exPress-o Originals: Quince & Apple Strudel

Have you ever tasted quince? It’s one of those bizarre fruits that are hard to describe as they are a combination of an apple and a pear, and utterly amazing. They have an oddly bitter taste if eaten raw, yet they smell heavenly when ripe. But the best thing about them is that they are perfect for strudels or jams because of their jelly-like consistence and incredibly delicious taste after cooking.

 

To be honest I totally forgot about them till last week when my sweet neighbour knocked on our door with a basket full of quinces ready to be cooked. I got so excited that the same night I made five of those strudels to share with everyone in the building.

 

Crikey, it simply doesn’t get better than locally/organically gown quinces or apples and my grandma’s recipe. Yup, when it comes to strudels, you can always trust an old recipe to take you back to those cheerful childhood moments in your life. Le sigh!

 

Anyway, here is the full how to if you fancy trying it yourself:

 

Quince & Apple Strudel

(makes 1)

 

Quince mix ingredients:

2 quinces (washed, peeled and chopped)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 lemon (juiced)

1 cup water

 

Strudel ingredients:

1 puff pastry sheet (store bought or you can make it yourself ).

2 smaller apples, chopped

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoon  cinnamon

First make your quince mix. Put together all the ingredients in a cooking pan and cook on medium heat while stirring for about 8-10 minutes or until the quince flash falls apart and most of the liquid is absorbed. When ready, take it off the heat and let it cool off for a bit.

 

Next start on your strudel. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a big bowl mix apples, honey, cinnamon and the quince mix. Next, unroll the puff pastry on a baking sheet and start putting the apple mixture on it. The important part is to leave the edges free for folding the dough. Next, fold the puff pasty with the apple mix inside like you would a burrito. Make sure that the edges are folded in well. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on top. I usually flip it around 20 minutes into baking. After about 40 minutes, let your strudel cool down a bit before eating. Ta dah!

 

Extra: you can use dusting sugar on top or even add some nuts to the mix, if you fancy.

 

Lovelies, do you like strudels? Would you try this recipe? xo

 

P.S: And a few other apple recipes you might like.

P.P.S: Plus, a few other of my favourites!

 

(Photos by exPress-o. Layout by Ana Degenaar - Blog Milk for exPress-o. Thank you Ana for your help with this series).