makes
2
prep
30 minutes
cook
1 hour
difficulty
Mid
makes
2
serves
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
1
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 800 g farm fresh baker's cheese (see Note)
- 250–300 ml lite sour cream
- 2 tsp salt
- 80 g coarse semolina
- 350–400 g sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 lemon, rind grated
- vegetable oil (see Note)
- 21 sheets filo pastry (approx. 410 x 280 mm) (see Note)
- milk, for egg wash
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Using a potato masher, crush together the cheese, sour cream and salt till evenly mixed. Add 3 eggs and 1 eggwhite (the remaining yolk will be used for glazing), lemon rind, vanilla and add the sugar last. Mix well.
Grease 2 baking sheets with sides of about 2 cm in height with a little oil.
On a clean bench lay down 3 sheets of filo next to one another with the sides overlapping by approx. 1 cm. Sprinkle with some oil and smooth out across the sheets. Repeat another 5 times (giving you six layers).
Spoon most of the filling down along the left and right edges in a row. Spread the rest of the mixture across the rest of the sheet. Spread one more layer of filo sheets and oil again gently.
Roll up from the sides where the row of filling is towards the middle, not too tight (so air can expand and the strudel won't crack). When the two rolls meet in the middle, cut down the middle with a sharp knife, this should give you two even sized strudels. Tuck in the ends and brush with the remaining egg yolk mixed with a little milk and oil.
Bake for 1 hour until golden and crisp.
Note
• Substitute ricotta, cream or farm cheese, quark.
• Do not use olive oil, as it leaves a savoury taste when used with sweet foods.
• Boriska uses a special sheets in a large size which she gets specially from the manufacturer.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
