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Dessert

Spiced Apple Spring Rolls
BakingChristmasParty FoodRecipe

Apple and walnut spring rolls

by Michael Catling

Switch up your traditional spring rolls with these apple pie inspired filo parcels.

If you like filo pastry and love apple pie, you’re going to fall head over heels for these fruit and nut parcels.

Two apples and a handful of raisins are gently stewed in a cinnamon and ginger spice mix, before being wrapped and baked – samosa style – in filo pastry with a surprise walnut crumb inside.

Serve with Greek yoghurt for a healthy dessert, or on their own as an afternoon pick me up treat.

How To Make Apple And Walnut Spring Rolls

Tips & Notes To Know

  • Use crisp apples: Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Braeburn work well; they hold their shape and balance the sweetness with tartness.
  • Keep the filo pastry covered: The sheets dry out fast, so cover unused wrappers with a damp tea towel while assembling.
  • Cool the apple mixture before rolling: The steam can rip the filo pastry and make it more difficult to roll, too.

Spiced Apple Spring Rolls

Apple and walnut spring rolls

Serves: 4 Prep time: Cook time:
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Ingredients

2 eating apples, skin on and cut into small chunks
1 tsp ground sweet cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
30g raisins
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
25g walnuts, roughly chopped
2 sheets filo pastry
Melted butter, for brushing
Soft brown sugar, for dusting

To serve
Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
Fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Instructions

Step 1
Remove the filo pastry from the fridge. Heat a non-stick saucepan over a medium heat and add the apples chunks. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and stir in the raisins, water and maple syrup.

Step 2
Continue to cook the apples, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until slightly softened and caramelised, but still holding their shape. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Step 3
Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly brush one sheet of filo pastry with butter and fold in half vertically.

Step 4
Place a quarter of the walnuts along the short edge of the filo, leaving a 2cm border on each side, and top with a quarter of the apple mixture. Lightly brush the edges with butter and carefully tuck in the sides. Fold the filo over the filling and roll up into a tight cigar shape.

Step 5
Transfer the spring roll to a greased baking tray, seam-side down, and repeat with the remaining filo pastry, walnuts and apple mixture.

Step 6
Brush the tops of each apple and walnut spring roll with butter and sprinkle with soft brown sugar. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then garnish with mint leaves before serving.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag me on Instagram at @Chef_Catling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Stop Filo Pastry From Cracking And Ripping?

I learned the hard way that you need to work smart and fast while working with filo pastry.

Before opening the packaging, make sure you bring the filo pastry to room temperature and prep all your ingredients beforehand.

As you remove one sheet at a time, cover the remainder with a damp (not wet) tea towel and move quick to stop the sheets from drying out.

Can I Use Honey In Place Of Maple Syrup?

Yes. Honey is usually a touch sweeter than maple syrup, so you may want to use slightly less than the amount of maple syrup called for in the recipe. However, they are basically like for like with the only major difference being the price.

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Apple Dutch Baby
BakingBrunchDessertRecipeYeast Free

Apple Dutch baby

by Michael Catling

A cross between a pancake and Yorkshire pudding, my apple Dutch baby is filled with caramelised apples, walnuts and yoghurt for a posh brunch.

An apple Dutch baby is essentially a giant pancake, which is baked – rather than fried – in a sizzling-hot skillet or tray so it puffs up looking like a Yorkshire pudding.

There are sweet and savoury variations, but I like to make it for brunch or dessert at the weekends and top it with caramelised apples, toasted nuts and yoghurt. It’s a great little sharing dish and it looks super fancy, too!

How To Make My Apple Dutch Baby

Tips & Notes To Know

  • Treat it like a Yorkshire Pudding: You need a super hot tray and oven to guarantee a good rise. The batter should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil.
  • Whisk the batter vigorously or use a blender: No one wants a lumpy batter so make sure the dry and wet ingredients are thoroughly combined so the batter is smooth and slightly frothy. Resting it in the fridge will also allow the gluten to relax and create a more stable structure as it cooks.
  • Do not open the door while it bakes: This goes without saying, right? A sudden drop in temperature can deflate your Dutch baby so set a timer and keep an eye on it through the oven door.
  • Keep the topping separate: I feel quite strongly about this because some recipes cook the fruit inside the Dutch Baby, which risks weighing it down and affecting the rise. I prefer to keep the two separate and to add the caramelised apples after baking. It’s worth the extra washing up, believe me.

Apple Dutch Baby

Apple Dutch baby

Serves: 4 Prep time: Cook time:
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Ingredients

For the batter
50g caster sugar
3 large free-range eggs, beaten
130g plain flour
200ml semi-skimmed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sunflower oil, for baking

For the filling
Knob of butter
4 eating apples, skin on
2 tsp ground sweet cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp maple syrup

To serve
50g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Greek yoghurt (0% fat)
Icing sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Step 1
In a bowl, beat the caster sugar and eggs together with an electric mixer until light and frothy.

Step 2
Gradually incorporate the plain flour, milk, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt and beat until well combined and you have a smooth but thin batter. Pour into a jug and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Step 3
Preheat the oven to 220C.

