Equipment
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 680 g jarred sour cherries, pitted
- 10 g cornstarch
Breadcrumb Mixture
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 60 g fine breadcrumbs
- 50 g ground almonds
- 30 g granulated sugar
- 2 g ground cinnamon
Cheese Filling
- 500 g quark, 20% fat or higher
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 50 g sour cream
- 1 lemon zest
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 20 g semolina
Phyllo Assembly
- 10 phyllo dough, thawed sheets
- 100 g unsalted butter, melted
- 10 g powdered sugar, for dusting
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the sour cherries in a sieve over a bowl and let them drain thoroughly for at least 30 minutes. Gently toss the drained cherries with cornstarch just before assembly.
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Melt the 30g of butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and toast, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in ground almonds, 30g sugar, and cinnamon. Let cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine the quark (or drained ricotta), 70g sugar, egg yolks, sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla, and semolina. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on the paper and brush liberally with melted butter. Repeat this process, stacking 8-10 sheets of phyllo on top of each other, brushing every layer with butter. Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel while working to prevent drying.
Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumb mixture over the top sheet of buttered phyllo, leaving a 5cm (2-inch) border around the edges.
Spread the cheese mixture carefully over the breadcrumbs (the crumbs help anchor the cheese). Scatter the drained cherries evenly over the cheese.
Fold the short sides of the phyllo in over the filling. Using the parchment paper to help lift, roll the strudel up from the long side, fairly tightly but without squeezing out the filling. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet.
Brush the top and sides of the strudel with the remaining melted butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown and crisp.
Let the strudel cool on the baking sheet for at least 20 minutes to allow the cheese filling to set. Dust generously with powdered sugar before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- If using ricotta instead of quark, you must strain it in cheesecloth for at least 2 hours, or the filling will be too watery.
- The breadcrumb/almond layer is not just for flavor; it is a structural engineering requirement to prevent the wet cheese and fruit from dissolving the thin pastry.
- Serve slightly warm with vanilla sauce (Kanarimilch) or whipped cream for the traditional Austrian experience.
- Sour cherries (Weichsel) are essential for the flavor balance; sweet cherries will make the dessert cloying.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Pastry will lose crispness. Reheat in oven to restore texture.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze unbaked for best results. If baked, freeze slices and reheat from frozen.
Reheating: Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes to re-crisp.
