Servings: six to eight.
The combination of pears and nuts in this crackly-crisp strudel make it the perfect finish to any menu.
This dessert was wonderful! The flavors of the macerated pears and cognac soaked raisins coupled with the crispness of the phyllo made this the piece-de-resitance of the entire Mediterranean menu (thank you, Arlene Jacobs!)I used more of the phyllo sheets because I wanted to use all the pear slices. I have also found that using more of the sheets does not detract from the delicacy of the dish but does provide some much needed stability. Truly a winner!
I did not use the raisins but subbed some briefly soaked dried cherries for them. Also, I didn't poach the pears but simply cooked them with a little sugar and lemon juice to release the extra juices, then drained them and proceeded. Instead of using amaretti crumbs, I subbed crushed plain cheerios -- a super cheap and easy sub that I've used in many other strudels. I love the ground nuts between the pastry layers -- it adds a wonderful textural and taste element. It was a good jumping off point for me, and the technique and temperature/time instructions were just right.
Excellent. People were raving about this when they tasted it and wanted seconds. This is a very expensive dessert to make if the ingredients are not in your pantry. I purchased amaretti cookies from a liquor store but I could have used a grocery store substitute. Used regular vanilla instead of vanilla bean.
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