Kugelly-goodness

When my friend said, “hey I’m having a brunch, please come” I thought, ‘what fun! a brunch’. Till she said, “what would you like to bring”. She being Jewish I immediately blurted out, ‘Oh I’ll be bringing kugel” Mind you at the second my mouth opened and my tongue started spewing out the words my brain was screaming “you have NO idea what a kugel is!!” Except I knew it was Jewish and had noodles.

So being the researcher I am, I went to that font of all knowledge, that oracle we now all rely on, the internet. Typing “koogle” in Yahoo search did not confuse the internet into thinking that I really meant “Google”. Instead I got an interesting list of sites that were loosely affiliated with the dish. But none really hit the mark for me until I happened on this non-noodle matzo based version. You can find it by clicking to The Food Network at this link HERE.

The Recipe
Creamy Matzo-Apple Kugel
Courtesy of The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook by Sharon Lebewohl and Rena Bulkin, Villard, 1999

This sweet and creamy kugel makes an impressive centerpiece for a Passover brunch. You can also serve it for dessert.

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 3/4-inch slices, 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds
10 squares plain unsalted matzo
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Softened butter for greasing pan
Confectioners’ sugar

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet and saute apple slices on high heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add 2 teaspoons butter to the skillet, lower heat to medium, and quickly saute raisins and almonds, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn them. Add to bowl with apples, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place matzo squares in another large bowl, and run cool water over them to soften. Crumble the matzo, and drain in a colander. Return drained matzo to bowl.

Combine eggs with matzo and stir well. In another bowl, mix sour cream and cream cheese thoroughly. Then add it to the matzo mixture, along with sugar, cinnamon, salt, and fruit-nut mixture. Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Grease a 10-inch square Pyrex baking pan (or similar) with butter (use quite a bit), pour mixture into pan, and bake for 50 minutes or until top is a light golden brown. Let cool on counter. Loosen sides with a knife, place a large platter over the baking pan, and carefully turn the kugel out onto the platter. If any pieces stick in the pan, just put them in place. When cooled, sprinkle top with confectioners’ sugar (best done through a sieve or sifter). YOu can serve this kugel warm (not hot) or at room temperature, but we like it best chilled in the refrigerator with the confectioners’ sugar added just prior to serving.

The Cook’s thoughts
* First of all, this has Almonds in it so a NUT WARNING needs to be heeded.
* Cut all the ingredients up first and put them into bowls. The recipe moves pretty fast once you start and you won’t have time to cut things up. Do it ahead and get it ready.
* Be very careful you don’t burn the apples - On my stove I had to stir very frequently
* Be very careful you don’t burn the almonds and raisins - burn these and the whole dish tastes like burnt almonds and raisins - very icky.
* If you have an extra hot oven that though you set it for 350 it’s really 375, then keep the dish in only 45 minutes.
* Once the matzo is crumbled into the bowl, MASH it somewhat so it’s more crumbly in the bowl prior to actually putting the 4 eggs in.

And what did those who ate it think?
* “Nice consistency, The after taste of cinnamon and apple is wonderful, it lingers making you hungry for more. Might be best with fresh whipped cream on top.”
* “After a night in the fridge it is AMAZINGLY good. very nice texture, mild flavor, appley and nutty. Dusting with confectioner sugar is just the right amount of sweetener.”
* All teenagers who tried it (from 15 - 18) liked it!