Wishing You a Sweet New Year!

Frances Maggin's Applesauce Cake - the recipe comes with a great story!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Wednesday. It is a time of joy and anticipation, as well as an opportunity for consideration and reflection.

It's traditional to usher in the new year with apples and honey and other treats, in hopes of a sweet new year. So here are some of my favorite holiday recipes, which I hope you'll enjoy - for Rosh Hashanah, for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur, to celebrate fall, or just 'cause ... :)

Shanah Tovah! [shah-NAH toh-VAH]


Frances Maggin's Applesauce Cake

Pomegranate Molasses-Glazed Carrots

Helen's Apple Cake (Craig's mother's recipe)

Southern Honey Cake

Apple Almond Kugel (one of my most requested recipes)

Challah

Cider-Braised Chicken (Jeremy's favorite chicken dish)

Quince-Glazed Baked Yams

Honey Cakes with Caramel Frosting

Sauteed Apples a la Mode

Applesauce Bars

Vanilla Cakes with Caramelized Bananas (pictured above)

Sugar Cookies

Banana Oatmeal Pie

Grilled Brie with Cherries and Almonds

Orange, Date and Almond Salad

Top 13 of '13

The Carrot Cake at Village Kitchen.

Well, it's that time of year again - the end of December. Time to assess the past 12 months and the 1100 or so meals I've eaten, if you consider 365 days x 3 meals/day. (Snacks and whatnot likely take that number much higher!)

As always, I've eaten very well - I've been fed amazing items at friends' houses, in restaurants, at celebrations, by caterers, as gifts, and even at meals I've cooked myself. Some AnnArbor.com readers used to get snotty if I included my own dishes in my end-of-the-year round-up; but I'm not too shabby a cook, even if I'm not a gourmet chef, and I do make some really memorable items sometimes. Why shouldn't I be proud of myself and include them?

So, there's a range of foods and beverages here that showcases some of the most decadent, most delicious, and most special things I've enjoyed in 2013 - things I'd want to have again and again or, in some cases, the best version of something that I've yet made. In honor of the year that's ending, I've decided to give you a baker's dozen (since there seems to be an abundance of baked goods featured!).

And so, in no particular order, I offer my Top 13 of '13!

Photo courtesy of SequinWines.com

Sequin Sparkling Rosé: Its own site describes it as "captur(ing) the life of the party - light on its feet, yet dreamy and fresh. Delicate bubbles and shimmering flavors of lush strawberry, exotic lychee and lively citrus make this enchanting wine always worthy of a toast." My friend Mary said, "I can't think of anyone more perfect to receive a gift box of wines called Sequin wines!" Jeremy told me that this is "SO you!!!" Yes ... yes, it is. A lovely sweet, sparkly wine that's pink - my favorite color! What more did I need, except my handsome boyfriend to share it with?

Carrot Cake at Village Kitchen: "... I walked past the dessert case, and became completely smitten with the carrot cake .... This is so rich, so intense, so wonderful! I couldn't resist." Four layers of moist, sweet cake schmeared with luscious cream cheese frosting ... sigh.

Blue Cheese Crostini: Warm, crisp, gooey, rich, addictive. "Even Craig, who loathed blue cheese before he met me, has apparently become a convert and relished these." They'd make a great treat to serve with champagne or sparkling cider - or Sequin Sparkling Rose! - at your New Year's Eve celebration.

Amanda's Kugel: I should include this every year, and so I decided it was time to give my friend Amanda Fisher some love. Amanda is a caterer who offers simple, sophisticated, stellar food. And when she makes her sweet, cinnamon-scented noodle kugel, it's a good day at work. Amanda will be in the kitchen down the hall from my desk, preparing for an event, and we'll be taunted and teased with the aroma of kugel baking. Often, since she's a sweetheart, she'll make one just for the staff to enjoy. And we start calling our co-workers: "There's 'Amanda kugel' in the Conference Room." I'm serious - Amanda bringing us kugel is an event to announce! I brought some home for Jeremy one time, and he was very blasé. "Why aren't you eating it? I'm saving it for you." "Meh, I don't like kugel as much as you do." "But it's AMANDA kugel!" "Fine ...," he said with significant annoyance and irritation at being interrupted in the midst of whatever he was doing. Taste. Pause. "Wow. Amanda makes a better kugel than you do." I know!!! I make some great kugels, if I may say so myself. Amanda's is still better.

Maple Almond Sweet Potatoes: This dish, "enhanced with maple syrup (is) easy to make ahead and to reheat, so your holiday meal isn't any more chaotic than is necessarily inherent to putting on a feast. It was unanimously agreed at Thanksgiving that this was the best sweet potato dish I've ever made. And since I love sweet potatoes and cook with them all the time, that was exceptional praise, indeed!" There have been a lot of other dishes competing for that honor over the years, but this was the sweet potato winner of all time, apparently. That it was made with the beautiful Grade B maple syrup from Sweet Brook Farm that my friend Kate had brought me from Massachusetts only made things - yup, you know it's coming! - sweeter!

Baba Ghanouj at Ali Baba's Restaurant: I'm not usually a fan of eggplant, particularly of baba ghanouj. But that changed one day when my co-worker, Beth, and I ordered take-out from Ali Baba. I'd been there with Craig just recently, and could definitely vouch for how good the food was. But you know me - I like variety. I didn't want to order what I'd already enjoyed, so I tried a vegetarian combo that included baba ghanouj. I wasn't going to let the eggplant deter me, since it came with tabouli, hummus, and warm pita bread that I love. And when I tasted it, I was amazed - it was the best part of the assortment! It was smoky, almost - dare I say it? (I mean it as a huge compliment!) - bacon-y. When I go back to Ali Baba, I will absolutely make sure I order the baba ghanouj again ... something I've never said about any other version that I've eaten.

The King Burger at The Full House Restaurant: Just a good ol'-fashioned burger with no pretense, beautiful in its simplicity. Build a Better Burger, a famous cooking competition, wants 15-ingredient sauces, 86-ingredient marinades, 23-ingredient salad toppings, and 56-ingredient condiments (I exaggerate ... but not that much), combining far too many competing flavors and masking the purity of the burger itself. Full House lets quality ingredients shine so that you can actually taste the beef, the seasoning, the lettuce, the tomato ....

Syl's Mandelbrot: "Craig's Aunt Syl, his mother Helen's twin sister, seems to have been a particularly noted baker. And her recipe for mandelbrot - Anglicized to 'Mandel Bread' - is excellent. I've prepared a lot of biscotti and mandelbrot in my many years of baking, and this one is absolutely the easiest to mix, to shape, and to slice that I've found. The finished cookies aren't too crisp, either, as some variations on this treat require dunking rather than merely being enhanced by a dip into coffee or wine; these can be eaten 'as is.' And, best of all, the mandelbrot taste really great, too!"

Apple Fritter at Dimo's Deli and Donuts: "I dare you to walk in that door, smell all the sugar perfuming the air and infusing it with happiness — Craig and I actually stopped and stood still, just to savor the fragrance — and then order anything but an apple fritter. It looks up at you from the display case, makes eye contact, flirts shamelessly; it might even be whispering sweet nothings in French. You can't help yourself. You may briefly think about the consequences, but you know in your heart that resistance is futile. The apple fritter ... has chalked up another notch on its bedpost, having seduced you. But don't feel the least bit guilty for your lack of willpower. It was worth it."

Pączki [POONCH-key] from the New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck: My BFF Wendy and I made the not-quite-hour-long trek to Hamtramck [ham-TRAM-ick], a traditionally Polish community which is mostly (but not entirely) surrounded by Detroit, for Pączki Day. "In Polish communities, all the butter, eggs, sugar, cream, lard, and other items that are about to become verboten during Lent - as Christians prepare for Easter through a combination of sacrifice, abstinence, fasting, and penitence - are embedded into sturdy, luscious pączki." Thus, while Brazilians have Carnival and New Orleans has Mardi Gras, in Michigan we have Pączki Day on the day before Ash Wednesday. Pączki are reminiscent of, but go far beyond being, mere jelly doughnuts. And the spirit of conviviality and jubilation among fellow celebrants waiting in line to get into the bakery - huddling together happily in the cold, smelling joy as the sugar perfumes the air, cheering as another customer inches back through the crowd after successfully buying dozens of treats to share with loved ones - is grand fun.  Partly it's about the pączki, but mostly it's about the experience.

The Fat Elvis Cookie from Dino's Lounge at Baconfest Michigan 2013: "... peanut butter and banana cookies with chocolate chips, frosted with strawberry jam and sprinkled with candied bacon." Need I say more??? It had the whole sweet-salty, crispy-chewy contrast party going on, all in one treat! 

Pear Compote with Gingered Shortbread Crumbs: "This dessert - sophisticated comfort food - turned out far, far better than I'd even hoped!  Sweet pears, accented by the (Gnarly Head) Chardonnay, layered with crisp and buttery cookies ... sigh.  I had planned to save some of this to take to work the next day, a treat to look forward to; but it was so exceptionally good that I devoured the entire thing in one sitting!"

Chocolate, Caramel, and Pumpkin Devastation Torte at the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan Cookie Bake-Off Benefit: I had the enormous thrill of being the emcee for this event, which raises money to support troops for low-income girls, those who are at risk, and those whose mothers are in jail, enabling the girls to have all the fun and all the support of the Girl Scouts at a critical time in their lives. The Bake-off is fabulous - there are live and silent auctions, a raffle, and a competition at which area pastry chefs take Girl Scout cookies and transform them into beautiful new desserts ... as though Girl Scout cookies aren't already one of the greatest foods on Earth! Cheryl Hanewich of The Moveable Feast won not only the 1st Place Judge's Choice Award, but also the People's Choice Award, with this unbelievably luscious combination of cake, cream, caramel, spun sugar, cookies, and just utter deliciousness. There was an extraordinary array of beautiful, decadent treats, but this one - pun intended! - took the cake ... :)

I had hoped to have my "Word of the Year" post ready for the 1st, but there's been a delay. Some pending circumstances might influence my choice, but nothing will be resolved until possibly next week ... I know, what a tease! Just stay tuned ....

Cappuccino Chip Kugel

I received a package of granola in the mail - I always appreciate gifts of food! Jessica's Natural Foods, based less than an hour away in Birmingham, had sent samples of its Almond Cherry variety and also its new chocolate-hazelnut one, Motor City Crunch.

Because the products are made with oats that are certified gluten-free, I started thinking about other dietary concerns, as well, and decided to make a dish that is normally off-limits to those who have issues with gluten and also with dairy. Since one of my very favorite foods is kugel - a sweet noodle pudding which is prohibitive to many because of its pasta, sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, and crumb topping - I thought it would be a perfect thing to make.

Often, foods that make significant substitutions of ingredients to accommodate health concerns can have an odd consistency or an "off" taste. This kugel, however, baked up beautifully and was a huge hit with everyone who tried it; until I told them that it was both gluten- and dairy-free, no one knew there was anything different about it.

I love kugel, and so I'm happy to welcome those who couldn't eat it before to the party! It's a great cold weather comfort food.

Cappuccino Chip Kugel

Noodles:
8 ounces medium gluten-free noodles
1 12-ounce container Tofutti sour cream
2 tablespoons instant decaf coffee granules
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup pareve/non-dairy chocolate chips

Topping:
1/2 cup Jessica's Gluten-Free Motor City Crunch granola
1/2 cup Jessica's Gluten-Free Almond Cherry granola
1/4 cup sliced almonds, chopped
1/8 cup brown sugar
small pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9" round baking pan.

Cook the noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together sour cream, coffee granules, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drain noodles, rinse briefly under cold water, then add to the sour cream mixture; combine well, then pour into prepared baking pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together granolas, almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted margarine over the granola mixture, stir to combine, then sprinkle over noodles.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes about 10 servings.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Kugel ... and it's vegan!

Anyone who's been following along on my adventures knows I believe firmly that kugel [KOO-guhl] is one of the great foods in the universe. There are savory versions; but to me, kugel is a sweet, creamy, luscious noodle pudding ... consummate comfort food. And that, of course, makes it perfect for breakfast, for brunch, as an accompaniment to lunch, as a partner for afternoon tea, for dessert ....

I've made numerous varieties of kugel over the years - chocolate and cherry, apple and almond (which is probably my most requested recipe). They all contain rich dairy products, to make them utterly decadent.

In honor of Ann Arbor Veg Week, which started on Monday, I've taken a pledge to eat a vegetarian diet until Sunday. And as part of that commitment, I'm trying to make some vegan dishes, as well - not just ones that are inherently meat- and dairy-free, but attempts to make healthier versions of beloved favorites.

While I was contemplating what to write about for my meat-free posts, my friend/co-worker Karan brought some kugel for the office staff at lunchtime one day - it was still warm from the oven, fragrant, delicious. And it was then, while enjoying this consummate dairy dish, that I had an epiphany:

Make a vegan kugel. No sour cream. No cottage cheese. No butter. No eggs. No animal products at all.

Vegan. Kugel. These aren't words that would normally play nicely together in my vocabulary. But I like a challenge, and so off I went on my little diversion!

