Cheese And Cherry Strudel Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix egg and water together in a bowl.
• Beat cream cheese, white sugar, and lemon juice together in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
• Roll each puff pastry into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture down the center of a long side of each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Top each of the cream cheese layers with 1/2 of the cherries and 1/2 of the walnuts.
• Fold opposite end of each puff pastry over the filling, brushing the edges with egg mixture to seal. Tuck the ends underneath the roll and place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of each strudel with egg mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool strudels on baking sheet set on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until desired consistency for glaze is reached; drizzle over strudels.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Unfold puff pastry onto a flour-dusted, parchment-lined baking sheet. (If necessary, roll out slightly to form a rectangle that is approximately 15 1/2-by-10 1/2-inches.)
• Cut out a 15-by-10-inch oval in dough. Fold oval in half crosswise from short ends, like a book; turn so folded side is facing you and dough resembles an arch. Working from folded side, and starting 1 inch in from either edge, cut along curve, leaving a 3/4 inch space of dough uncut at top of arch.
• Unfold, then cross outer border sections over each other, lining up edges as best as possible, to create a pastry shell with a 1-inch border and twists at top and bottom. Dock center with a fork. Trace a scored line just inside border, into but not all the way through dough. (This will allow the sides to rise up straight.) Freeze 15 minutes. If desired, score border with a knife in a decorative pattern.
• Brush crust with some of the beaten egg (reserving rest for filling); sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until puffed, about 20 minutes. Carefully pierce center with knife tip to release steam. Continue baking until golden brown, about 10 minutes more.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F; bake until crust is fully cooked in center (if top is browning too quickly, tent with foil), about 5 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes. Carefully (it will still be hot) press center in with a metal spatula to make a well.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine frozen cherries with 1/4 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons flour, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then cook until juices have thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. In a food processor, pulse cream cheese and ricotta with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour, and orange zest, until smooth. Add reserved egg and pulse to combine.
• Spread cream cheese mixture into well in crust. Top with cherry mixture, swirling juices in with a toothpick to create marbling. Bake until filling is set in center and puffed slightly around edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.
• Using parchment, slide pie off sheet onto rack; let cool completely, about 1 hour. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Brush a large rimmed baking sheet with melted butter; set aside. Combine the cherries and their juice, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon sticks in a medium high-sided skillet. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook until juice is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons of juice to a small bowl; add the cornstarch, and whisk until combined. Return mixture to skillet and cook, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on medium-high speed until very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk, and beat to combine.
• Lay a large, clean cloth or sheet (at least 3 feet long and wide) on a work surface, and sprinkle well with flour. Place dough in center of cloth, and roll out to a 12-inch square. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out dough again to about a 20-inch square, and lightly brush entire surface with oil. Slide both hands, with slightly curved palms facing down, under dough toward the center. Holding this position, lift the dough off the cloth with your knuckles, and begin stretching from the center out to the edges until it is too large to stretch easily with your hands. Carefully set dough back on cloth, spreading it to smooth out any wrinkles or folds. Starting in the center again, continue to stretch out the dough in all directions, maintaining a rectangular shape, until the dough is almost translucent everywhere except the edges,which should be thicker. Don't worry if the dough tears while stretching: Once you're done, you will be able to patch any holes with some of the excess stretched dough.
• Using a pizza wheel or kitchen scissors, trim all the thick edges until the dough is about 30 by 28 inches. Drizzle 4 tablespoons melted butter evenly over the dough. With a short side facing you, and starting about 6 inches from the top edge, spread the cream cheese mixture in a 6-inch-wide layer, horizontally, leaving a 3-inch border on each end. Arrange the cherry mixture evenly on top of the cream cheese. Using the cloth, lift up and flip the 6-inch top edge of the dough over the filling. Repeat lifting and folding once, leaving sides open. Then fold in sides of dough to enclose the filling. Continue lifting and folding until the dough is completely rolled into a flat log. If the ends are very thick, trim them as you work.
• Place the prepared baking sheet lengthwise next to the log. To transfer, gently flip one end of the log onto the baking sheet, seam side down, then flip the other end, curving to form a crescent shape. Brush the surface evenly with the remaining tablespoon butter, and generously sprinkle with sanding sugar. Using a wooden skewer, prick the surface of the dough to allow steam to escape.
• Bake until strudel is deep golden, about 1 hour. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool, 10 minutes. Using two large offset spatulas, release strudel from the sheet and slide it onto the rack. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, as desired.
• Strudel Dough
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add oil and warm water; mix on medium-low speed until dough just comes together, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook; mix until dough is smooth and shiny and doesn't stick to your fingers, about 5 minutes.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough, dusting with flour as you go and periodically slamming it against the work surface, until it is soft, smooth, and elastic. Leave dough on work surface; cover with an overturned bowl. Let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
• Strudel how-to
• A square of strudel dough is placed on a well-floured sheet on top of a large work surface.
• The dough is rolled and brushed with oil, then stretched into a very large, nearly translucent rectangle.
• If the dough tears, it can be easily patched with extra dough.
• Sweetened cream cheese is spread in a layer across the top of the dough, then covered with sour cherry filling.
• The cloth helps support the dough as it is folded around the filling.
• The flat log is transferred to a rimmed baking sheet, the ends curved to form a crescent. A skewer is used to prick holes in the surface.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), blend the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the farmer's cheese and continue to blend. Add the egg and mix. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (or just set aside in a bowl).
• Transfer 1 sheet of phyllo to the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 of the ground walnuts. Repeat with the 2 remaining sheets of phyllo--reserving the some melted butter and nuts for the top, once rolled.
• Turn the sheet pan so that the phyllo is horizontal to your body. Two inches in from the left-hand edge of the phyllo, working from top to bottom and leaving 2 inches bare at the top and bottom, pipe or spoon a 3/4 inch thick line of cream cheese mixture.
• Alongside the cream cheese, pour the cherry pie filling. Turn the sheet pan a quarter turn and, starting at the edge the fillings are near, roll up the pastry to encase the filling. Keep rolling to form a log. Move the log to the center of the sheet pan and tuck the ends under to keep the filling from oozing out. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar and nuts.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes on the pan. Using a serrated knife, cut carefully into sections and serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Beat first 4 ingredients until smooth.
• Coat jelly roll pan with spray.
• Cover phyllo with wax paper and damp paper towels to keep moist.
• Place 1 sheet phyllo on pan. Coat with cooking spray.
• Sprinkle 1 1/2 t graham crumbs on top.
• Repeat layering with remaining phyllo spray and crumbs ending with phyllo.
• Spoon cheese mixture in a 3 inch wide strip along 1 long side of dough leaving a 2 inch border on long and short ends.
• Top with pie filling.
• Fold ends and long side over filling.
• Starting with filled long side, roll.
• Place seam side down and coat with spray.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden on top. Cool.
• If desired, sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 1/3 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, cranberries and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts. , Unfold one pastry sheet and cut in half. Mound half of the cherry mixture on one pastry half to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining pastry half; pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. , Place on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into tops of strudels; brush with egg. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.