Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

BUMBLEBERRY STRUDEL

Just outside the city of Victoria on Vancouver
Island in British Columbia, Canada, you’ll fi nd
the village of Oak Harbor and an expanded (to
cover all meals) English-style tea shop called
the Blethering (which means “endless talking”)
Place. It is there that I found this admirable
dessert.
SERVES 6

For the Sauce

1 tablespoon honey (fireweed is preferable)

1 cup yogurt cheese (see page 290)

For the Strudel

Olive oil cooking spray

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored,
and chopped into ¼-inch dice
2 cups finely sliced rhubarb
1 cup blackberries
1 cup raspberries
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon ground cloves
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed (see note on
page 148)
½ cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons honey
6 mint sprigs

For the sauce, mix the honey and the yogurt
cheese until smooth, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 360ºF. Spray a cookie
sheet lightly with olive oil.

For the strudel, combine the apple, rhubarb,

blackberries, raspberries, brown sugar, lemon

zest, and cloves in a large mixing bowl.

On a flat surface, stretch out a slightly damp

dishtowel. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on top

of the towel running lengthwise. Spray lightly

with olive oil and repeat with 3 more sheets of

pastry. (Keep remaining pastry covered to pre­

vent drying out.)

Sprinkle ¼ cup of the bread crumbs in a

strip 3 inches wide down the length of the pas­

try, leaving 2 inches at either end. Spoon half of

the fruit mixture carefully on top off the bread

crumb strip.

With the long side of the pastry and fruit

filling in front of you, lift the nearest edge of

the damp towel and roll the pastry slowly away

from you, as you would a jelly roll. Repeat for

the remaining pastry and fruit mixture to make

a second one.

Place the strudel seam-side down in the pre­

pared pan. With a brush, lightly apply the honey

to each roll. Bake for 30 minutes. Lift gently

with a spatula to check that the underside is no

longer doughy.

When done, place the cookie sheet on a

wire rack and let the strudel cool for 15 min­

utes before slicing. Slice each roll into thirds

and serve with a dollop of the yogurt sauce.

Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Per serving : 257 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 55 g

carbohydrate, 6 g protein, 4 g dietary fi ber, 459  mg

sodium. Exchanges: ½ Fruit, ½ Starch

226 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE