Apple Cranberry Raisin Strudel

I had no idea if these would even work as I prepared them without a recipe using only what I had on hand. They worked all right-boy are these good.

I has clarified butter leftover from last night's curry, and half a box of dried cranberries I bought on sale for a buck at Walgreens. They weren't the nicest cranberries for eating out of hand, but plumped and baked they improved in texture and provided a nice tartness against the sweetness of the apples and raisins.

I had my doubts about the breadcrumbs, but I was determined to use the last bit of my sweet potato bread. That actually worked perfectly-better than any white bread crumbs I've used before.

Makes 2 strudels

You Will Need:

10 sheets Phyllo dough, thawed (1/2 package)
4-5 large golden delicious apples, peeled cored and sliced
water treated with lemon juice in a large bowl to keep apples white
1/4 cup raisins, soaked and drained
1/4 cup dried cranberries, soaked and drained
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup clarified butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.

Prepare the apples and let stand in water until ready to bake. Then drain and mix with sugar, cinnamon and drained fruits.

On a towel or flexible cutting board, lay out Phyllo dough one at a time keeping remaining sheets covered. Brush lightly with butter-repeat until you have layered five sheets. Spread with half the breadcrumbs. In the bottom 1/4 of the square, spread the filling in a line leaving a bit of space at the edges. Lifting the edge of the towel or board, flip over, butter again and repeat until you have rolled it up. Make four slashes and place on baking sheet. Repeat with second strudel.

You will need to baste with the remaining butter at least twice in the process of baking. The strudels take about 40 minutes, so keep an eye on them. Remove to a rack to cool and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.