I made sure to buy egg-free noodles, and I knew that I couldn't use eggs to bind the ingredients together, either. I bought Tofutti non-hydrogenated sour cream, and I also bought soymilk-based yogurt. As I perused the various flavors, I chose strawberry because I had yet another epiphany: the traditional crumb topping could be made with chocolate Cheerios and chocolate graham crackers to make a dish inspired by a chocolate-covered strawberry!

I boiled, I stirred, I baked, I waited. Once the kugel cooled enough to taste it, Jeremy was a willing guinea pig. He told me that if I hadn't told him it was vegan, he would never have known that there was anything unusual about the dish. It offered the expected creaminess and crunch, and his favorite bites contained bits of fresh strawberries. He really enjoyed it!

And the best part about this? Almost everyone else can enjoy it, too, no matter their dietary issues or preferences. Use gluten-free noodles, and you've likely met requirements for everyone!


Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Kugel

Noodles:
1 12-ounce package egg-free noodles
1 12-ounce container Tofutti sour cream
2 5.3-ounce containers Silk dairy-free strawberry yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups chopped strawberries

Topping:
2 rectangles chocolate graham crackers
2 cups chocolate Cheerios
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish.

Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, yogurt, sugar, salt, vanilla, and strawberries. Add noodles, stir to combine, and pour noodles into prepared casserole dish.

Grind graham crackers and Cheerios into crumbs; place into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon, then stir in margarine with a fork until crumbs are moistened. Place crumbs over the noodles, and bake for 30 minutes until topping is toasted and the noodle layer is bubbly.

Let cool, then serve.

Makes 12 generous servings.

"The Kosher King of Ann Arbor"

I recently had a fabulous time talking with Emil Boch, chef/co-owner of From the Hearth Food - a catering service offering kosher, vegetarian and vegan dishes - and chef at the University of Michigan Hillel during the school year.  I'd heard only raves about the food Emil serves, including such stellar accolades as this one, from Jeannie Ballew of entre-SLAM:


"I truly can't say enough of this man's cooking.  It is ethereal, other worldly, intoxicating.  He uses only the freshest locally produced ingredients and produce and just seems to have a magical touch with every dish he prepares."

Wow.

So many people I know, from friends to acquaintances, were offering such extraordinary compliments about Emil's cooking - simple lunches at Hillel, take-home Shabbat dinners, catering options for special events - that I simply had to meet this man!

A native of Ortonville, Michigan, Emil is a proponent of the Slow Food movement and its dedication to sustainability, local sourcing, organics, and traditional handmade foods.  He engages in cheese making and charcuterie in his spare time, and received specialized training in Europe to further his knowledge of these hand crafts.  As the bio on his catering site states, Emil "draws inspiration from flavors of India, Latin America, France and Asia, but his style would be best described as New American."  Emil is influenced by many cultures and foods, and brings all of these together to create his own fabulous cuisine.

My friend Donna Shewach, one of Emil's most avid devotees, states that "Emil's cooking can be summed up in two words: simply delicious!  Everything he makes - from soups to main dishes, sides to desserts - is packed with flavor.  His creative use of seasoning and spices from all over the world make his dinners unique and irresistibly delicious ... always innovative and memorable."

Like so many others who are tremendously creative, Emil is a former art student; one of the reasons he left the art community, though, is because he felt he couldn't give up his pieces because of a deep "emotional attachment."  His high level of commitment now finds itself invested in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti community - good friends with many other restaurant and brewery owners, a regular chef at Selma Cafe breakfasts, and a volunteer with local food and farm projects.  From the Hearth Food will once again be one of many sponsors at this month's entre-SLAM, a networking event for entrepreneurs, being held at 7 p.m. this Thursday, May 31 at LIVE Ann Arbor (click here to register).

Emil was raised vegetarian and his mother cooked many ethnic foods, so he's well versed in specialized diets and a wide variety of flavors.  Although he's not Jewish, which enables him to work at Hillel during times when work is forbidden to observant Jews, Emil is considered "the Kosher king of Ann Arbor" for the inventive and distinctive dishes he has created in accordance with the dietary laws, as well as for his updates of traditional dishes.  (He can either cook in a home kitchen or in the Hillel kitchen, to certify kashrut standards.)

As Donna, an avowed foodie who keeps kosher, tells me: "When he catered dinner at my home, Emil was wonderful at accommodating all of our dietary preferences, including his delicious vegan dishes that the omnivores enjoyed too."  She also notes that while "Emil's dinners are exceptional by anyone's standards ... if you happen to keep kosher it's an added bonus" that this chef is skilled at preparing meals that go so far beyond the familiar chicken dinner or brisket.  Emil likes to serve "frat boy portions" that are extremely generous, which is great because Donna says "you’re going to want leftovers to enjoy the next day."

