1 ¼ Cups Native Strawberries-cut into quarters
1 ¼ Cups Rhubarb-cut into ½” dice
¾ Cups Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
8 Each Phyllo Dough Sheets
½ Cup Melted Butter (1 stick)
2 Tbsp. Sugar in the Raw
Combine the strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl and stir in the sugar and lemon juice, coating evenly. Let mixture sit for 1-2 hours until softened. You can speed this up by gently heating in a pan or microwave, but do not cook fruit.
Drain the juices from the fruit and place in a small saucepan and boil down until about ½ of the original amount remains as a simple sauce to serve with the dessert. Reserve at room temperature.
Pat the fruit dry with paper towels and sift over the cornstarch. Gently mix, but do not crush fruit. Reserve for filling strudels.
Lay one sheet of thawed phyllo dough onto work surface with the 16” side closest to you and the 12” away from you. Keep the other sheets of dough covered with a double thick sheet of plastic wrap to prevent from drying out. Brush a this coating of melted butter over the entire sheet of dough and top with another sheet of dough. Brush a thin coating of melted butter over the left half of the dough. Fold the unbuttered half over onto the buttered half to make an 8”wide x12” deep strip. Turn this rectangle 90° to have a 12” wide by 8” deep piece. Butter the left half of the surface again, and fold the unbuttered half over onto the buttered half to make a 6” wide x 8” deep piece of dough. Lightly brush melted butter onto this sheet.
Spoon one quarter of the filling onto the first quarter of the dough, shaping into a cylinder onto the dough. Leave a 1” border on each end with no filling to roll the sides in. Gently roll up dough around filling tucking sides in, and roll into a moderately tight cylinder. Place seam side down onto cookie sheet, brush top lightly with more melted butter, gently score the strudel through the first layer or two of dough with a serrated knife to make slicing at presentation easier. Sprinkle the top of each strudel with a ½ tbsp. of the sugar in the raw. Repeat with three other sheets of dough. Place on a baking sheet with a rack Bake in a preheated 400°f oven for about 15 minutes or until strudel is evenly golden brown and crisp. Serve with the reserved sauce made from the juices, ice cream, or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Lincoln Culinary Institute’s Website: www.lincolnculinary.com
