Apple Strudel With Candied Pecans & Apricots

Directions

1. Make the candied pecans: preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white, cream, and vanilla to combine. Add pecans and toss until they are evenly coated with egg white. Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet (if there is excess egg white mixture left in the bowl, leave it behind/discard).
3. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to combine—then sprinkle this over the pecans and toss until evenly combined. Transfer to the oven and roast for 12 minutes, then stir the pecans well and spread back into an even layer. Repeat this process, roasting and stirring, 3 more times (about 40 to 45 minutes total). The sugar will crystallize and become firm on the exterior of the pecans.
4. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup (about 200 grams) of this mixture to use to assemble the strudel.
5. Make the filling: place the apricots in a medium bowl and pour the water over it. Let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of soaking, if there’s any excess liquid in the bowl, drain it off, then transfer the soaked apricots to a food processor.
6. Add the remaining pecans to the food processor, along with the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt, and pulse until a puree forms. Return to the bowl the apricots were in.
7. Grate the apples on the medium hole of a box grater, and transfer to a fine mesh strainer. Press the apples well in the strainer over the sink to remove any excess moisture. Fold the strained shredded apples into the apricot mixture until evenly combined.
8. Assemble the strudel: line a tabletop with a tablecloth—oilcloth or linen work especially well. A folding card table, kitchen table, island, or any surface you can walk all the way around work especially well (and make stretching easier).
9. Remove the strudel dough from the refrigerator. Lightly oil your hands. The dough should feel lightly tacky but not sticky, and it should stretch easily. Start by stretching the dough a little like a pizza, trying to keep it rectangular as you work. Once the dough is no longer easy to handle with your hands, lay it down on the covered table.
10. Use the back of your hands (closed fists if you have longer nails) to stretch the dough. Put your hands under the dough at one corner, and gently work your fists outwards, working toward the edge of the table. Continue to do this, bit by bit, working around the dough to slowly stretch it out. The goal is to get it so thin you can see through it (if your tablecloth has a pattern, like stripes or dots, this can be a good guideline). Don’t be alarmed if the dough tears (you’ll be rolling it up, and the tears will be hidden inside ultimately! The dough is very strong, so you should be able to stretch it without major tearing.
11. Once the dough is stretched to the edge of the table, use your fingers to pull gently around the edges to make sure they aren’t too thick.
12. To assemble the strudel: drizzle the strudel with about ¾ of the melted butter (brushing it on may tear the dough, so be gentle if you attempt). Sprinkle the surface with the reserved ground pecans in an even layer. Dollop the filling all over the surface. Gently spread the filling to create a fairly even layer (it doesn’t need to be perfect).
13. Working with one of the shorter sides, gently grab the dough and roll it up into a tight spiral. Use the tablecloth to help you—the less you handle the dough, the less likely you are to rip it as you work.
14. Use scissors to cut any excess dough away from the ends of the strudel. Lift up the rolled strudel and place it diagonally on a baking sheet, seam side down, If it’s too long to fit, you can form it into an S or horseshoe shape instead.
15. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C with the oven rack in the center. Brush the exterior of the strudel with melted butter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
16. Bake until the exterior of the strudel is deeply golden brown, 30 to 34 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through bake time to help with more even browning. Remove from the oven and cool at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.