Thanksgiving Dish #5 - Strudel with Phyllo dough

Finally. Last, but not least. No meal would be complete without dessert. As much as I wanted to make pie, I wasn't going to make pie this year. I already had a full menu and I wanted to try and spend a little time in the kitchen and still enjoy the cooking. I had seen something similar to this on one of those Food Network Challenge show. It was the Thanksgiving episode. One of the contestants made a strudel using phyllo dough that she had made herself. It was a cool process to see homemade phyllo dough. Though I wouldn't really attempt to make my own. I wasn't quite clearly paying attention to what ingredients she made the filling with , but I remember vaguely bits and pieces of it.

For mine, I used a combination of chopped walnut, crushed pistachios and cranberry sauce. With a nice little mix of cinnamon-sugar. Tangy and sweet would be the two words that come to mind with this dessert. THe nice crisp crunch of the phyllo dough when you bite into it. Be sure to let it off off a bit before taking a bite or you'll burn your tongue like I did. I was hungry and eager by that point. It's a nice way to end a meal, too. Kind of gets rid of that meaty herby taste of the chicken. Deliciousness.

Strudel with Phyllo dough

4 12-inch sheets of phyllo dough

2 Tbsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 c chopped pistachios

1 c chopped walnuts

1 c cranberry jam or sauce

egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water)

Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Combine the cinnamon, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix well and set aside.

Lay out two phyllo dough on a flat surface. Cover the rest with a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out. Layout two sheets of the phyllo dough, one on top of the other. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon mixture over and spread it evenly all over. Sprinkle half the walnuts and half the pistachios. evenly distribute the cranberry sauce over various areas.

Then, carefully roll the phyllo dough from one end to the other. Gently lifting one end as to not tear the sheets. Try to roll them as tight as possible to prevent from spilling the filling.  Cut into even smaller pieces and place onto a baking sheet. Baste with the egg wash and place on a baking sheet.

Repeat the process with the other two sheets of phyllo dough. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the phyllo dough has lightly browned. Serve warm.