Strudel with Custard and Strawberries

I will guide you in preparing the Strudel with Custard and Strawberries, a tantalizing dessert that combines the sweetness of the custard with the freshness of strawberries, all wrapped in a crunchy puff pastry. Here’s how to proceed.

Ingredients

• 1 roll of rectangular puff pastry
• 250 ml of milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 80 g of granulated sugar
• 30 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 vanilla pod or vanilla extract
• 200 g of fresh strawberries
• Powdered sugar (for decoration)
• 1 egg yolk or milk (for brushing the puff pastry)

Preparation

1. Start by preparing the custard: in a small pot, bring the milk to a boil with the slit vanilla pod and scraped seeds (or the vanilla extract).
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a light and foamy mixture. Add the sifted flour and mix well to eliminate any lumps.
3. When the milk is hot, remove the vanilla pod and gently incorporate the yolk mixture, pouring the hot milk in a stream while continuing to whisk.
4. Return everything to the heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the cream thickens (be careful not to let it boil).
5. Once ready, transfer the cream to a bowl, cover it with film touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming and let it cool completely.
6. Clean and chop the strawberries into small pieces.
7. Unroll the puff pastry and lay it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
8. Spread the cooled custard in the center of the puff pastry, leaving a free edge on the sides, and on top of it, add the strawberry pieces.
9. Fold the side edges of the puff pastry inward and roll up the strudel on itself, starting from the longer side.
10. Seal the ends well and brush the surface of the strudel with the beaten egg yolk (or a bit of milk) to achieve a golden color during baking.
11. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes or until golden.
12. Let the strudel cool and decorate with powdered sugar before serving.

Curiosity

Strudel is a traditional recipe of Northern Italy and the Central European area, famous in the version with apples and raisins. What makes this strudel special is the addition of fresh strawberries, which give a spring and summer note to the dessert.

If you want to give an even more Italian touch, you might serve alongside the strudel a good glass of vin santo or Moscato d’Asti, which with their sweet and fruity aroma perfectly match the freshness of the strawberries and the creaminess of the custard.