Happy Apple Strudel Day! No, it’s not National Apple Strudel Day, that was June 17th (yes, there really is a National Apple Strudel Day.)  I’m not sure why it is in June when apples don’t ripen until September or October, but it is the government that decides these things, after all. At any rate, since we went up to Apple Hill last week, I wanted to make something with some of the apples that we got.  I found a very easy recipe based on two things that I had on hand…apples and frozen puff pastry.  Lo and behold, I found a recipe and I adapted it a little to suit my needs.  Voila!  Apple Strudel Day at the Schmautz Haus.

This Apple Strudel Recipe is Super Easy!

It is so easy that I think Yes!Chef! would probably not be interested in making it.  There wasn’t enough technique and finesse for him.  I will divulge that he did enjoy eating it.

But first, I will mention that my daughter invited me to go along with her to hunt for her wedding dress.  We met at a local wedding dress shop with three of her bride’s maids and enjoyed watching her try on one dress after another.  Honestly, I thought she looked beautiful in every single dress she tried on.  We went to another little shop in Folsom and found the perfect dress.  One day. Two shops.  One beautiful dress that will make her groom fall to his knees when he sees her.

Okay, on to the Strudel.

If you don’t have one of these handy-dandy apple peelers, you should really invest in one.  I get it out every fall to peel my apples (and because it is so much dang fun to do), and once apple season is over, I put it away and then I don’t see it again until the next year.

This one has a little suction foot on the bottom so that it will stick to the counter as you are peeling away.  Otherwise, it would probably tip over or something worse.  So when you look for one of these, make sure it has a suction foot.

As usual, it took me a few minutes to try and remember how to use it.  But, once I got it right, it took me very little time to peel, core and slice 4 apples.  You could probably make enough for a pie in less than 10 minutes.  Amazing.

While I was doing this, I had set out one piece of frozen puff pastry to thaw.  Because it was a warm day today, it didn’t take very long.  The recipe calls for you to cut into two long pieces for lots of puff or 3 narrower pieces for less puff.  I opted for the three narrow ones.  (And I don’t want to hear anyone saying, “Sure!  You cut it into three pieces because all you had to do was follow the fold lines.”  That may be true, but I don’t want to hear about it.)

Easy, so far, right?

After that, I cut the apple slices in half and tossed them around with 1 cup of brown sugar and a pinch of Kosher Salt.  (Always use Kosher Salt in your recipes.  Save the nasty old table salt for salting pasta and vegetable water.  Do not put table salt on your table for your guests.  Ptooey on table salt.  It does not add flavor…it adds saltiness.)  (Gets off soap box.)

I got a little carried away with the apple tossing and I did break some of my slices.  No matter.  It may not look as pretty, but it tastes just as good.

I dotted the pastry with a little butter (which the recipe I found did not call for, but I felt it needed some butter.  Trust me on this.) Then I laid out the apple slices.

I also put parchment paper on the cooking sheet because when apples and sugar bake, they get all sticky and hard to remove from the pan.

I baked it up in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the pastry was golden.

I love it when a recipe comes together. And, so simple.

You can dust it with powdered sugar, pour caramel over it, add a dollop of whipped cream or, my favorite, add some vanilla ice cream.

Notice the wonderful layers of pastry and the caramelization on the pastry.

Are you drooling yet?

Maybe I should change the name to Drooldle Strudel.

Here’s the recipe from one of my favorites, Pioneer Woman (Please check out the rest of her recipes here:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/)

Ingredients

• 1 whole Sheet Puffed Pastry, Cut Into Half Or Thirds
• 4 whole Apples, Cored, Halved, And Sliced, But Not Peeled
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 415 degrees.

Place puffed pastry rectangles onto a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

I used my little pocket point and shoot to take these two photo just to show you that it can be done.  When you use natural light (this is coming from an open door), make sure that you stabilize your camera by putting it on a stack of books or a tripod or something else. Note that natural light brings out the texture and the color.  Try it, but make sure you are close to a window or door with diffused light (not direct sunlight.)