Apfel Studel and Apple Picking

Here in the south, it is already apple picking time.  This doesn't usually get started well until September, but it is a bit earlier this year because of the extreme heat we had this summer.  The quintessential baking apple, the Granny Smith, won't be ready for a few weeks yet, but we have a busy late September and early October, so we went ahead to Mercier Orchards last Saturday to pick apples, including the Jonagold, which can be used in baking and is in this recipe.  We also picked Red Delicious, McIntosh, and Crimson Crisp.  If you are in north Georgia, you really should stop at Mercier Orchards.  They have apples (u-pick as well as picked for you), a small restaurant, bakery (yummy fried apple pies), and a gift shop that contains many gourmet foods.  At the end of this post, are pictures of the orchard, so be sure to scroll down and see them.

Now, about the apfel strudel or apple strudel, as I said before, we went to pick apples, and after you pick apples, you have to decide what to do with them.  One of the things my husband has been planning to do is to cook something from the out of print cookbook, Luchow's, that my parents gave him for Christmas last year.  His mom was German and this cookbook was from a famous German restaurant in New York, so we put these two plans together and made apfel strudel from the cookbook (adapted just a little bit) using the freshly picked apples.  I have to say the filling in this is out of this world!  If you like apple desserts, you have to try it!


Apfel Strudel
yield:  4 servings

2 eggs
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 salt
2 large tart apples, chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsps. candied citron, chopped
1/4 dried currants (I used raisins because I couldn't find currants.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon
optional:  whipped cream for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking pan with parchment.  Grease lightly.  Beat together eggs with three tablespoons softened butter.  Stir in flour and salt.  Knead dough for twenty minutes.  Stretch dough out until very thin.  Top 1/2 of dough with apples.  Sprinkle with almonds, citron, and currants or raisins.  Dot with one tablespoon butter.  Fold pastry over filling and shape into a long log.  Spread with remaining butter.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden and reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until well browned.  Serve warm with whipped cream.

Source:  Adapted from Luchow's German Cookbook.

This recipe was shared on Foodie Friends Friday.

I will leave you with pictures from the orchard.