Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
This recipe is for a dish I rarely make, because my kids like food to be either sweet or savory, not both. This version is especially dear to my heart, as it is very similar to one that my old friend, Robin, loved as a child. Her family recipe was lost for years until a cousin made it and shared her copy, hand written on an index card by Robin’s mother herself. Now you can make it for your family to start a sweet new year. Next on my list: Stuffed cabbage from Eastern Europe, or maybe stuffed onions from Syria. Then, coconut-crusted schnitzel fingers and an adorable confetti mandel bread for Brody, the littlest Zabar.
Enter the Giveaway of: Modern Jewish Comfort Food by Shannon Sarna and Apples and Honey Crate (Kosher) on Instagram (Beginning on Sunday, 9/18 - check back then!) You can also enter by emailing info@zabars.com.
Recipe excerpted with permission from Modern Jewish Comfort Food by Shannon Sarna (The Countryman Press)
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Sweet Dairy Noodle Kugel
Serves 8 to 10
If you asked your average American Jew about noodle kugel, the answer would probably most closely resemble this recipe with butter, cottage cheese, and some kind of sweet, crunchy topping. In truth, this type of sweet kugel was a later addition for European Jews and most likely had farmer cheese (sometimes referred to as pot cheese) as the dairy component, whereas most other kugels are pareve (nondairy) so that they can be enjoyed on Shabbat or holidays when meat is most likely consumed. At the time that kugel arrived on American shores, the sweet noodle version was most prevalent, largely due to the origins of those immigrants.
During the 20th century, Jews made all kinds of changes to kugel based on what was in fashion, and many of those changes persist today. Raisins were replaced with canned pineapple or fruit cocktail. Cornflake topping was also a midcentury addition, reflecting how American Jewry adopted broader culture into their own practices and traditions.
Personally, I never tasted a noodle kugel with dairy until I was a teenager, as we grew up with one sweet and savory noodle kugel, or lokshen pudding as my grandmother called it, for holidays (lokshen is the Yiddish word for “noodles”). But the minute I tasted this variety of sweet cheese–infused kugel I understood why American Jews embraced it so fully. It is decadent and almost dessertlike.
This kugel recipe lends itself to endless variations: swap out the raisins for dried cranberries or dried cherries. You could also use crushed pineapple or fruit cocktail. In addition to the kugel base itself, you can also play around with your toppings, although you can leave your kugel naked on top. Many Ashkenazi American Jews make a sweet dairy noodle kugel like this for Yom Kippur break-fast or Shavuot, when it is traditional to eat dairy foods. It is also great for brunch, or as a nurturing dish to bring someone in need of a comforting meal, like a new mom. This recipe is inspired by my dear friends Yuval and Sarah Brokman, who make this kugel for every special occasion, but you can make it anytime you need a batch of comfort food.
For the base kugel:
Cooking spray for baking dish
1 pound wide egg noodles
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
6 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups full-fat or 4% cottage cheese
¼ cup raisins (optional)
Make the base kugel: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Boil the noodles in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions, around 5 minutes.
While the noodles are cooking, using a handheld mixer and a large bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar for 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese and continue to mix until smooth, another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, cottage cheese, and raisins, if using, and combine.
When the noodles are cooked, drain thoroughly and stir into the egg mixture by hand. Make the topping: Combine the melted butter, cornflake crumbs, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl.
Pour the kugel mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cornflake mixture evenly over the top of the kugel.
For the topping:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup cornflake crumbs
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Topping Variations
Graham crackers
¾ cup graham cracker
crumbs
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Saltines
¾ cup saltine crumbs
½ cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Biscoff cookies
½ cup Biscoff cookie crumbs
¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