Step 4
Divide around 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into two, four-hole Yorkshire pudding tins. Place in the oven to heat up for 10 minutes.

Step 5
Once the oil is smoking hot, pull the tray out of the oven and evenly pour in the batter – it should sizzle as soon as it hits the pan. Bake each Dutch Baby for 15-18 minutes until crisp, golden and puffed up.

Step 6
Meanwhile, quarter and core the apples, then thinly slice into wedges.

Step 7
Heat a knob of butter in a large saucepan and add the apples. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and ginger and add a splash of water with the maple syrup.

Step 8
Cook the apples over a low-to-medium heat for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until slightly softened and starting to caramelise.

Step 9
Fill the centre of each Dutch Baby with the caramelised apples and top with the toasted walnuts and a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag me on Instagram at @Chef_Catling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Honey In Place Of Maple Syrup?

Honey is usually a touch sweeter than maple syrup, so you may want to use slightly less than the amount of maple syrup called for in the recipe. However, they are basically like for like with the only major difference being the price.

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Spiced apple strudel
BakingDessertRecipeYeast Free

Spiced apple strudel

by Michael Catling

Soft apples, warming spices, sticky caramel and flaky filo pastry. What’s not to like?

Packed full of fruit, nuts and Christmas spice, an apple strudel is basically Austria’s version of an apple pie and uses filo pastry and plenty of melted butter to give it that signature flaky texture.

If you’ve never worked with filo before, it can be a bit fiddly to handle, but just know that any cracks can be easily hidden by the other sheets below or on top.

Once rolled, the strudel blooms into light, crisp sheets that contrast beautifully with the soft apple and raisin filling.

Custard and ice cream is optional, but highly recommended.

How To Make Spiced Apple Strudel

Apple filling for strudel.

Tips & Notes To Know

  • Use tart, crisp apples: Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Braeburn apples hold their shape and give that perfect sweet-sour balance.
  • The healthier choice: Despite the added butter, filo is far lower in saturated fats than puff and shortcrust pastry.
  • Don’t skip the breadcrumbs: They soak up the apple juices and stop the pastry from going soggy.
  • Seal the ends well: Tuck and fold the edges of the pastry to keep the filling in while baking.
  • Cool before slicing: It’s easier to cut and the filling sets a little as it cools.

How Long Does An Apple Strudel Keep For?

Best kept in the fridge, an apple strudel will still be good to eat for up to 3 days. You can then reheat it in the oven at 180C for 10-15 minutes to crisp up the filo again.

Spiced apple strudel

Spiced apple strudel

Serves: 6 Prep time: Cook time:
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Ingredients

5 Pink Lady apples (about 700g), skin on and diced into small chunks
50g golden caster sugar
1 tsp sweet cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
60g raisins
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
25g breadcrumbs
30g walnuts, coarsely chopped
6 sheets of filo pastry
50g butter, melted, plus extra for frying
1 tsp granulated sugar

To serve
Icing sugar, for dusting
Greek yoghurt or vanilla custard (optional)  

Instructions

Step 1
Remove the filo pastry from the fridge. Place the apple slices in a bowl and mix with the golden caster sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, raisins, and lemon juice and zest. Set aside.

Step 2
Heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan and toast the breadcrumbs. Transfer to a ramekin and set aside.

Step 3
In the same pan, add another knob of butter and arrange the apples cut side down. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the apples are nicely caramelised, but still holding their shape. Stir in the chopped walnuts and leave to cool.

Step 4
Preheat the oven to 180C. On a clean tea-towel, lay a sheet of filo pastry in the centre and brush lightly with the melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and repeat with the rest of the filo. Scatter the breadcrumbs all over, then pile the apple filling along the shorter edge, leaving a slight border at the sides.

Step 5
Using the tea towel, roll the pastry up tightly to enclose the filling, tucking the sides in as you go. Place the apple strudel on a lined baking tray, seam-side down, and brush the top with the remaining melted butter. Scatter over the granulated sugar and bake for 35 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.

Step 6
Leave to cool at room temperature before dusting with icing sugar and cinnamon. Serve with custard or Greek yogurt.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag me on Instagram at @Chef_Catling.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Stop Filo Pastry From Ripping And Cacking?

I don’t consider myself much of a baker, which is why I learned the hard way that you need to work smart and fast while working with filo pastry.

Before opening the packaging, make sure you bring the filo pastry to room temperature and prep all your ingredients beforehand. As you remove one sheet at a time, cover the remainder with a damp (not wet) tea towel and move quick to stop the sheets from drying out.

Very rarely will I go through a whole pack without tearing a few sheets, but the beauty of filo is that you can easily patch a few pieces together without it affecting the final product. Believe me, I’ve done it.

Why Is Glazing Important?

Because we eat with our eyes, and presentation matters when it comes to baking sweet or savoury treats. A little egg wash before baking adds a glossy, golden-brown crust and elevates the look of the finished dish.

Glazing is not essential, but it is a powerful technique to enhance the flavour, appearance and texture of a wide range of dishes.

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