Easy Apple Strudel

I haven't posted in a while. I apologise. My reasons are good and forgivable (I think); I am opening a show tomorrow night - the biggest of my little life thus far - it is the kind of play that every actor aspires to one day be a part of and I, actually, am. It's called "The Girl in the Yellow Dress" at The Market theatre (if you're interested) and I play the girl.....yup you guessed it: IN THE YELLOW DRESS. BUT, as explicated in my previous post and illustrated in the last gazillion around salads, I have had to look after what I eat as "I have to get my kit off love" and after the third salad post in a row I couldn't muster another!

I am working with the most amazing crew and so as a thank you to them have been cooking little treats to take to the theatre -none of which I eat myself of course. This enables my cooking addiction and keeps them happy; muffins, gourmet sandwiches, double chocolate brownies - the things I crave but just can't bloody have.

We started previewing last night and a friend of mine, a chef and recipe writer himself, came to watch. We got to drinking (I refuse to give this up) and talking, as you do, and my director asked him about his career history as he had studied film in New York. He went onto explain in the most magical way what we all know but are often unable to articulate; he left his job for a life in food because he wasn't happy in his work; he couldn't handle days wasted over the ad execs worry about whether the park bench in a commercial he was shooting should be red or green. Food made him happy because as he put it, it's simple; either it's ripe or it's rotten, either it tastes good or it doesn't. He started to work with his hands again and fell in love with creation, the creation of beautiful things that tasted beautiful. And when you put it like that you understand why the world is in love with food; why a box of chocolates or chicken soup stimulate the stomach as well as the heart.

Food, like life, is simple. We make it complicated.

I woke up this morning remembering a recipe I haven't made in forever that takes the simplest of ingredients, combines them simply and gratifies you with the most glorious result.

Easy Apple Strudel

Ingredients: (serves 8-10)

• 1 roll ready-made puff pastry
• 1 large/2 small tins pie apples
• 1 handful raisins
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• milk to baste
• cream/ice cream to serve

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 220*C
• Roll pastry out on a floured surface to 1 1/2 times it's original size.

• Spread apples slices evenly over pastry, you will want to halve some of the bigger slices, then scatter over the raisins.
• Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over apples and raisins.
• Roll pastry down towards you so that you end up with a long tubular log. 
• Place the strudel in a semi circle onto a piece of greased baking paper on a baking tray.
• Brush with a little milk & cut diagonal slices across the top to help the pastry cook through.

• Pop in the oven for 25-30 min, until nicely browned.
• Serve warm with ice cream/cream