Good morning, how are you? Today is my grandmothers Birthday. I know if Dorie was here we would be in the kitchen cooking Chicken and Dumplings for her dinner.
Then we would make a dessert and I bet Dorie would like to have either a Apple Strudel or Cherry Tart to help celebrate the Holiday. As for me I wouldn’t care for either even though I like Apple Pies but I don’t like Cherries. Do you?
Apple Strudel is a tasty, fruity treat providing a base of yummy dough surrounding naturally sweet Apples. Apple Strudel a delightful dish that is often eaten as a dessert but some people certainly cheat and also enjoy it as a breakfast pastry. Would you?
According to some people, every day should be ‘Apfelstrudel’ day–to give it its proper Austrian name. No matter what it is called, it’s time to celebrate Apple Strudel Day!
History of Apple Strudel Day
Apple Strudel is a dish that probably dates back to Medieval times, Apple Strudel consists of a center of Apple slices, Cinnamon, Sugar and (sometimes, but not always) Raisins.
These ingredients are wrapped in crispy layers of pastry that puff up when baked in the oven. Often served with a dusting of powdered Sugar and a dollop of thick cream. Apple Strudel is a delicious display of comfort food at its finest.
Many people think this sweet dish comes from German origins, Apple Strudel is actually an Austrian food, hailing from Vienna. In fact, the original recipe for Apple Strudel, dated 1697, was handwritten in a Viennese cookbook and still survives today, in the Vienna Town Hall Library.
After its first recording, the dessert gained popularity throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 18th century, making it an icon of the culture.
However, due to the paper-thin layers of dough, Apple Strudel is actually possible that the recipe may have some influences from places further east, such as Turkey or possibly Greece (think Baklava).
The German language meaning of Strudel is “whirlpool”, “vortex” or “eddy”, which aptly describes the way the pastry layers tend to circle the filling.
Many varieties of Apple Strudel have come into play over the years. In fact, nearly every family in Austria has its own particular recipe for Apple Strudel!
Today, different types of Strudel are eaten, including Cheese Strudel, Apricot Strudel, Poppy Seed Strudel or even a savory Strudel made with Spinach.
All of these varieties are likely a fun and delicious adventure, but they always point back to the iconic classic that is celebrated on this day: Apple Strudel Day.
How to Celebrate Apple Strudel Day
Get excited about Apple Strudel Day by celebrating with some of these activities or coming up with other creative ideas:
Make a Apple Strudel at Home
When creating Apple Strudel, the layers need to be worked until they are thin enough to read through. Now that’s thin! This dessert can be easy to create at home, using layers of buttered Filo Pastry, wrapped around layers of Stewed Apples.
The easiest Apple Strudel recipe will likely use a premade, refrigerated Puff Pastry Dough, instead of having to make up and roll out the yeast dough at home. Once the premade Puff Pastry is secured, getting a few Apples peeled, sliced, and prepared is actually pretty easy!
Facts of Apple Strudel:
- A Strudel is a type of layered pastry with a — most often sweet — filling inside, often served with Cream. Strudel became well known and gained popularity in the 18th century through the Habsburg Empire.
- Strudel is most often associated with Austrian cuisine but is also a traditional pastry in the whole area formerly belonging to the Austro-Hungarian empire.
- The oldest Strudel recipe (a Millirahmstrudel) is from 1696, a handwritten recipe at the Viennese City Library, Wiener Stadtbibliothek. The pastry has its origins in the similar Byzantine Empire or Middle Eastern pastries.
- Strudel is a loanword in English from German. The word itself derives from the German word Strudel, which in Middle High German literally means “whirlpool” or “eddy”.
- In Hungary it is known as rétes, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia as štrudla or savijača, in Slovenia as štrudelj or zavitek, in the Czech Republic as závin or štrúdl, in Romania as ștrudel, and in Slovakia as štrúdľa or závin.
Enjoy an Apple Strudel in Vienna, Austria
There can probably be no better place to truly enjoy an Apple Strudel than in a bakery right in the center of Vienna, Austria. In these Viennese bakeries, it’s not just a pastry, it is culinary art:
- Cafe Landtmann. Located in an exquisite hotel in Vienna, this Patisserie has grown up since the 1970s and is dedicated to handcrafting all of their pastries, including, of course, the classic apple strudel.
- Schönbrunn Palace’s Café Residenz. The ultimate visit to Vienna would include this show that takes place in the imperial bakery where, every hour, a professional pastry chef offers a demonstration of making apple strudel, along with tasting (including coffee, of course).
