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Cream Cheese And Onion Strudel

Source of Recipe

Mimis: Posted by Marleah


Recipe Introduction

Courtesy Elinor Klivans, 125 Cookies to Bake, Nibble and Savor

List of Ingredients

-4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter (but have more on hand just in case)
-4 C (3 medium) onions, thinly sliced (use Vidalia if you can)
-6 oz cream cheese, softened
-1 3/4C (@ 8 oz) grated Swiss cheese*
-1 tsp caraway seed*
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-12 sheets phyllo pastry (18 x 14 inches), defrosted if frozen




Recipe

Prepare the cream cheese filling:
-Melt 1 T of butter in a medium frying pan over low-medium heat.
-Add the onions and cook for about 15 minutes until the onions soften, stirring often.
-Put the onions in a medium bowl and set aside to cool thoroughly.
-Use a large spoon to mix the cream cheese, Swiss cheese, and caraway seed into the onions.
-Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the strudel:
-Melt the remaining 7 T of butter.
-Stack the phyllo sheets on a work surface and cover them with plastic wrap and a damp towel.
-Place one phyllo sheet on a work surface with the short side of the pastry facing you.
-Brush lightly with butter.
-Repeat the layering with 2 more phyllo sheets.
-Top with a fourth phyllo sheet.
-Leaving a 1” plain edge along the bottom and sides of the pastry, spoon 1/3 of the cheese filling (@ ¾ cup) in a 1 1/2 “ wide strip along the bottom edge of the top sheet of pastry.
-Fold the sides of the pastry in to enclose the edges of the filling and roll up tightly.
-Brush the top lightly with melted butter.
-Place the strudel seam side down and use a sharp knife to mark 1” pieces on the top sheet of the pastry. (Use a ruler and cut lightly through the top few layers.)
-Repeat to form 2 more strips of strudel.

To freeze:
-Roll each strudel strip tightly in heavy aluminum foil. Label with date and contents.
-Freeze up to 3 months.
-Freezes and reheats beautifully!

To bake and serve:
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375.
-Unwrap as many strudel strips as you want to bake.
-Line a baking sheet with foil.
-Place the strudel, seam side down, on the baking sheet.
-If baking more than 1 strip, place the strips 2 inches apart.
-Bake until the top is golden, about 25 minutes for fresh and 30 minutes if frozen, reversing the baking sheet from front to back midway to ensure even browning.
-Cool the strudel 10 minutes on the baking sheet.
-VERY HOT!
-This needs to rest so the cheese doesn’t just ooze completely out of the pastry.
-Use a sharp knife to cut each marked piece into individual pieces.
-Serve warm.
-Makes @ 36 pieces of strudel



* Last time I substituted Herbed Danish Havarti – fantastic! Different cheeses similar to Swiss will be fine. I wouldn’t use Cheddar, Colby, etc.