Christmas is a perfect time to have fun, make merry, and enjoy with loved ones. This day commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ on earth and hence, has a special significance in the Christian calendar. On this day, people organize grand family get-togethers and participate in the traditional Christmas feast. Any party or meal is incomplete without desserts. As such, we have brought an easy recipe for a traditional Christmas dessert named apple, mincemeat and nut strudel. This traditional strudel mainly consists of an oblong strudel pastry jacket with an apple filling inside which is made up of grated apples, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and bread crumbs. This juicy and mouthwatering strudel gives you the real taste and true flavors of festivity. So, check out its easy recipe in the lines below and spice up your and your guests' mood on this Christmas!
Ingredients
Here are some tips on how to make simple desserts at home for this festival.
Apple, Mincemeat & Nut Strudel
- 4 (weighing about 560 g) Bramley or Granny Smith Apples
- 225 g Mincemeat
- 50 g Almonds/Pecans (chopped and lightly toasted under the grill), or 50 g Walnuts (but do not toast them)
- 1 heaped tbsp soft Brown Sugar
- Grated zest of 1 Orange
- Grated zest of 1 Lemon
- ½ leveled tsp ground Mixed Spice
- ½ leveled tsp ground Cinnamon
- 25 g White Breadcrumbs
- 50 g unsalted Butter
- 4 sheets Strudel Pastry (from a defrosted 1 pack of 450 g)
- Powdered Confectioner’s Sugar or Icing Sugar (for garnishing)
Method
- Preheat oven to 190° C and grease a large baking sheet measuring 15x11 inches.
- Peel the apples and slice them into very thin pieces in a bowl and sprinkle sugar as you like.
- Add mincemeat, orange zest, lemon zest, mixed spice, cinnamon, and half quantity of nuts. Toss the mixture thoroughly so that the spices get accumulated in the fruit mix.
- Take a separate small bowl and mix the remaining nuts and breadcrumbs together.
- Melt the unsalted butter in a separate pan.
- Remove the first sheet of the pastry from the pack and arrange it over a greased sheet. This may overlap the sheet but don’t worry as that does not matter.
- Brush the entire sheet with melted butter and sprinkle one third of the nuts and breadcrumbs mixture all over it.
- Place the second sheet over the first and repeat the above process.
- Place the third sheet, followed by butter and almonds and breadcrumbs mixture.
- Place the last sheet of pastry on the top and brush it with butter.
- Spread the apple and mincemeat mixture along the pastry lengthways in a band of about 3½ inches from the edge of the baking sheet.
- Begin by bringing one edge of the pastry leaves lengthways over the filling rolling up to form a giant log.
- Turn the whole thing over so that the pastry joint is underneath and place the strudel centered on the baking sheet.
- Pinch the ends together and tuck them under, forming a sausage of about 14 inches long.
- Brush the surface of the giant sausage with the remaining butter and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until it turns golden brown in color.
- Let the strudel cool for about 15 minutes and dust it with a thick layer of icing sugar.
- Just before serving, cut it into wide slices and garnish with ice cream or chilled whipped cream.