Steve2. (or anyone else) Can I bake this Mushroom Strudel tomorrow and reheat it on Sunday?

I would most definitely bake it off onsite because the filo will be crispy and lovely and

puffy, unlike what will happen if you bake/chill/reheat -- it will get soggy.

 
Ideally?!....assemble several hours ahead

or the morning of should be fine if all is kept well-refrigerated, but you can get away with making the filling a day ahead. What else is on the menu? Is the strudel an appy or part of the main course? You can also assemble the whole strudel ahead and freeze and bake off from the frozen state, though you may no longer have time for that.

 
That would work well. The strudel is a "bonus" appetizer. The menu is saurbraten, red cabbage,

potato pancakes, saurkraut with sausages, homemade rye bread, green beans with dill, and salad with cucumbers and asparagus.

Still, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

I'll cook the filling and assemble the strudel on Sunday morning. Fortunately the house has several ovens

 
It'll go soggy on you over night. Make the filling a day or so ahead but then wrap and bake day of.

You shoulda called.

 
Joe: I've made the mushroom lasagna from

smittenkitten and loved it! It reheats well. In fact is pretty good after being frozen.
Note: I added a splash of brandy to the white sauce.
Not what you were really asking - but thought I would throw this in smileys/smile.gif

Betty

 
I woulda called but I had a pot on each burner and bread in the oven....

Sometimes typing is faster than dialing.

Thanks! That's the final word. I'll assemble it before I leave and bake it at the house.

 
Also, for future reference, the dried shiitakes in an Asian market should work just as well as fresh

in this recipe (rehydrated, of course.) The dried mushroom are 1/2 or 1/3 the price. David Chang also grinds the dried mushrooms into a powder and uses that to bump up the beefy mushroom flavor on everything from soups to braises. (Why grind them? Given the closet-sized storage space in New York, grinding dried mushrooms solved a huge storage issue. He laughed and said, like many of his "innovations" in the kitchen...solving a storage problem turned into a culinary breakthrough.)

 
I tried this replacement and didn't feel it lived up to the fresh taste. Perhaps

I just hit a lousy dried version.

 
Two options to keep it from getting too soggy: saute the mushrooms

until all the water has exuded and they become "beefy". Next, make ghee out of the butter to remove the water and whey. Good luck...sounds like an amazing strudel.

 
Well, the filling tastes divine! I made a double recipe and used half fresh shitake and half fresh

crimini (half the price) I've never assembled a strudel before but I think I can handle that much stress since most of the menu is do-ahead.

Thanks everyone for the tips! If for some reason the filo pastry is a disaster I will use this filling in the future for turnovers.

 
I am excited for you!! I make a sausage / mushroom strudel at Thanksgiving. dh always laughs

w/ me; because it really is the LAST thing that I make. I always have enough food. The ongoing joke is....Will it be a good filo day or a bad filo day. We had some years were it was to humid, barb was a lil stressed, etc. you just never know~ Have fun. I am impressed by the menu.

 
The thing about working with filo is that it can be a bit dry and crackly and

break up when you're working with it if it wasn't frozen/defrosted properly (which may or may not have anything at all to do with your efforts -- often it can happen on the store's end, which you have no control over). Soooo, even if it starts being a 'pita' when you start working with it -- as in breaking up while you're trying to lay it out, don't worry, just keep going and piece it together, it'll be fine because the butter brushed on each layer will be your 'glue' and no one will be the wiser when the strudel is baked off.

I'm thinking this recipe would be terrific made into triangles as well, for one handed nibbles with cocktails -- would make a great passed appy at your parties.

Have fun, and let us know how you make out.

 
I can see how that might happen. Moosewood has a similar recipe. I believe it uses all cremini.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top