Strudels and Danish - History, Pictures and Recipes

Strudel History

apple-strudel recipe

Strudel

The Strudel is a pastry with a sweet or savory filling rolled up in a very thinly stretched dough. The name "Strudel" means Whirlpool since the dough is rolled and the center of the pastry resembles a whirlpool. 

Traditionally, Strudel dough is made from scratch out of high-gluten flour, water, and oil. Preparing the dough is manually intensive. It requires an intense kneading period to develop the gluten strands, followed by a resting period for the dough (and the baker!). This gives the dough the elasticity it needs to be stretched into a very thin sheet - so thin that it is almost transparent. Easier recipes replace this process by substituting the traditional dough with a ready-made phylo-dough or puff-pastry dough. 

 

Strudel Variations

The most well known Strudel is the Apple Strudel. However, both sweet and savory Strudels exist in German cooking. Some of the most popular Strudels are described below, but the number of variations are endless ... limited only by the creativity of chefs both in Germany and around the world.

Sweet Strudel

Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel) Apple Strudel is a specialty of Austria and Bavaria (Bayern) and it is known worldwide. Its filling is made from chopped apples, cinnamon, raisins, and roasted bread crumbs. Other ingredients could include nuts (such as almonds or walnuts) and rum, depending on the recipe. The filling is spread out over the Strudel dough, which is then rolled up into a log. It is baked in an oven until golden brown and the ends become crispy. The Apple Strudel is best served warm, fresh from the oven. It is usually eaten with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a vanilla sauce. Mohnstrudel (Poppy Seed Strudel) This Strudel is filled with poppy seeds, apples, raisins, powdered sugar, and milk. Quarkstrudel This Strudel is filled with Quark, butter, powdered sugar, raisins, semolina, eggs, and sour cream. Walnuss-Strudel (Walnut Strudel) The filling for this Strudel is made from ground walnuts, sugar, and whipped cream. Kürbis-Apfel-Strudel (Pumpkin Apple Strudel) Apples, pumpkin, powdered sugar, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon make up the filling for this Strudel.

Savory Strudel

Blutwurststrudel (Blood Sausage Strudel) This Strudel is a specialty of the Palatinate (Pfalz) region. It is made from a Potato-Strudel dough and filled with bacon,Sauerkraut, and Blutwurst (Blood Sausage). Krautstrudel (Cabbage Strudel) This Strudel is filled with white cabbage, salt, pepper, and sugar. Quark-Dill-Strudel Quark, butter, semolina, eggs, chopped dill, and sour cream make up the filling for this savory Strudel. Gemüsestrudel (Vegetable Strudel) The filling for this Strudel is made of carrots, celery, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, grated cheese, butter, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and parsley.

Recipe for "Autumn Fruit Strudel" here!

Recipe for "Summer Fruit Strudel" here!

Recipe for "Sour Cherry Strudels" from Gourmet.com here!

Recipe for "Plum Strudel" here from Saveur!

danish.

Cheese Danish

Danish Pastries is a speciality that comes from Denmark that everyone has enjoyed at one time or another. Vikings invented the Danish Pastry in a flower shape to worship a tribe leader’s daughter and who ever made the best tasting pastry was the one who got to marry the daughter. Danish Pastries are made all over the world these days, but most of its origin does trace back to Denmark. The Danish Pastries that are consumed in Denmark can be topped with a number of different things. Some of those things can be chocolate, sugar and icing, and stuffed with jam or custard. Each country though as there own way to prepare Danish Pastries and they all taste a little different depending which country they are from.

Most Danish Pastries have the following ingredients in them flour, yeast, milk, eggs, and generous amounts of butter. You will need to chill the dough to make it much easier to roll out though. Danish Pastries over the years as seen many different changes from the original format that was made so many years ago. Today's Danish Pastries come in all shapes and sizes from flower shapes to crosses to circles these days. You can almost make any shape out of Danish Pastries dough anymore if you have enough talent and are very creative. Many people do not know that Danish Pastries are actually a lot like the croissant that originate in Vienna and is called the wiener bread in Denmark.

Over the years many different things have changed about the Danish Pastries besides the shape of it. many different countries serve it in a multitude of different ways. People in the United States will put almost anything on top of it and eat it at anytime of the day. While in other countries it has to be made a certain way. Danish Pastries has grown a following over time and certain types are more popular than others. Taste is a very big factor when we talk about Danish Pastries and people will tell you everyone has a little different taste depending on the cooking process that the implement. No matter what one thing is for sure Danish Pastries has grown a loyal following over the years and I do not see that ending anytime soon.

