The quantities given will serve four with large appetites or otherwise six as a hot main, or would make eight to twelve nice slices served cold - it's easier to slice more thinly then. The whole process from start to serving takes me about 70mins, including 35m cooking time. The ingredients can be prepared in advance, making the method itself very quick. The oven needs to be at 190C fan oven (200C otherwise) before the dish goes in.
A large baking sheet is needed, lined with baking parchment, and a medium bowl.
Walnut, Three-Cheese and Apricot Strudel
Ingredients
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed in the fridge for a few hours
90g walnut pieces (or halves), chopped fairly small
70g soft goats' cheese
50g blue cheese, crumbled
40g cheddar, coarsely grated
70g dried apricots (about 10), soaked for an hour, then drained well & coarsely chopped
3 tbsp snipped fresh herbs (basil, thyme leaves, sage, coriander all OK)
2 tbsp milk
Method
1 Unroll the pastry on its covering paper, then roll out a little to thin it slightly. It will be
the right shape (rectangular).
2 Put all the other ingredients except milk into a bowl and mix them very well.
3 Spread the mixture evenly over the pastry, leaving a 2cm space at each short end
and the farther long side. Dampen all these edge spaces with water.
4 Starting with a short end, roll the pastry up quite firmly, pressing down at the end, then
place the strudel on the lined baking tray and brush with milk. Use a sharp knife to
make slashes straight across the top: for 4 people, slash the middle, then three
evenly-spaced slashes each side of the middle (for 8 slices) or for 6 people, up to
5 slashes each side of the middle (for 12 slices). Brush lightly with the milk.
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| Half-size version, oven-ready, with Sunday cocktail |
very sharp knife to slice the strudel.
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| And ... carve! |
As usual, substitutions are fine. A different nut, or selection of them, will work just as well; pecans or brazils especially, and could include a few pine nuts. Instead of apricots, dried cranberries would work, no chopping required, and a festive feel. I've not tried this with capers, but that might be nice. As long as there's a mix of nuts, cheese and a little fruit, it would be hard to go wrong.
Serving
For info, I like to serve with buttered baby potatoes and a vegetable such as broccoli, cauli or tenderstem in a parsley sauce (lazily made from granules in a drum, just add boiling water or, better still, the boiling water from the veg when they're done). Red or dry white wine both go well; as it's nuts and cheese, quite strong flavours, I'd choose red. A dry cider would match, too, or apple juice.
