Spinach and Camembert Strudel

The filling is soft and creamy, let the strudel sit for about 15 minutes after baking to ensure the slices hold their shape.

6 sheets thawed phyllo pastry
1/3 cup (75 ml) butter, melted
2 tbsp (30 ml) breadcrumbs

Filling
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped cooked spinach (half a 10 oz/300 g package of frozen spinach)
2 tsp (10 ml) butter
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125ml) ricotta cheese
3 oz (100g) Camembert cheese, rind discarded, cut to small pieces
1/4 cup (50 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp (30 ml) pine nuts, toasted
1/4 tsp n (1 ml) salt
Pinch of black pepper and nutmeg

1 Toast pine nuts on baking sheet, 350(F) for 4-6 minutes.
2 To make the filling, squeeze out liquid from spinach. In small skillet, heat butter over medium heat, cook onion for three (3) minutes or until softened. In a bowl, combine spinach, onion, ricotta, Camembert and Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
3 Lay out sheets of plastic wrap on work surface, overlapping pieces if necessary to make an area larger than the sheets of phyllo. Lay one sheet of phyllo on plastic. Brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet of phyllo over the first sheet. Brush with butter. Repeat until you have stacked six (6) sheets of buttered phyllo. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of the buttered sheet.
4 About 2” (5 cm) from one long edge of pastry, press the spinach mixture evenly onto the pastry in 6” wide strip, leaving 2” border of pastry at each short end.
5 Starting at long edge nearest filling, carefully begin to roll phyllo over filling. Roll up jelly-roll style, tucking in the sides over the filling as you roll. Roll up snugly, but not too tight to allows for expansion. Brush the outside of strudel with melted butter. Cut nine evenly spaced slits just through top layer of pastry to make steam vents.
6 Warp the strudel in plastic wrap. Carefully placed seam-side down on backing sheet to freeze. After the strudel is frozen solid it can be stored without the baking sheet.

To bake after frozen, unwrap and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 375 (F) for 35-40 minutes or until golden.

To bake right after assembly, reduce the baking time to about 10 minutes.

Let stand 15 minutes, then cut into 3/4” slices. Makes about 15 appetizer-sized slices.