Where Danish Pastries were mostly a breakfast treat around the world many people in the United States use Danish Pastries as snacks all day long or a special treat for the young child that does well. No matter how you use Danish Pastries there is no doubting how good they do taste. Danish Pastries can be found in the finest hotels and the smallest restaurants. Can you imagine that such a small treat that was originally design to win the love of a women could end up everywhere in the world, but that is the story of the Danish Pastry. If you have never tried any Danish Pastries you sure are missing out on a lot.

Raspberry Danish here!

These varieties here!

Cream Cheese and Apricot Danish here!

I am a fan of the closet cooking guy...

BOTH the above HERE

WELL! I have never made either, but adore pastries! WHO DOESN'T???!!! 

With autumn coming, I have my mind on pies, pastries and warm spice cakes. 

And always on chocolate :)

Must Try Burger! The Ham and Cheese BBQ Burger

Thats the general Idea, not my image though. I'll try to get a pic later. 

(Mine looks a bit different, ham no onion and all)

Burger lovers = must try this burger "BBQ ham hamburger". I saw a pic once that inspired my creation (can not find it now). I mix BBQ, Worcestershire, Dales, etc. in the burger, Use spicy cheese of choice (or creamy), mayo (on butter toasted buns), and grilled ham (I use turkey ham) topped with BBQ sauce (we like    Weber's) and optional caramelized onions or mushrooms, even bacon. Jacob loved it and so do I (onion free of coarse for me!). I use either charcoal grill or smoke flavoring, it goes well with the BBQ and ham. 

SO good! 

Would be great with side of sweet potato fries. Tonight I did it Fresco melt style, yum.

Again, mine looks a tad different than the pic, but I don't have one.

Another bbq burger pic...

more burger recipes

German Pancakes!

RECIPE - CLICK HERE

Quicky post, German pancakes... very good! easy peezy lemon squeezy! give a try!

Random Cooking Tips 2

There is a "part one" to this from the long long ago. 

So after thinking, reading, and trying new things, figuring out short cuts, tricks or switches, I decided to "part two" the tips post. In no particular order...

Gluten Free and Healthified Tricks

Ideal (xylitol) can be substituted for sugar in almost any recipe with good results. See the website for more info.  It helps control my candida actually. Plus its good for your teeth and (for those with constipation) it helps you "go". 

Honey can successfully be used to make whipped cream. I just did it. As can agave nectar. Don't buy the crap that has corn syrup if you do not have to. 

Oat flour (certified gluten free) hides well in most recipes. I have not gotten to where I prefer it. Also, it helps you "go", and lowers cholesterol. They say people who eat it regularly have a leaner body than those who do not.

Try Micro-plane grating certain veggies (carrots, zucchini, etc), or liquefying spinach, or adding avocado to certain recipes. Examples? I do this in my fish cakes (healthified off take of my mothers salmon patties) and in my chocolate muffins. Chocolate hides a lot of them very well. If your like me, and not fond of certain vegetables, you should try it!

Try cottage cheese or ricotta as an ice cream or cheesecake!

Fat content is not as bad as sugar or simple carb content. Simply to to limit over processed fats. Watch out for trans and saturated fats.

Baking Tips

Adding HOT water to recipes containing alkalized cocoa helps to activate the powdered chocolates flavors.

Room temperature ingredients make great cheesecakes! Also, try using you chopper/food processor instead of your mixer, as mixers are created to add air in. Refrigerate well, but after it cools down for a while in the oven. Never refrigerate a hot cheesecake. Never cook it until it "looks" done.

Try using higher grade flours, and "proper" flours when baking. Cake flours, pastry flours, etc. They are not all the same. They very in protein levels, which effects gluten production.

Grow your own yeast! Well, yeast stater for baking. Try.

To keep chocolate or other chips from falling in batter, coat them in flour before adding.

Did you know that roses, tulips, gardinas and daylilies are edible? You should look at all the edible flower options you have! and try out "sugared flowers" for decoration on cakes and baked goods!

Other Tips

Make sure your cooking (stove top) with the right temperatures, oils and pans. Know your oils "smoke point" and try to stay in that area! Also, I hear that the "hot pan, cold oil" chef mantra is actually NOT a myth. So try that out.

Store tomato sauce in glass containers if you can, the acidic nature of the tomato eats away at most plastic containers. Or try oiling it first, but not guaranteed to stop the staining.

Fresh herbs are fantastic. Fresh spices too. Try cooking with fresh when you can!

Melt Chocolate slowly, with liquids in at first melting. Adding water based or cold ingredients after can cause seizing.

Adding a bit of heavy whipping cream to hot chocolate makes it richer. Also try melting marshmallows in while its on the stove top also.

You can make butter with ultra pasteurized heavy cream. I've done it.

From my friend Luisa, use orange juice with jalapenos in your salsa for wonderful flavors!

Try adding lemoned butter to your steak after for "restaurant" like results.

I have quite a few more tips, but alas, I do not wish to make this longer than what people are willing to read. I'll do another later on.