Rugelach

My sister gave me this recipe in 2006 (I know this because it's an email that I printed off). I've made it every year since. It's a favorite with my husband and son, and the girls like them too. They are not large, just 2 bites, but oh, so tasty. 

An easy cream cheese pastry is sprinkled with sugar, dried raisins and cranberries and cinnamon, then rolled up, brushed with egg, and sprinkled with sugar. I used gold sanding sugar this year because I found some in my cupboard, but white sugar works just fine.

Rugelach

Pastry:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup cold butter, cut into cubes

4 oz cold cream cheese, cut into cubes

1 egg, for brushing, whisked to combine yolk and white

sugar for sprinkling

Place flour and icing sugar in a food processor. Mix. Add the butter and cream cheese to the flour mixture and pulse until dough starts to come together. It may take awhile, but be patient, it will turn into a lovely cohesive ball in time. Form into three balls, then flatten each into a disc. Wrap separately in plastic wrap (or parchment paper). Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. The dough can be made ahead, but let it come to room temperature (cool) for better handling.

Filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries

2/3 cup raisins

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Chop the raisins and cranberries together, then combine with the sugar and cinnamon in the food processor. Pulse until chopped a little more, and all the fruit is covered with cinnamon sugar.

On a lightly floured counter, roll each disc into a 12 inch (approximate) circle. Sprinkle with one third of the fruit and sugar mixture. Pat gently into dough. Cut into pie shaped wedges, 12-16 per circle. A pizza-cutter works well for this. Roll each wedge, beginning from the wide end. Place, point down, on a parchment covered baking sheet.

Brush with egg, sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes, or until golden. These freeze well. 

Puffy Omelet with Sauteed Apples

Light and airy, this concoction is more like a souffle than an omelet. Combined with sauteed apples, a drizzle of maple syrup, and accompanied by toast and tea, it makes a fine Saturday morning breakfast. Sausages or bacon on the side wouldn't come amiss. Best of all, it can be whipped together from eggshell to plate in less than 25 minutes.

Puffy Omelet

4 eggs, separated

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon butter

In mixing bowl, beat egg whites with the water and salt until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and pepper until thick and lemon coloured. Fold into the egg whites.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a 10 inch skillet with an ovenproof handle, melt the butter over medium heat. Pour the omelet mixture into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium low, letting the omelet cook, without disturbing it, until puffy, about 5 minutes. Don't let the bottom burn.

Place in oven to finish cooking, 12 to 15 minutes. While the omelet bakes, prepare the apples.

Sauteed Apples

1-2 apples, quartered and cored (I like to leave the peel on, but that's up to you)

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and stir gently until they begin to slightly soften. Add the brown sugar, stir until all the apples are coated. Add the water and maple syrup. Let the mixture simmer gently until the apples are tender but still hold together.

To serve, slide the omelet onto a plate, score across the middle, spoon the apples on one side and flip the other side over top. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Pear Cranberry Crisp

Warm, spicy, tart, sweet - this crisp has it all. I like a high topping to fruit ratio in my dessert and baking this in a shallow dish allowed for a good balance of crisp, sweet earthy crumbiness and soft, juicy fruitiness. What makes it special is the addition of candied ginger to the crumb mixture. 

This is a riff on the standard Betty Crocker apple crisp recipe that I've used for years. I don't think Betty would mind the liberties I've taken.

Pear Cranberry Crisp

2 - 4 large ripe pears, quartered, then cored and cubed (I left the peels on)

1/3 cup fresh cranberries (frozen are fine)

Place the fruit in a shallow baking dish, 8 x 8 inches, or equivalent. I should mention that in the above photo, I used only 2 pears because that's what I had, and because of the aforementioned desire for a high crumb to fruit ratio. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Topping:

2/3 cup brown sugar (packed) 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats

1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (if you use pre-ground nutmeg, increase to 3/4 tsp)

1/3 cup butter, softened

Mix all of the above in a medium bowl, using your fingers to achieve a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle over the fruit. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until the pears are tender and the topping a rich golden brown. Serve warm. 

Try it with some softly whipped cream, lightly sweetened, with a touch of vanilla. I didn't, and the dessert was wonderful, but I can imagine it would only be improved with the cream. 

Apple Pastry Squares

In the 1970s, Better Homes and Gardens published a series of cookbooks. In hardcover, the book titles included "Salads," "Cooking for Two," "Meals on a Budget," and "Homemade Cookies." My mother and my aunt had a lot of those books and I loved looking through them. When I married, I collected a few of my own, which I still have, including the last one listed, from which this recipe is taken.

