PLUM & RAISIN STRUDEL (OR APPLE)

Four l7 x l2″ sheets of phyllo, stacked between 2 sheets of wax
paper & covered with dampened kitchen towel
l/2 stick butter, melted & cooled
l/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
l cup sliced Italian prune plums or 3 medium apples
l/2 cup raisins
l/2 cup ground blanched almonds or walnuts
l/3 cup granulated sugar
l/4 tsp. cinnamon
l tbsp. Cognac if desired
Sifted confectionary sugar for sprinkoing the cooked strudel
Arrange a kitchen towel with a long side facing you on a work sur-
face, cover it with l sheet of the phylo, and brush the phyllo with
some of the butter. Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo in the same
manner, brushing each sheet with some of the butter. Sprinkle the
pastry with the bread crumbs, leaving a 2″ border on all sides, and
top the bread crumbs with the plums, the raising, the almonds, the
granulated sugar, cinnamon & Cognac. Fold in the short sides of the
phyllo, using the towel as a guide roll up the strudel tightly
lengthwise, enclosing the filling, and transfer carefully, seam
side down, to a buttered jelly-roll pan. Brush the strudel with the
remaining butter and bake it in the middle of a preheated 400 oven
for 25-30 mins., or until it is golden. Let the strudel cool in the
pan on a rack until it is warm and sprinkle with the confectioners
sugar.