butter until it looks like very coarse meal.
- Mix in the sour cream until it masses together to form a dough.
- Pat into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
- Coarsely chop the prunes.
- In a small saucepan, cover the prunes with the prune juice and sugar.
- Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes.
- Place in a food processor with the vanilla and puree to a paste.
- Mix in the raisins, cherries and walnuts.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a square 16 by16 inches.
- Place the filling in a log running along the bottom and roll up.
- Pinch the ends closed.
- Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, seam side down.
- Mix the egg and water together to form a wash and paint the strudel.
- Bake for 30 minutes until crisp and golden.
- Let cool on a rack, then slice into 1 inch pieces.
- This was my Grandma Bessie's baking specialty.
- I haven't had this since she died but my brothers and I talk of it often, trying to re-construct what was in it.
- I re-discovered it at the Golden Key in Brighton Beach.
- Can be made on a rainy day with items in the pantry
flour, cold unsalted butter, sour cream, prunes, prune juice, sugar, vanilla, golden raisins, dried cherries, walnuts, egg, water
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/russian-style-mixeddried-fruit-strudel-recipe.html (may not work)