STRUDEL WITH TARRAGON

Last time we made Apple strudel which is well known dessert that originated from Habsburg Empire. As already mentioned, we have many kinds of strudels in Slovenia. The recipes vary from house to house. We  try even today to find new delicious combinations. To achieve that we are experimenting with different filings.

One of a "very Slovenian" kind of filling is made with cottage cheese and tarragon. We are using tarragon as a herb that gives cottage cheese filling a very special and delicious taste. In one of my previous posts we made Slovenian traditional rolled dumplings with tarragon.  We also make our famous dessert Potica with that herb.

Tarragon strudel

When I make strudel, I usually make enough streched dough to make two different kinds of strudel. First would be apple strudel and the second one I would make with cottage cheese and a bit of something else - herbs or seasonal fruits.

For making stretched dough use the recipe for apple strudel. 

When the dough is resting, make the filling.

Ingredients for tarragon filling:
500 g of cottage cheese
250 g of sour cream
2 eggs
1 pinch of salt
3 to 5 tbsp of sugar - depends how sweet you like it
lemon zest or and vanilla - optional
200 g  of melted butter
few tbsp of bread crumbs
1 or 2 brunches of tarragon herb, washed and finely chopped

For the garnish before baking:
1 egg
100 g of sour cream

Putting ingredients into a bowl

Adding sugar, butter...

Put all the ingredients except butter, tarragon and bread crumbs into a large bowl. You can add whole eggs or split egg yolks and add whipped eggs whites at the end. You also add 1/5th of melted butter into the filling. Mix all that together and add bread crumbs to thicken the filling. The filling must not  too soft/fluid or too hard.

Now you can stretch out the dough on the cotton. Sprinkle it with melted butter. Keep 2 tbsp of melted butter for the end.

Sprinkle stretched dough with
melted butter 

Then spread the cottage cheese
filling over the dough

Spread the filling evenly on 1/3 of the dough.  Sprinkle the chopped tarragon over the filling and roll the whole dough into a roll.

Sprinkle with tarragon 

Turn the ends of the dough over
and roll it in.

You will get a long roll which you can put on the baking tray. You can also cut it into 2 or 3 rolls depending on the size of your baking tray.

I cut the roll into 3 pieces for my
baking tray 

Spread with the rest of the
melted butter

Mix egg with sour cream and garnish the rolls before putting it into the oven.
Put into preheated  oven and bake for approximately 1 hour at 180 to 200 degrees C.

Mix egg and sour cream

and spread the garnish over the roll

When baked sprinkle the strudel with powdered sugar and leave it to cool down.

Sprinkle with sugar powder and cool down.

Serve as a dessert with tea or coffee... and enjoy interesting and delicious tarragon strudel!

Delicious tarragon strudel

You can see more photos on this LINK!