Pie Crust Apple Strudel and Other Stuff

This simple apple strudel is made with prepared pie crust, fat apple wedges and loaded with raisins, walnuts and cinnamon. Topped with whipped cream, this strudel is a keeper!

(This is an updated post from 2017)

Apple strudel is a dessert that holds memories. Apples seem to be in my DNA, given that my mother made apple pies to be frozen each year and apple sauce.

When the Jewish holidays hit she ventured to Stop and Shop in the Loop in Chicago, where she bought apple strudel. And what glorious strudel it was.

Mom’s apple strudel arrived home home from its 50 mile journey, in big, glossy white pastry boxes that we carefully opened. This old fashioned pastry perfumed the air with cinnamon and of course, apples. 

My vision remembers long, golden, flaky strudels dusted with powdered sugar.

I love my apple cake and apple pie and apple sauce and just apples, but it is strudel that holds memories for me.

No, I didn’t have a grandmother that made strudel dough, but thank goodness I did have a mother who knew where to buy apple strudel.

On the lower level she made sure no one cut in line, and there were always lines at Stop and Shop; once she even had an altercation with someone cutting in line ahead of her.

My mom is quite vocal and suffice to say she exited with strudels, but I can’t say what the other woman exited with. Somehow I don’t think it was strudels.

I like baking apple strudel and though I don’t do it often, in the past I’ve always used filo dough. Yes, filo dough gives a flaky crust and though it really isn’t hard to work with, it does take a bit of time to butter all the layers.

The other problem I have, at least when making strudel, is that unless the pastry is served right away, the bottom crust gets soggy.

I’ve tried to remedy this by using breadcrumbs and lots of buttered layers, but I don’t find the strudel keeps very well, unless one want to reheat every slice.

When I discovered this recipe for pie crust apple strudel I knew I had to give it a try.

Pie crust is probably the reason I love pie. Well, that might be exaggerating, but I do love flaky, crispy pie crust so this apple strudel recipe certainly appealed to me.

Is it easier than filo dough? I think so. Especially because it uses premade pie crust! I’m sure you can use your favorite crust recipe, but trust me…this filling kind of outshines the crust!

I love this version and was able to keep the strudel for over 4 days without it getting soggy.

I didn’t cover it, and left it on the counter. The crust retained its crispness and didn’t get soggy. Now keep in mind I do live in Colorado where the humidity is low, but this did work for me.

Next time you are thinking pie, think strudel. With pie crust.

The recipe calls for frozen apples. To tell the truth I’ve never looked for frozen apple slices in the grocery, so I froze my own, which was a good thing since I didn’t find any at the grocery.

Just a few hours in the freezer and my apple slices were perfect. I cut them thick, so when eating the strudel I tasted apples, which is a good thing if you are making an apple strudel!

Why frozen apples? Well, frozen apples retain their starch which means they hold up well when baked.

What kind of apples to use? Granny Smiths are perfect, but my new favorite apple is the Kiku. These crisp and very sweet apples are what I want in my fridge. They aren’t easy to find so when I do find them, I buy them! Plus they retain their shape when baked.

My two favorite cinnamons are Saigon cinnamon and Korintje cinnamon. Just smell and you’ll know why I love them!

It seems that September has passed me by and if I can offer up just one recipe it better be something with apples. Apples to fall is kind of like asparagus to spring-don’t you think?

I know many might argue that fall means pumpkin, but being Jewish, apples and honey are in my DNA.

Our new year, with this year being 5778, is celebrated in September and traditionally apples and honey are eaten together to remind us to have a sweet year.

So this year, strudel, it is! Everyone will be impressed!

Below is the strudel recipe and if you want to read about the flood and the rest of my September, keep reading! It was a crazy month.

A Few More Fall Foods:

Cranberry and Apple Salad

Apple Sharlotka

        Maple Pudding Chomeur 

Not My Mama’s Waldorf Salad

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Pie Crust Apple Strudel and Other Stuff

• Author: Abbe Odenwalder
• Prep Time: 45 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 2 Strudels 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This simple apple strudel is made with prepared pie crust, fat apple wedges and loaded with raisins, walnuts and cinnamon. Topped with whipped cream, this strudel is a keeper!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 pie crusts, thawed (I like Trader Joe’s, but the Pillsbury crust works great also!)
• 5–6 c frozen apples, peeled and cored) sliced thick and uniform (Freezing produces a starchy apple that holds up great when baked.)
• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 c golden raisins
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 large egg
• Sugar for dusting
• Powdered Sugar for dusting
• Whipped Cream for serving

