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Austrian Apple Strudel

The Flüssiger Strudel cocktail is a specialty at Grünauer in Kansas City. The drink was inspired by the restaurant’s traditional Austrian apple strudel (and made with “strudel juice” leftover from making the pastry). Here, Grünauer chef Matthias Seyfrid shares a simple home-kitchen version of his strudel.

1 sheet puff pastry dough
6 apples (Granny Smith or Cox’s Orange Pippin are recommended)
1 cup granulated sugar plus a small amount for dusting
½ Tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup raisins (soaked overnight in aged rum)
½ cup clarified butter for brushing the strudel

Thaw puff pastry, if frozen.

Peel, core and slice the apples (not too thin—about 1/4-inch)

Combine sugar and cinnamon for an even distribution of the spice. Combine apples, cinnamon-sugar and the drained raisins. Let the apple mixture macerate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. This will help to extract the excess juice required for the cocktail.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roll out the puff pastry on an old tablecloth or large sheet of parchment paper, dusted with flour, into a rectangle about 16″ x 20″. With the shorter side of the rectangle pointing away from you, brush the dough with some of the clarified butter.

Drain the apples (reserving the juice for the Flüssiger Strudel cocktail) and mount them along the short side of the rectangle (the side that’s closest to you). Grabbing the nearest edge of the tablecloth and using it to lift and roll the strudel dough, begin to roll the strudel away from you, covering the apples and continuing to roll the strudel all the way up. Grab all four corners of the cloth and lift the strudel above a buttered or lined sheet pan. Let go of one side of the cloth, allowing the strudel to roll down onto the pan. Make sure the seam of the dough is under the strudel.

Brush the strudel with the rest of the clarified butter and immediately sprinkle granulated sugar on it.

Bake the strudel for 45 minutes in an convection oven or 1 hour in a conventional oven, until the dough is golden brown.

Remove the strudel from the oven and let it cool for at least an hour (this allows the apple’s natural pectin do its job to hold the whole thing together).

Before you are ready to serve, put the strudel back in the oven to warm the puff pastry. Enjoy with schlagobers (whipped cream with a sprinkle of sugar) and a glass of Flüssiger Strudel.

Tip: For the more advanced home cook, Seyfrid recommends using filo dough instead of puff pastry. For that, simply layer as many filo sheets as you like (each must be brushed with butter) and proceed with the steps above.

Matthias Seyfrid, Grünauer, Kansas City

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