I don’t know what it’s like in other parts of the world but, here in Melbourne, there is a craze for owning a dog that is a poodle crossbreed. A large part of the appeal is the coat, which doesn’t shed; as well as the high intelligence for which poodles are renowned. Thousands of otherwise sensible people are willing to pay a lot of money for such a dog. Trust me, I know how much Sara and Julian paid for Stevie – as in Nicks – our labradoodle grand-dog.

Stevie, guarding our horseradish patch

But I digress. This post is about food, not dogs; not even cute Stevie-dogs. Specifically, it is about apple pudel, a cross between apple pie and strudel. All the pleasures of a strudel but much easier to prepare, bake and serve.

Ingredients

about 650g Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
30ml each of lemon juice and orange juice
zest of one orange
80g currants, covered with boiling water and soaked for 10 minutes
120g dark brown sugar
1½-2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1½ tsp ground ginger
50g butter, chopped
10 sheets filo pastry
spray can of olive oil (in lieu of melted butter)

Method

1. Place apple slices and juices in a large bowl and stir well.
2. Drain currants, return to soaking bowl, add orange zest, stir and leave for 5 minutes. Add to apple in bowl.
3. Add sugar and spices to bowl and stir well. Add butter and stir well again. Set aside for 10 minutes, stirring again a couple of times.
4. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking dish with six (6) sheets of the pastry, as follows: place first sheet flat on bench, spray left-hand third lightly with olive oil, fold to lie on top of middle third, spray balance of sheet; place second sheet on top of first sheet with right-hand third overhanging, spray the overhang, fold in and spray balance of sheet. Repeat twice to produce an approximate square, 9 sheets thick (do the math!). Lift sheets into baking dish and push filo edges against the four sides.
5. Add apple mixture to the baking dish and spread evenly.
6. Use four sheets of the pastry to cover the apple, as follows: spray first sheet, fold in half, spray upper surface. Repeat three times; trim excess length and place sheets on top of apple mixture; tuck edges in.
7. Place dish in a cold oven, turn heat to 150C and bake for 30-35 minutes after it reaches 150C