Morello Cherry Strudel

(Weichselstrudel)

**

SERVES 8 - 10

Make this strudel with tangy-sweet fresh morello cherries when they're in season, in midsummer— but jarred morellos may be used when fresh aren't available.

9 tbsp. butter
1 cup fresh very fine white bread crumbs
1 recipe strudel dough
1/4 cup demerara sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 lbs. fresh or unsweetened drained jarred
morello cherries, pitted
3/4 cup finely ground almonds
Confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Melt 6 tbsp. of the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat and cook until lightly browned. Pour clarified butter into a small bowl, discarding milk solids. Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Add remaining butter and bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until crumbs are the color of walnut skins.

2. Roll and stretch strudel dough. Position dough and cloth with a longish edge parallel to edge of work surface closest to you. Brush dough with clarifi ed butter. Spread bread crumbs along edge of dough closest to you, 3" in from long edge and 1" in from shorter side edges, covering about one-third of the dough. Pile cherries evenly on bread crumbs. Combine demerara sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over cherries; scatter almonds on top.

3. Roll up, bake, and dust strudel with confectioners' sugar. Serve cherry strudel warm.