Apple strudel with shortcrust pastry

To prepare the apple strudel with shortcrust pastry, start with the filling: rinse, drain well, and then pour the raisins into a large bowl, add the grappa 1 and mix 2. Set it aside; this way, it will soften and take on the aroma. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the apples 3. You can keep some apples with the peel, some without, or peel them all roughly.

Then cut into quarters and remove the central core 4. Cut each wedge in half and then make rather large but uniform pieces 5. In the cooked strudel, the apple should be noticeable. Add the apples to the raisins 6 and mix again.

Add the pine nuts 7 and the sugar 8. Blend the cookies with a mixer until you get a powder, then add it to the apples 9.

Flavor with the cinnamon 10. Mix again, possibly using your hands 11. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to an hour. If you leave it to rest overnight, be sure to drain some of the liquid that will have formed. Take care of the shortcrust pastry: in a large bowl, pour the soft butter 12,

the sugar 13, and the egg yolks 14. Now use a wooden spoon to mix everything well 15.

You should get a homogeneous cream; only then add the flour all at once 16, mix slightly with a spoon to start, and add a pinch of salt 17. Continue mixing until you obtain a homogeneous consistency. Then, using a dough scraper, transfer the dough onto a work surface 18.

The dough will be very soft, but that's how it should be. Still using your hands and the scraper, continue to work the dough gently 19, gradually trying to shape it into a loaf. Once obtained 20, divide it in half 21; with this dose, in fact, you will prepare 2 strudels.

Transfer the 2 loaves, placing them side by side in a baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap 22 and let rest in the refrigerator or in a rather cool place, at least a minimum of 10 minutes. After this time, place the shortcrust pastry between two sheets of parchment paper (or one large folded one) 23. Consider that the length will be about 16x20 inches (thickness of about 0.2 inches). Flatten the pastry slightly with your hands to flatten and soften the loaf 34. If it turns out to be excessively soft, you can rest it again in the refrigerator before continuing.

Help yourself with the rolling pin 34 to obtain a uniform thickness of about 0.2 inches. Then open the sheet 26 and with the back of a knife blade, trim the edges to get a precise rectangle of the indicated dimensions 27. You can reattach some scraps to the dough and continue rolling.

Dust the pastry with some flour 28, cover with parchment paper 29, and carefully turn everything over. Open the sheet again 30

and sprinkle the other side with a bit of flour 31. Cover again. Carefully transfer to a tray (or directly to the baking sheet) and place in the refrigerator for 6-7 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat the same operation for the second piece of shortcrust pastry. At this point, retrieve the first sheet, which will have rested by now. Now all that's left is to fill the strudel. You can slightly trim the pastry again, then take the filling and place some on one side of the pastry, leaving a free edge. You should create a long strip, about 4 inches wide and 2 inches high 32. Now, always using the parchment paper, lift the dough and start rolling it over the filling 33.

After making the first turn, always with the paper on the pastry, press it lightly with your hands to make the filling more homogeneous and adhere the pastry well 34. Continue in this way 35 until it is completely rolled 36.

If there is some filling protruding, just push it inside with your fingers before sealing the sides by pressing the pastry with your fingers 37. Using a small knife, now remove the excess on the edges, leveling them 38. Use a small pastry cutter to make holes in the center along the entire length 39, so that the steam escapes during cooking and the pastry does not break.

Fold the parchment paper a couple of times on the sides to reinforce it 40 and transfer it to a baking tray 41, so you'll use the same paper for cooking. Brush the surface of the strudel with a lightly beaten egg. Heat the oven to 392°F, in static mode; then insert the strudel and immediately lower the temperature to 356°F, continue cooking for 40 minutes. Do the same for the second strudel. Once cooked, take out the first strudel and let it cool slightly before cutting and serving it 42.