I noted that I first made the recipe on April 9, 1980, and put a star beside it. I'd give it the same rating today, especially with the changes I've made. The pastry is flaky and crisp, the apple filling not too sweet, and the drizzled icing adds the last layer of flavor. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee for dessert. Some like it with ice cream, I prefer it plain.

Regarding what kind of apples to use - I tend to use whatever is in the fridge. Granny Smiths are good and tart. Today I used a couple of small apples scavenged from an abandoned tree, plus some organic Honey Crisp apples from the store. 

Apple Pastry Squares


For the pastry:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, separated
about 2/3 cup milk


In a food processor, combine the salt and flour. Cut the butter into chunks, place on top of the flour and pulse until fine crumbs form. Place the egg yolk in a measuring cup and add milk to make 3/4 cup. Whisk slightly, pour over the flour/butter mixture and pulse just until the dough comes together. Wrap in waxed paper and chill about 10 minutes.


Filling:
1 cup granola (or Corn Flakes)
4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Divide dough in half. Cut a sheet of parchment paper that will fit into a 15.5 x 10.5 x 1 inch baking sheet with some overlap. On the paper, roll one half of the dough into a rectangle, about 15 x 10 inches. The dough is quite soft and fragile, but mends easily. Add flour to the surface as needed to prevent sticking. Lift the parchment paper and dough and place into the baking pan. 


Sprinkle the granola over the pastry in the pan, leaving about 1/2 inch free around the edges. Top with the apple slices. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples. 


Roll the remaining pastry and place over the apples. Seal the edges. Cut small slits in the top of the pastry. Beat the egg white until frothy, brush over the pastry top. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. The pastry will be golden brown and the apples tender.


Glaze:
1 cup icing (powdered) sugar
3-4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


While the pastry is still warm, drizzle the glaze over top. 

Eggplant and Kale Bake

Wow, I've been away from this blog for quite awhile. It's not that I haven't been cooking! 

This recipe is a little of this and a little of that, making it up as I went along. But the result was really good - a meatless entrée that filled our tummies with satisfying goodness. Rich tomato sauce, eggplant slices with a bit of kale from the garden and cheese in between, topped with a little more cheese - who needs meat? 

There are a few steps to this recipe, especially if you make your own tomato sauce, which I did. I won't give you a recipe for that, I'm sure everyone has their favorite. It should be a nice thick chunky sauce, whether you buy it in a jar or cook it up yourself and fill the kitchen with delectable fragrance. But the recipe can be made ahead, and even frozen for future baking.

Eggplant and Kale Bake

1 large eggplant, washed, sliced crosswise in 1/2 inch slices

olive oil

salt, pepper

2 cups of washed, coarsely chopped kale (Spinach or Swiss chard would also work)

2-3 cups of thick tomato sauce

1 cup fresh cheese (ricotta) I used a fresh cheese from Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, just down the road)

1 egg

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (or Fontina)

Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil. Place them in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees until tender, turning them over once. This will take 20-30 minutes in total.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the kale and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain well. Cool. Press out any remaining water.

Combine the fresh cheese, kale, egg, Parmesan cheese, oregano and basil until well mixed.

In an 8 inch square baking pan, spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Place slices of eggplant over to cover. Top with 1/2 of the kale cheese mixture. Spoon 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the tomato sauce over. Repeat layers. Top with a final layer of eggplant slices and the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the grated Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and hot throughout.

Makes four generous servings.  

Squash and Green Beans

Faced with an abundance of crookneck squash, I came up with this recipe that includes a few green beans, red onion, and a balsamic vinegar and fresh basil finish. It's mellow and goes with almost anything.

Squash and Green Beans

1 medium crookneck squash, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 cups green beans, tipped and cut into 1-inch lengths

1/4 of a large red onion

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)

1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sliced fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions for about 1 minute. Add the squash and green beans. Continue sautéeing for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer 5-10 minutes or until tender crisp. Uncover the skillet and let the mixture simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone. Add the balsamic vinegar, season to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh basil.

Blueberry Clafoutis

In the past I've made cherry clafoutis, and peach clafoutis. Tonight I thought a blueberry clafoutis sounded good. And it was. I used basically the same recipe as for the cherry clafoutis, with slight alterations.

Blueberry Clafoutis

2 cups washed blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup cream

pinch of salt

cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 or 10 inch round baking dish. Place the blueberries in the bottom of the dish.

Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until creamy and light-coloured. Beat in the flour, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and cream. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.

Pour the batter over the blueberries. It will be thin. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, or icing sugar over top. Serve warm.