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Instructions

1. Begin by freezing your apples, if you didn’t find any in your frozen foods section. I froze my own in a single layer on a sheet pan for about 2 hours in the freezer. They should be thick. I got about 6-7 apple slices from each half.
2. After apples are frozen, toss them with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, raisins and walnuts. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400. Take each pie crust and roll into a rectangle about 12 x 14. Place half of apple filling on the long side closest to you, leaving a two inch border. Roll up gently from the long side. (I only was able to roll this 2-3x. If you make a hole, just pinch it back together.) Do the same with the second pie crust. Place on an insulated baking sheet topped with parchment paper. If you do not have an insulated sheet, you can stack two pans together. I was able to bake both on the same sheet.
4. Press roll together gently, flattening ever so slightly. Tuck ends in and brush well with a beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon if desired. Make slashes on the top of the strudel where you want your slices to be.
5. Bake until golden brown for 20 minutes THEN turn oven temperature down to 375 and bake another 15-30 minutes or until filling is bubbling out of slits.Remove from oven. If there is juice on the baking sheet, pour it into the sink.Let cool to room temperature before serving. Serve with whipped cream.
6. I stored this at room temperature for 4 days uncovered and it stayed crisp!

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Notes

Thanks Marcy Goldman.

Keywords: apple strudel, apple strudel recipe,

Now to the rest of September. I left on short notice to go help out my in laws in Texas. Dickinson, Texas is the community that was just featured in the Wall Street Journal. Manservant’s home town.

Sad to say but his childhood home is probably nonexistent. The home where his parents have lived for 18 years, which my father in law built is OK, if you consider a lacking first floor OK.

As we drove in towards the bayou upon which they live, it almost didn’t look like a flood had taken place. Well, until you noticed the garbage. Heaps of garbage, which became mountains of garbage, the closer you got to their home. And these heaps of garbage contained toys and clothes and photos, along with drywall, carpet, insulation and mud. To be honest it felt sacrilegious  to be photographing these things; because these things were people’s memories.

I didn’t get an opportunity to venture into Dickinson proper, but everyone I met at the grocery and the donut shop had a story. And each story included a flood.

A flood that left a few broken trees but mainly white caked dirt that was everywhere. White caked dirt that will turn into mud with the next big thunderstorm.

It was hard. It was hard because in the event of saving one’s home, one had to throw things away fast, to be able to rip into the drywall to prevent black mold from starting to grow.

Luckily my sister in law who lives in Dallas was able to bring fans with her, which helped save my in law’s place. Those fans and about 10 people working three full days to empty it of life’s clutter.

Things were tossed so fast that it was just this week that my father in law, looking through the mountain of refuse, realized his briefcase was in the pile. He found his briefcase filled with several hundred dollars of American Express checks.

I think he hadn’t looked in that briefcase in years, but it was sentimental. Imagine looking out at your belongings for days because Dickinson has no idea when this stuff will be picked up. I don’t even want to tell you the kinds of things that live in those mountains of trash.

We cleaned nonstop for 5 1/2 days and there is  mucho more work ahead. This is doubly tough because my MIL suffers from dementia. My FIL has an awesome caretaker for her, but he still has her needs to attend to also. Not sure where this is going but some big decisions need to be made.

My brother in law’s house will probably be totaled by the insurance company. It takes patience waiting for the verdict-so to speak. In the meantime he is living with his wife and a dog they had just adopted a few weeks before the flood, in a small camper at the end of their street.

They go to work each day and it will probably be at least a year for them to rebuild. My guess is they will do a lot of the work themselves, because everyone in the building trade is swamped-no pun intended. And that folks is the flood update.  TBC…

September did have some good things. We came home and managed to snag an invite to the premiere of the new Broadway musical, Frozen. It started here in Denver and now heads to Broadway. It’s not Lion King, but it was a lot of fun.

Then it was time to celebrate the new year and right after we were invited up to Aspen. That’s a hard invite to turn down-so we didn’t!

During college, many moons ago, we were privileged to have friends who allowed us to use their gorgeous home while we were on break. We fell in love with Aspen and continued to take our kids up there for many years. Then life caught up with us and it has been at least 16 years since we’ve been there. The good news is that it hasn’t changed. It still retains the charm and beauty that it did way back when. I am so happy!

Fall was splendid and glorious and in full swing at the Maroon Bells. The air had a crisp, clean chill, as did the wine. What a crazy September filled with ups and downs.

Then it was back for Yom Kippur and Manservant’s birthday. We didn’t do anything special, but it was special enough to have him home.

Can’t remember the last time he was standing in front of me on his birthday! I made him a steak and a small chocolate cake and then he was 61! How does this happen?

And now it’s October. Zoe comes home for a week as we are having a sip and see for her best friend and my best friend, to welcome their new baby and grand baby.

And it just doesn’t stop. But that’s life, is it not? Beats the alternative! (As my father in law always says!)