| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sour cherries, stemmed and pitted
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar (granulated or brown)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 egg whites
- 1 package phyllo dough
- 2 cups unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Cherry filling: In large saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Strain cherries from juice and set aside. Discard excess liquid.
- Cheese filling: Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well mixed. Set aside.
- Dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On waxed paper, spread out a few sheets of phyllo dough and brush with melted butter. Top the dough with a thin coating of the cheese filling and then with the cherry filling. Top with bread crumbs and nuts. Cover with another couple sheets of phyllo dough and repeat topping steps. Repeat to create 3 to 4 layers of dough and topping and then roll up like a strudel and place on a cookie sheet. Brush a thin coat of melted butter on top and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1786 |
| Total Fat | 100 g |
| Saturated Fat | 54 g |
| Carbohydrates | 200 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 138 g |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Cholesterol | 240 mg |
| Sodium | 627 mg |
Reviews
I followed the ingredients exactly as written, and the taste is WONDERFUL. The cherries are sweet and delicious, the cheese layer is light and fluffy with a little zing of lemon. My problems were with rolling it. I’ve never made a strudel before, and mine was so packed with layers that rolling wasn’t a possibility, so I kind of flipped up both ends and hoped for the best. I also only used about a sticks worth of butter, not 4! I would probably make this again, but at least next time I’ll know what to expect.
Came out kind of dry. The cheese filling is missing something- maybe cream cheese. Not worth the effort.