During the summer, my incessant snacking habits migrate from potato chips and other crunchy things to fresh fruit, especially lychees and cherries. While lychees can be rather sticky and messy to eat (which is bad for my computer keyboard), cherries are relatively tidy. I also love them in these simple desserts.
The quantities for this recipe are enough for three strudels. If you don’t want three all at once, you can refrigerate the almond and cherry fillings, then make and bake as needed. Don’t fill the filo too far in advance before baking it or the pastry will be soggy.
Using a cherry pitter for both these recipes makes life much easier.
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175 grams unsalted butter, divided
900 grams firm, ripe, sweet black cherries, stems and pits removed 50 grams granulated sugar, or to taste
About 30ml fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest of one lemon
½ tsp almond extract
9 sheets filo pastry (I use the Pampas brand)
40 grams almond flakes, divided
15 grams dry breadcrumbs
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For the almond cream:
110 grams sliced almonds
110 grams granulated sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt
60 grams unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 large egg, at room temperature,
1 tsp dark rum
¼ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of ½ a lemon
Icing sugar, for sprinkling
