Apple season is finally here. I made a late afternoon stop
at Aldi to pick up a jug of cider and something additional of apple origin to serve
as a Sunday evening dessert. Low and behold in the frozen food section, I
stumbled upon the Aldi version of apple strudel. One box contains two miniature
“loaves” or strudels which in frozen state (pictured) weigh in at approximately 19.2
ounces (544 grams) as indicated on the box.
I understand that pastry has a tendency to rise during the heating
process so I was optimistic that these two strudels would feed our household of
five as the product information label on the
packaging indicates this package provides six servings.
Preparation
Getting this strudel from frozen state to serving at the
table is fairly easy. No need to thaw pastry. Process is really simple. Place
frozen strudels on sheet pan and bake at 425 between 35 to 40 minutes…or so I
thought! I placed these strudels on parchment paper before placing on sheet
tray on center rack. The baking times will vary depending on oven and sheet
tray. My sheet tray is dark metal and probably would have fared better using my
higher end no stick cookie sheets. The time I chose was right down the middle
of the manufacturers recommendations, at 37 minutes, which was still too long
as the pastry was slightly blackened on the bottom. Despite that slight
charring, I was able to scrape the blackened crust off the bottom with a knife.
Lesson learned. Next time, bake with a better quality pan and decrease cooking
time a few minutes. Note to self, always pick the lowest time suggested.
Taste
There are not a whole lot of comparisons to make when
tasting strudel. Most strudels I have sampled have been at German restaurants of
which no frozen product can compare. The stores I shop at don’t have any brand
name or generic equivalents. Anyway, this strudel was pretty darn good in spite
of my over baking mishap. The outer crust had a nice golden flaky and buttery
finish. The dense filling of sweet apples came out in every bite with hint of
cinnamon. The box advertised that there were raisins but I did not find one in
my particular bite. The only thing missing with this dessert was the a la mode.
Price
The price of the Deutsche Kuche Apple Strudel was only
$2.69. Is that a fair price? Well that all depends on your appetite. I think
for a family of five or six, one definitely needs to buy two boxes. I consider
one box of strudels to be approximately four servings.
Overall Result
This dessert is a winner. Again, I would suggest purchasing two boxes
for groups greater than four people. Apple strudel is a great break from the
all too common apple pie and makes a great autumn dessert especially when
preparing a festive Oktoberfest meal. I recommend this dessert
