Cherry strudel with hazelnut milk ice cream

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. For the ice cream, put the blanched hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes until deep golden. Cool, then whizz in a food processor until finely chopped (don’t whizz for too long or they’ll turn oily). Pour the 500ml milk into a saucepan, add the chopped hazelnuts and heat until steaming, then remove from the heat and leave to cool and infuse for 1 hour, covered with cling film.
2. Pour the hazelnut milk through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing down on the chopped nuts in the sieve with the back of a spoon to extract as much milk as possible (use the hazelnuts for a smoothie or porridge). Add the condensed milk, whipped double cream and liqueur, then whisk with a balloon whisk until combined and smooth. Transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours or until solid. Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving so the mix becomes spoonable.
3. To make the strudel, drain the black cherries, reserving the kirsch. Put the dried sour cherries in a pan, add enough of the reserved kirsch to cover them, then bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then drain the sour cherries and toss them with the black cherries in a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, ground almonds, hazelnuts and caster sugar, along with 4 tbsp of the reserved kirsch and a pinch of salt. Toss together and taste – you may want a little more sugar.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 6. Lay out a sheet of filo pastry on a clean, dry work surface with a long edge facing you. Brush it with melted butter, then lay a second sheet on top. Brush again, then lay a third sheet on top and brush that, repeating until you have 5 layers of filo (see tip; brush the top layer too).
5. Spoon the cherry filling onto the middle third of the pastry, not quite to the edges. Lift the left-hand third of the pastry up over it, then fold over the right-hand third. Fold the ends in, scrunching them slightly to close. Using 2 spatulas, gently turn the strudel over so the seam is underneath. Brush the pastry all over with more melted butter.
6. Lightly butter a baking sheet, then carefully transfer the strudel onto it. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove, leave to cool for 5 minutes, then dust generously with icing sugar. Slice and serve with the ice cream.