The Strudel lesson

Today I plan to make Strudel, something that is difficult for most bakers, but because I have made it so many times, it should be easy. I remember making strudel in France at our base of operations , Les Sources de Caudalie, a fabulous hotel and spa in the Bordeaux area.
I had brought my little  group of 12 eager travelers to this amazing complex to start our week long adventure into the food and wines of the region. I first heard about this new hotel from an acquaintance.  Alan owned a boutique cognac distillery, (in cognac of course), and he was a friend of the new spa and hotel owners. Also the property adjacent to the spa  was the famous Smith Haut Lafitte Winery owned by the parents of the new spa. It is all in the family and depends on who you know in order to get pass the gates of many of these long established properties. Alan Royer was such a person: a knowledgeable friend from my last year excursion.  I had guided my wine and food group to Chateau Drouilles, to immerse ourselves in a dream week in the Limousin area of France. While we tasted, sipped and savored the cognac at his  own delightful establishment, Alan dropped the name, Smith-Haut-Lafitte and the newly opened Les Sources de Caudalie suggesting I should include it as a base for my next tour. This was my entre.
This amazing hotel, was rustic country and so very French.  Nouvelle in all aspects. It also encompassed two creative, starred restaurants. It is here that I chose to ply my knowledge and technique at a morning cooking class I  produced showing how real strudel is made in front of my adoring travelers.
 As I reminisce about it now, I was pretty gutsy to take on this task and then ask the kitchen pastry chef to "Please bake this for our lunch dessert today), adding all my tips and baking directions as if he didn't already know how to handle it.

Our lunch was impressive and included two desserts,  a combination of my heavenly strudel dressed with a dollop of whipped cream, and their own specialty for that day on a second plate. All of it was over the top!

Now my morning baking was wafting aromas of sweet apple dreams, so I will take it out of the oven to cool, cut and devour as few pieces as possible. Yum!