Nagymama’s cherry & cream cheese strudel
SERVES 6 PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES (+ STANDING)
680g jar sour (morello) cherries
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
500g full-fat firm ricotta, drained
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
200g sour cream
½ cup (35g) panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
½ cup (60g) finely chopped roasted walnuts
2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of ground nutmeg
100g butter, melted
1 tablespoon icing sugar
PASTRY
1½ cups (225g) plain flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 To make pastry, sift flour into a bowl, make a well in the centre; add egg and oil. Gradually add 1/3 cup (80ml) warm water, mixing to a soft dough with your hands. Knead on a floured surface for 7 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
(To check that the dough is sufficiently kneaded, stretch it; if it breaks easily, knead it for longer.) Form dough into a ball; place in an oiled bowl. Cover; stand at room temperature for 45 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, strain cherries over a small saucepan. Place cherries on a tray lined with two layers of paper towel. Cover with two more layers of paper towel. Press paper firmly over cherries to absorb moisture; stand for 30 minutes. Add ¼ cup (55g) of the caster sugar to the cherry liquid in the pan; simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes or until syrupy. Cool.
3 Combine ricotta, remaining caster sugar, the vanilla and lemon rind in a bowl with a spoon. Stir in sour cream. Cover; refrigerate until needed.
4 Combine breadcrumbs, walnuts, extra caster sugar, and spices in a small bowl.
5 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
6 Cover a work surface with a large clean cloth; rub flour over cloth. Roll out dough as far as it goes. Oil your hands, slip them under the dough; gently and carefully, start lifting and stretching the dough from the centre using the back of your hands, rather than your fingers. Brush the stretched pastry with more butter as you stretch to prevent it from drying out. Continue stretching dough until it is paper-thin and approximately a 40cm x 55cm rectangle. Trim off any of the thick edges.
7 Stir three-quarters of the cherries into the ricotta mixture. Brush pastry with almost all of the melted butter, then sprinkle with three-quarters of breadcrumb mixture. Spoon ricotta mixture 6cm up from the short edge and 6cm in at each side into a 12cm wide rectangle; scatter over remaining breadcrumb mixture. Fold in the sides of the pastry. Gather the cloth in your hands and carefully roll up the strudel, pulling the cloth toward you as you roll. Place strudel on a greased oven tray. Brush with remaining melted butter.
8 Bake for 40 minutes or until golden. Cool. Serve dusted with icing sugar, remaining cherries and syrup.