MACEDONIAN PEAR AND FIG STRUDEL
Dining.
This is the second recipe on Macedonia Daily, as we promised last week.
We present you "Macedonian pear and fig strudel" ! A honey-thickened dessert that rivals the world-famous baklava. Made with thin, light sheets of filo, this delicate strudel provides an elegant ending to a meal.
Ok, let's get started, you'll need about 4 cups stemmed dried figs, 2/3 cup unsweetened pear juice, 10 ripe pears, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 lb filo dough, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 cup toasted whole wheat bread crumbs and 1/2 cup honey.
Then cover the figs with pear juice and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes, until the figs are tender. In a blender or food processor, puree the figs and their cooling juice to make about 3 1/2 cups of smooth fig paste.
Meanwhile, peel and core the pears and chop them into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl combine the fig paste, pears, cinnamon, and allspice.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. or about 200 degrees C. To assemble the strudel, butter a 9- X 14-inch baking pan and layer ten sheets of filo, two at a time, brushing butter on every second sheet and sprinkling it with bread crumbs. Spread the pear filling evenly on the top sheet of filo. Cover it with ten more sheets of filo, layered as before with butter and bread crumbs.
Score the top sheets of filo into pieces approximately 3 inches square, this will make it easier to cut the strudel later and will prevent the top layer from crumbling as you cut it. Be careful not to score the top layers all the way through to the filling, however, or the filling juices will bubble up as the strudel bakes.
Bake the strudel for about 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
Then allow it to cool for 15 minutes. Then heat the honey gently, stirring constantly, until warm and more fluid. Drizzle it evenly over the strudel and top with the nuts. Use a sharp knife to cut the strudel and Voila!
MD: Prijatno! Buon apetito! Velbekomme! Smaklig måltid! Don't mind the pic though if it looks different, you haven't made a mistake! It's our fault we couldnt find a proper one:) More recipes will follow on Macedonia Daily...
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