- Kaffee Alt Wein (Cafe Old Vienna). Enjoy authentic Viennese decor and ambiance in this cozy cafe. Located in the Old University Quarter, this cafe was founded in 1922 and has been a family business almost the entire time, since 1939. Don’t forget to pair a slice of apple strudel with their classic Viennese coffee blend that was developed almost 100 years ago.
Channel those Inner Austrian Roots
Just because a person can’t exactly travel to Vienna to pop into a little bakery doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the day!
In an effort to celebrate the Austrian culture that brought Apple Strudel into the world, why not celebrate Apple Strudel Day by donning Lederhosen, practicing some yodeling, and settling down to a warming plateful with a mug of hot Chocolate on the side?
Along those lines, go ahead and enjoy a meal of WienerSchnitzel and end it with Apple Strudel and, of course, a cup of Viennese coffee (espresso).
Watch A Strudel Inspired Film
Take a peek at these movies and make a game of enjoying the scenes that encompass Apple Strudel:
- Inglourious Basterds. This Quinten Tarantino film has viewers on the edge of their seats as the protagonist sits down for an apple strudel with her enemy and he insists that they must wait for the cream.
- Winter in Vail. This Hallmark Channel film features Lacey Chabert as an event planner who quits her job and moves to a chalet in Vail where she meets an attractive man who teaches her how to make apple strudel for a local event called the Strudel Fest. The storyline might be improbable but the strudel is still delicious.
- The Illusionist. Set in Vienna, a scene in this film depicts Edward Norton as a magician who is trying to win the heart of Jessica Biel, who plays a duchess. The two don’t technically share an apple strudel together–but is it wrong to wish they would? They are in Vienna, after all.
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This conversation says it all: Queenie asks Newt if he prefers pie or strudel. Newt replies that he has no preference, so Queenie corrects him and says, “You prefer strudel, huh, honey? Strudel it is.” Queenie must have known that it was Apple Strudel Day, even in their fictitious world!
It is thought that the origins of Cherry Tart Day date back to the annual National Cherry Festival held in Michigan, USA. Cherries were plentiful in supply but their uses were limited. Although Cherries are grown on several continents, they have a relatively short growing season.
In a Cherry Tart, the fruit is presented in an appealing open-faced crusty pastry shell with superior ingredients. Enjoy a scrumptious slice with Custard or Ice Cream, as the pastry crumbles with the tangy cherry taste – rich in antioxidants and even thought to help inflammation.
Bake your Cherry Tart at home or enjoy choosing one at your local Bakery or Grocery Store.
To celebrate Cherry Tart Day, invite friends round for Tea or Coffee and offer them a slice. Give this delicious dessert a pride of place after your main course.
Here are today’s five things to know about cherries:
Cherries were brought to America by ship with early settlers in the 1600s.
Cherry Pie filling is the number one pie filling sold in the US. That is surprising because I thought it would be Apple Pie Filling. What did you think if would be and why?
Darker cherries have a higher antioxidant and vitamin levels than lighter ones, but sour Cherries have far higher levels than sweet.
The main kinds of Cherries can be found growing on tall trees that range between fifteen and thirty meters tall.
Asian varieties, such as the Japanese Sakura, (known colloquially as the Cherry blossom) are well-regarded for their long, weeping branches filled with small pink flowers.
Apple Strudel
6 Original recipe yields 6 servings Ingredient Checklist
- 1 Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored and coarsely shredded
- 3 Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2 Place apples in a large bowl. Stir in brown sugar and golden raisins; set aside. Place puff pastry on baking sheet. Roll lightly with a rolling pin. Arrange apple filling down the middle of the pastry lengthwise. Fold the pastry lengthwise around the mixture. Seal edges of pastry by using a bit of water on your fingers, and rubbing the pastry edges together. Whisk egg and milk together, and brush onto top of pastry.
- Step 3 Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cherry Tarts
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) pitted tart cherries
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 to 5 drops red food coloring, optional
- In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add enough water until dough forms a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut out eight 5-in. circles. Place each over an inverted custard cup on an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; flute edges.
- Bake 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before removing tart shells from custard cups; cool completely on wire racks.
- For filling, in a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup juice. Set cherries aside. Stir reserved juice into sugar mixture until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cherries, butter, almond extract and food coloring if desired. Cool to room temperature. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling into each tart shell.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
