Apple-Cranberry Strudel

An amazing dessert recipe (actual dessert...not "dessert")

By Khalil Hymore

Does anyone remember The Golden Girls episode where Rose divulges to the girls that once she got so mad at her husband Charlie, for cheating on her, that she refused to make strudel for a year? Turns out Rose wasn't referring to the sweet, flaky pastry below. Strudel was their pet name for sex!

I thought about that scene all day today when I was creating this recipe. In fact, I made it so many times, I may not make it again for a year...actual strudel, that is!

Makes 6 servings

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pound tart apples (about 2 medium), peeled and chopped
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• confectioners' sugar (optional)

Heat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Soak the cranberries in hot water until plump and soft, about 10 minutes; drain and set aside. Stir 1/3 cup of the sugar, flour, orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Add the apples and cranberries and toss thoroughly to coat.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry sheet into a 16- by 12-inch rectangle. Refrigerate if necessary, the pastry should be kept cold. With the short side facing you, spoon the apple and cranberry mixture onto the bottom half of the sheet leaving about 1 inch on the edge. Working quickly, roll up the pastry tightly around the apple mixture. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet.

Stir the remaining sugar and cinnamon together. Brush the pastry with the melted butter, sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and cut 3 slits in the top.

Bake until the strudel is golden, about 35 minutes. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners' sugar, if desired.