Apple strudel with creme anglaise

First make the filo pastry: sieve the flour to make it light, now add the water, egg yolk, oil, sugar and salt.

Whisk the egg white until well aerated and mix with the rest of the ingredients.

The dough should be elastic but not too soft. Work the dough by banging it on to the work surface and kneading it thoroughly (this is the most important stage).

Then kneaded it in a mixer for about 20 minutes. When ready, bang the dough onto an oiled surface, then leave it to rest in a well oiled bowl, and cover for 45 minutes.

Now prepare the filling: peel the apples and cut into thick slices - about 8 to 12 pieces from each apple depending on the size. Put the apple into a large bowl with the cinnamon, raisins, zest of lemon, caster sugar and mix well. Gently toss the breadcrumbs in the butter and gently cook until they are golden brown, and cool.

To finish the dough, put a large sheet of non-stick paper on the table and very lightly flour it. Now start rolling the dough until it is flat and three times it’s original size. With the back of your hands gently ease the dough working outward all the way around making it bigger and bigger and very fine. It’s very easy to make a hole, so be very careful; the size should be around 80cm x 80cm approx.

Cut the pastry into two. Sprinkle the golden breadcrumbs over two thirds of both the pieces of pastry, brush the rest with melted butter (this is to help absorb the juices from the fruit) and place half the fruit on the front of one piece of pastry keeping it far from the edges.

Lift the sheet and start rolling the pastry, after two rolls bring in the ends of the strudel and then neatly continue rolling to the end. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry. Put both Strudels onto a baking tray and brush the tops with butter. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

In the meantime, make the creme anglaise. Bring the milk and vanilla seeds to the boil in a small pan, then remove from the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and then, continuing to whisk, slowly add the milk until well incorporated.

Pour the mixture into a clean pan and heat gently, stirring, until thickened and smooth. (Be careful not to overheat as this will make the mixture curdle and look like scrambled egg). Finally, if necessary, pass the creme anglaise through a fine sieve.

Take two fish slices and carefully remove the strudel from the baking tray and place on a board. Dust with icing sugar and carefully slice widthways into portions.

Transfer each slice to a serving plate and garnish with mint and red currants and serve with creme anglaise.