Delia’s classic xmas
Delicious recipe pullout inside CENTRE PAGES
CONTINUING our fabulous Christmas series, we’re bringing you a selection of Delia’s most mouthwatering festive desserts. From an indulgent chocolate souffle to scrumptious steamed panettone puddings, we can guarantee you and your guests will find them impossible to resist!
CARIBBEAN BANANA AND RAISIN STRUDEL
WHILE sometimes feuilles de brick (brick pastry) has the edge on filo, for strudel nothing can compare with its lovely buttery, crunchy layers. This one, made with bananas and rum, has a very Christmassy feel. Serve it with large dollops of creme fraiche.
Serves 6
4 medium bananas
50g (1¾oz) raisins The grated zest of 1 large navel orange
2 tbsp rum
100g (3½oz) pecan nuts
75g (2¾oz) butter
4 sheets filo pastry, about
24 x 50cm (9.5 x 20in), defrosted
2 heaped tbsp creme fraiche
1 tbsp icing sugar, for sprinkling
Ideally a couple of hours before you start, soak the raisins and orange zest in the rum. after that, drain the raisins and zest in a sieve over a bowl to catch the juices, pressing to extract as much juice as possible.
When you’re ready to start, preheat the oven to 180c/gas 4 and pop the nuts on the baking sheet to toast for five to six minutes and, at the same time, melt the butter in a saucepan. Then remove the nuts and pulse them in a processor to chop them small.
Now spread out a sheet of baking parchment on the baking sheet.
Follow this with one sheet of filo pastry (cover the others with a clean tea towel). Brush the filo pastry all over with melted butter and sprinkle on a quarter of the nuts.
do this another three times with the rest of the filo pastry (saving some butter for the top). Now peel the bananas and lay two, end to end, about 5cm (2in) from one edge of the pastry.
Place the other two bananas directly next to them towards the middle. Next scatter the raisins and zest over the bananas. The strained rum juice now needs to be whisked into the creme fraiche, then spoon this over the bananas.
Use the baking parchment to help you roll the filo pastry over the bananas and then over again. Trim 2.5cm (1in) off each end of the filo parcel, then tuck the ends under — so you are left with the seam and the ends underneath — and discard the parchment. Brush the rest of the but- ter all over and bake on the centre shelf for 40 minutes.
If you like, you can make the strudel a few hours in advance and bake it when you want to serve it. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.