Apple and pear strudel (vegan, dairy-free)

Apple and pear strudel, shortly before it was demolished by hungry family!

Here is an apple and pear strudel that’s simple to make and super-tasty. You can’t ask for more than that from any dessert.

Here’s why you should make it today:

It’s quick and easy to assemble, with very simple ingredients. You don’t need anything fancy or any special cooking implements.
It’s cheap to make, costing less than £2/€2/$2.50 all in
It looks great and tastes delicious!

One pack of ready-made puff pastry. Check that it’s dairy-free; most in UK supermarkets are, apart from the obvious “all butter” puff pastry.
Two medium-sized apples (cooking apples are best but any will work) and one medium-sized pear
Juice of half a lemon
One heaped tablespoon of plain flour
Two tablespoons of sugar; white, brown, whatever you’ve got in the house
One tablespoon of cinnamon and a half-teaspoon of all spice
Handful of chopped walnuts
Optional: large handful of raisins/currants/sultanas

Peel the apples and the pear, cut them into slices or small chunks, put them into a mixing bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice.
Tip in the the flour, sugar and spices. Mix everything well so all the fruit is nicely coated.
Roll out your puff pastry onto a baking sheet/tray so the wider side is towards you (ie landscape orientation not portrait).
Spoon the fruit mixture in a line from left to right, about a quarter of the way up from the bottom. Add a line of chopped nuts on one side of the fruit and sprinkle the raisins on top of the fruit.
Fold in the left-hand and right-hand ends over the fruit. Then, starting at the edge nearest to you, roll up the strudel. When you’re done, turn it over carefully so the seam is underneath and cut a few 5cm slashes in the top with a serrated knife.
Brush the top with a little bit of plant milk and, if you fancy, sprinkle a little extra sugar on the top of the strudel as well.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden-brown.
The filling will be hot so let the strudel cool for a few minutes before serving.

This would be lovely with custard or some of my cashew creme. Did you know that Bird’s Custard Powder has always been egg/dairy-free?
I didn’t use the raisins when I made this because I’m giving half of it to my dad, who doesn’t eat them!
Song choice: Fiona Apple – Across the Universe. One of the better covers of a Beatles song.