Four-Star Rugelach

Source: Flo Braker

Cottage Cheese Dough
1 pint small-curd cottage cheese (4-percent milk fat)
2 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons strained apricot jam
1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped walnuts

Spoon the cheese into a sieve over a bowl; drain for at least 2
hours, mixing occasionally with a rubber spatula.
Remove 1 cup of
the cheese for the dough; reserve the rest for another use.

To make the dough: In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt
just to combine.
Scatter the butter over the flour; pulse on and
off until the butter seems to disappear into the mixture.
Scatter
the cottage cheese, in bits, over the mixture; pulse on and off
just until a cohesive ball is formed.
Divide the dough into
quarters; shape each into a flat disc and wrap each in plastic
wrap.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Adjust rack to lower third of oven.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
F.
Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon.
Remove 1 dough disc
from the refrigerator and set aside 10 minutes.
On a lightly
floured surface, roll the dough into a 10- to 11-inch circle,
1/8-inch thick.

To make the filling: Spread 1 tablespoon jam evenly over dough;
sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar and 1/4 cup walnuts.
With rolling pin, lightly press filling into the dough.

With a sharp knife, cut the circle into 16 equal pie-shaped
pieces.
Starting with the wide end, roll up each piece; place 1
inch apart, point down, on the baking sheet.
Bake 15 to 25 minutes,
or until light golden brown.
Toward the end of baking, if some of
the jam oozes out and cookies begin to brown too much on the
bottoms, move them to clean spots on the baking sheet.

Continue to bake until done.
Cool pan on a wire rack 5 minutes,
then, with a metal spatula, transfer cookies to the rack to cool.
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, using fresh aluminum
foil.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.

Makes about 5 dozen (1 1/2-inch) cookies.

Bavarian Kartoffel Kleiss (Mashed Potato Dumplings)

4 boiled potatoes, mashed
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 slices toast, crushed, or same amount of cracker meal
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Dash of nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

Combine ingredients in the order listed and form into balls the
size of walnuts.
Drop into rapidly boiling salted water one at a
time.
Lift out as soon as they rise to the top, using a slotted
spoon.
Add chicken fat or other shortening and brown lightly in a
skillet.

Serve with soup or meat gravy.

Serves 6.

Vegetable Meal-in-One

This is a Sephardic recipe.

1 cup diced green beans
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced eggplant
1 cup stewed or 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter or shortening
4 eggs, well beaten
2 cups cooked rice, drained and tightly packed

Wash and drain diced vegetables.
Combine and add tomatoes.
Sprinkle with salt and stir once or twice.

Butter baking dish or casserole and turn in vegetable mixture.
Melt remaining shortening in a saucepan and drizzle over top of
vegetables.
Pour beaten eggs over top and bake 25 to 30 minutes at
350 degrees F or until eggs are set.

Serve with mounds of cooked rice around or underneath.

Serves 5 or 6.

Variation
Substitute cooked fine noodles or macaroni for rice.

Blintz Loaf

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pound cottage cheese
4 tablespoons honey
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter (for the pan)
Cinnamon

Combine the butter, cheeses, and eggs in a blender or with an
electric mixer.
Add the lemon juice, vanilla extract, flour, baking
powder and honey.
Pour into a buttered 8-inch square baking pan.
Dust with cinnamon.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 40 to
50 minutes or until nicely browned.

Serve with sour cream or yogurt or a combination of both.

Serves 6 to 8.

Bundt Noodle Kugel

A favorite for Yom Kippur — a part of the
Jewish New Year.

1/2 cup butter, melted, divided
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (16 ounce) package medium noodles
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup granulated sugar, or a little less
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup applesauce

Spray Bundt pan with nonstick spray.
Pour 1/4 cup melted butter
into Bundt pan.
Place brown sugar over the butter.
Place chopped
nuts over the brown sugar.
Cook noodles and drain.

In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients together.
Add the
noodles and mix thoroughly.
Pour into Bundt pan and bake at 350
degrees F for one hour or until brown.
Remove from oven, turn
upside down onto plate and serve.

Yields 12 servings.

NOTE: This can be prepared the day before serving.
Refrigerate
it until ready to bake the next day.

Chocolate Hanukkah Stars

1/4 cup Prune Butter (see below)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs worth of egg substitute
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, beat prune butter, sugar and egg substitute on
medium speed of electric mixer.
Stir together flour, cocoa, baking
powder, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until
well blended.
Cover; refrigerate dough until firm enough to
handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness;
cut with star-shaped cookie cutter (can use menorah, dreidel and
others).
Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or
until no imprint remains when touched lightly in the center.
Cool 1
minute; remove cookie sheet to wire rack.
Cool completely.
Sprinkle
with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Prune Butter
Two recipes for prune butter that will obviously give much
different tastes.

Recipe 1 - Simmer for ten minutes 1 cup pitted prunes and 1 cup
water, then purée strained prunes and 1/4 cup cooking
liquid in blender or food processor.

Recipe 2 - Purée 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter to 2
pitted prunes in a blender or food processor.