By March. The statistics class is due a midterm in two weeks and I have been studying in the evenings with a method I have developed over the semesters: I read first, then I do the practice problems, then I look at the parts I got wrong and work backward to understand where my reasoning went off. It is the same method I use with recipes. You make it, you taste it, you figure out what the problem was and you do not make the same error again.
The spring is beginning. The azaleas around the daycare are about to bloom for the third time I have watched them, which means I have been at this daycare for three springs now. I know the yard in all its seasons. I know which corner gets muddy when it rains and which spot has the best shade by noon. I know the kids who are afraid of bees and the kids who are fascinated by them.
Made strawberry jam this week for the first time, which is different from preserves: jam is smoother, the fruit more broken down. I used the water bath canning method, which I read about in the library book on preserving. You sterilize the jars, make the jam with fruit and pectin and sugar, ladle it in, seal the jars, and process them in boiling water for ten minutes. The whole thing took two hours. I got eight half-pint jars of bright red jam, labeled with the date, lined up on my windowsill. Biscuit sniffed each one. She approved of none of them. She has very specific opinions.
Getting eight jars of jam sealed and labeled felt like finishing a proof correctly — every step followed, every seal confirmed, the result sitting right there on the windowsill as evidence. That same impulse to work carefully through a process and end up with something beautiful and edible is exactly what drew me to these easy cherry strudels. Fruit, pastry, a straightforward method: the same logic as canning, just a shorter timeline and a warmer oven. Biscuit still won’t touch the jam, but I have a feeling she’d feel differently about strudel.
Easy Cherry Strudels
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 package (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (for glaze)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the filling. In a medium bowl, stir together the cherry pie filling, almond extract, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Prepare pastry. Unfold each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet into four rectangles, giving you eight pieces total.
- Fill and seal. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of cherry filling onto one half of each rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold the pastry over the filling to form a smaller rectangle. Press edges firmly with a fork to seal.
- Egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the tops of the strudels with the egg wash. Cut two small slits in the top of each strudel to allow steam to escape.
- Bake. Place strudels on prepared baking sheets and bake for 18–20 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth, adding milk a little at a time until the glaze is pourable but not thin.
- Glaze and serve. Drizzle glaze over warm strudels and serve. Store any leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 200mg