I haven’t put a dessert recipe out since I put out my sugar free raw chocolate recipe, so it’s about time. And if you’re in Cape Town, you’ll know it’s freezing cold so here is one to suit the weather but doesn’t compromise your health. This really has to be the one of the easiest, truly delicious and healthy dessert recipes around. Prep time is about 5 minutes except for he phyllo pastry which needs about an hour to defrost. Plus, it is sugar free. Many people use sugar in their recipe, but I find that completely unnecessary. I don’t want my dessert to be too sweet, I just want a hint of sweetness from the icing sugar on the top. It is quick to bake too. I’ve had a few apple strudels in my life and most of them are delicious but this one has something special because of the strawberries and the orange. The strawberries lend their juicy pink hue too. I think you’ll love this one.
Strawberry and Apple Strudel Recipe
Ingredients
4 - 5 apples
1 cup of chopped strawberries (can be frozen)
Handful of pecan nuts
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 oranges
2 x sheets of phyllo pastry
100g butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 tsp icing sugar for dusting
Yoghurt or fresh cream to serve (can use vegan options)
Method
Before you begin, you must remember to take your phyllo pastry out of the freezer to defrost about an hour before you are ready to use it.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
Roughly slice your apples fairly thinly into apple chips. In a pan, melt a little butter and fry the apples, strawberries and nuts. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and allow to cook for about 10- 15 minutes until the apples start to soften stirring regularly. I used the juice and pulp of whole oranges but you can use ready made orange juice to save time. Pour the orange juice and pulp into the apple mixture and allow to simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes stirring regularly. When the juice is soaked into the apples, your filling is ready.
Take out two sheets of phyllo pastry, and brush melted butter or coconut oil between them and on top of the second sheet. Return the rest of the phyllo to the freezer. Add the filling into the middle of the phyllo and fold the sides over. Then roll and place on a baking tray with baking paper. Use a pastry brush and brush on some melted butter or coconut oil for a vegan option. Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until the phyllo is crispy. Dust with your icing sugar through a tea strainer or a sieve and serve. This goes well with fresh cream or a little yoghurt.
