My Grandma's Apple Strudel

I wanted to share my Grandma's Apple Strudel recipe from the Czech Republic! There used to be a time when my grandma would make the pastry dough from scratch but she has discovered the beauty/convenience of store bought phyllo pastry dough. This is probably the only short-cut I have ever seen her make during baking but really, who can blame her? The dough bakes just as flaky and delicate as homemade and it saves a whole mornings' worth of hard work! Apple Strudel is simple, relatively light, and can be paired with a number of delicious sides. My personal favorite is a warm apple strudel slice over a vanilla cream or pudding sauce. Vanilla ice cream and berries accompany it perfectly as well!

Grandma's Apple Strudel (makes one log)
*1 package of store-bought phyllo pastry dough (6 layers)
*1/2 stick of melted butter
*1/2 cup of dark rum
*1 pound of tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
*1/4 cup of brown sugar
*1/2 cup breadcrumbs
*1 teaspoon of cinnamon
*1/2 cup raisins
*1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine melted butter with 1/4 cup of rum. Stack layers of dough on a cookie sheet, lightly brushing each layer with the butter/rum mixture before topping with the next layer. Brush top layer with the butter/rum mixture. In a bowl combine sliced apples, breadcrumbs, brown sugar, 1/4 cup of rum, raisins, cinnamon, and walnuts. Spoon filling down the left long-side of the phyllo pastry rectangle. Fold the top edge down and the bottom edge up, enough to cover the filling (about 2 inches). Roll dough up along long-side to enclose filling. Make small fork incisions atop the log in order for the apples to bake evenly. Brush the strudel log with remaining butter/rum mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and puffed.

Icy Czech Republic, January 2006

Since Ry is deployed, I needed as many distractions so I decided to fly to Czech for a week to be with my precious family. Boy did I need some time with them and I didn't even think twice about how freezing cold it would be over there! My aunt, uncle and cousin picked me up at Vienna airport and drove me 3 hours to Valasske Kolbouky, our home town.

Words cannot express how much I love my Czech family and it was so exciting to see everyone, including my cousin Zuzanka who is growing up so quickly.

We had several little parties in our apartment... we drank wine and ate lots of Czech specialties... how cute are my Grandma and Grandpa?! I just adore them.

My cousin Domi from Germany was so kind to come out from Prague, where he is studying, to stay with me in the apartment so I wouldn't get lonely. We had the BEST time being together and hanging out, he is the brother I never had.. in fact all my cousins are the siblings I never had!

My cousins took me to Luhcovice, a famous spa town and we walked around and had hot coffees and spa wafers... this is my first time being in Czech in the snow... it's quite an adventure!

This is how icy things looked while driving to and from towns!

My Uncle and Aunt took us all to this adorable little wine restaurant down in a cave... we had a delicious meal and cozied up by the fire!

I visited my family in a neighboring town called Brumov, in Czech the tradition is to get your Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and then keep it up through January... so I got to see their tree for the first time!

I spent my days with my favorite person in the entire world (my grandma) and I insisted that she teach me how to make her Apple Strudel... boy is this difficult.. I wrote down the recipe but I can't promise it will turn out like hers.. that's years of experience right there.

I also made visits to my Grandpa's home, where my mom grew up. It's tough coming back here since my Grandma passed, I miss her more than words can express but am happy to at least feel closer to her through my Grandpa.

So fun being together, wish Ry could be here with me too.

My week in Czech went by way too quickly, as always. I was so sad to go back to reality, especially since Ry is gone :( My family took me back to Vienna the day before my flight because we decided to spend the night in Vienna and make a little trip out of it!

So we stayed at our favorite hotel in Vienna, the Kaiserhoff and had wine in our room before dinner.

Then we walked to a highly recommended restaurant down the street and had a fabulous meal together. Afterwards, we bundled up and strolled along the Haupstrasse in Vienna and admired all the shops and beautiful cathedral... I just love this city!

The morning of my departure, we had an amazing European breakfast in our Hotel... boy do the Europeans know how to make a breakfast.. it was perfection!

I was so sad to say good-bye to my Aunt and Uncle, they are like my second parents and I just love being with them. I had the most amazing week with my family and I have lots of good energy to hold me over until February, when I get to meet my love in Tokyo!