The chestnut strudel is a greedy dessert, the fall variant of the classic apple strudel. In this version, a fragrant shortcrust pastry shell is filled with chestnuts, almond flakes, rum and cocoa, for an intense and very aromatic final result.
Perfect for any moment of the day, you can enjoy it for breakfast or snack, together with a cup of hot tea flavored with citrus fruits, or at the end of a meal, served with a sprig of whipped cream or custard; it will conquer young and old.
The strudel can be made both with shortcrust pastry, as proposed in the recipe, and with puff pastry; in the latter case, for convenience, just buy a store-bought pastry, stuff it, roll it up and finally bake it in the oven at 350° F for about 20-25 minutes. The filling can be enriched with diced apples or pears, with drops of dark chocolate, raisins or other chopped oil seeds (walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios).
Bitter cocoa can be replaced with ground cinnamon or vanilla seeds.
Once out of the oven, however, you can sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar or garnish the surface with a berry compote and a spoonful of Greek yogurt.
The chestnut strudel can be stored under a glass bell at room temperature for a maximum of 3-4 days.
In a bowl, pour the sifted flour and sugar (1).
Add the egg and yolk (2).
Add a pinch of salt (3).
Finally add the cold butter, cut into pieces (4).
Work the dough quickly, until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough (5).
Wrap the dough in a sheet of cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (6).
Cut the boiled chestnuts into small pieces and put them in a bowl (7).
Add the sliced almonds (8).
Pour a glass of rum (9).
Add the bitter cocoa (10).
Mix well (11).
Roll out the shortcrust pastry dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about 5 mm (12).
Make a rectangle out of it. Add the filling and roll it up to close it completely. Arrange the strudel in a baking tray, lined with parchment paper, and brush the surface with beaten egg (13).
Cook the strudel in a static oven at 390° F for about 30 minutes. Once baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool (14).
Cut into slices and serve (15).