Simple Cherry Strudel for Shavuot

Cherry strudel—what could be more wonderful? :) And since this is a dairy recipe, it is simply perfect “in honor of the festival of Shavuot”—a way to enhance the traditional dairy meal with an equally traditional Jewish dish!

Thaw the cherries in a colander so that the excess liquid can drain off. Beat the eggs with the salt, sugar, and vanilla, add the water, and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the softened butter and stir again (the butter will float on top in flakes; this is how it should be). Then gradually add the sifted flour and knead into a firm dough. Cover it (with another bowl, for example) and let it rest for 40 minutes.

Then roll the dough into a thin sheet (the thinner it is, the tastier the strudel will be), spread it with butter, arrange the cherries evenly over it without their juice, sprinkle with sugar, breadcrumbs, and flour, and roll up loosely. Pinch the ends closed and tuck them under.

Line a baking sheet used for dairy with greased parchment paper. Transfer the roll onto it, holding it carefully by the ends. Brush the roll with egg and pierce the top with a knife  several times.

Preheat the oven to 210 degrees. Bake the strudel for 30 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool, covered with a towel.

Slice before serving; you can sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

Variation: You can also use the juice left from the cherries to make cherry syrup, with a juice-to-sugar ratio of 2:3, and serve the strudel with a scoop of ice cream drizzled with cherry syrup!

You can also use this recipe to make apple strudel: cut the apples into slices, arrange them on the sheet of dough, and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and fine breadcrumbs. Strudel with farmer cheese and pears is just as delicious. In short, let your imagination run free; the main thing is for the filling to be juicy.