Emil is warm, friendly, and immensely likable - if his parking meter hadn't been on the verge of running out, we may very well have kept talking for another hour about everything from Jewish cuisine to the Pixies.  I normally need a flow chart to follow my own tangents, and Emil's quick thinking and gregarious nature even put me to shame!  Not only would you enjoy the food he prepares, but he would be wonderful to work with in planning an event, as well.

Emil very generously shared two different Jewish-influenced recipes: the Carrot Ginger Kugel pictured below and one for Home Cured Salmon, both of which would be perfect for light summertime meals.  From the Hearth Food's website also gives sample menus, to give an even better overview of his abilities and offerings.

You could prepare these dishes yourself, of course.  But as Emil says, because of his very small "family-type business," when you hire him you're "directly supporting" him and his wife and those he hires for events, rather than any large entity or corporation.  So why not let Emil cater a summer event - small or large scale - so you can taste for yourself the amazing dishes that Ann Arborites are so enamored of?


Chef Emil Boch
FromtheHearthFood@yahoo.com
734-645-7308

Easy Carrot Ginger Kugel

4 cups finely chopped carrots, peeled (5-6 medium-sized carrots)

1 cup finely chopped apple, peeled and cored (approximately 1 large apple)

1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

6 eggs

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a 9" round cake pan with butter or oil.

Process carrots and apple in food processor until finely chopped.  Add all other ingredients and process until well mixed, fluffy, and foamy.  Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly and serve warm, or chill overnight and serve cold.

Home Cured Salmon

1 whole side of salmon, 2-3 lbs

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 tablespoons pink peppercorns

1 tablespoons lemon zest

1. Place your salmon filet on a cookie sheet.

2. Rub filet on both sides evenly with the salt, sugar, lemon zest, and spices.

3. Place in a ziplock bag or "brining bag" and place in the refrigerator for up to 24-48 hours, turning over every 12 hours.

4. Rinse the salmon of all of the seasoning and pat dry.

5. Brush lightly with olive oil and garnish with fresh dill and tarragon.

Apple Almond Kugel for Rosh Hashanah

My friend Debbie Vanni at The Culinary Cellar very graciously invited me to write a guest post for Rosh Hashanah. Thank you, Debbie, for the fabulous honor!

So go visit her fabulous site devoted to recipes and cookbooks, and you'll find us celebrating the new year and reviewing the past one while sharing a sweet treat: Apple Almond Kugel. 'Cause it's not a Jewish party without kugel, after all - a traditional creamy noodle pudding with a crunchy, cinnamony topping.

I've baked a lot of kugels over the years, but Jeremy told me that this is "the best one you've ever made!" Pretty high praise ... :)

Shana Tovah!!! [shah-NAH toh-VAH]

May you have a sweet new year!

Note: Debbie plans to post the recipe tomorrow, for the first full day of Rosh Hashanah. If you must see it now, check it out on AnnArbor.com ... but still be sure to visit Debbie and say "hi!"

One Fine Day

I have the most amazing day planned, with an adundance of gratitude to my gorgeous friend Mimi for inviting me along on the adventure!

The first order of business -- literally -- will be going to work. I like to eat, so I've gotta earn some money.

But then I get to leave early to play hooky and also play hostess: the fabulous cookbook author Joan Nathan is coming to town today for a book signing and presentation ... and Mimi (Cultural Arts and Education Director at the Jewish Community Center here in Ann Arbor) asked me to help her escort Joan this afternoon!!! I'll catch up with Joan at 4 o'clock at Zingerman's Deli, where everyone is welcome to come and visit during a "meet 'n' greet" session, and then we'll head to a lovely, lovely dinner.

And where will dinner be held for a woman who's traveled all over the world and could have eaten at any of Ann Arbor's hundreds of fabulous restaurants??? At eve, the one restaurant Joan said she absolutely wanted to go to, featuring the one chef she wanted to meet during her brief visit here -- Eve Aronoff, who had appeared on Bravo's "Top Chef "and whose restaurant was recently named one of the very best ones in the Detroit area.

Then there will be the much-anticipated appearance at the Jewish Book Festival tonight with moderator (and Zingerman's co-founder) Ari Weinzweig at 7:30, where I will get my new cookbook -- Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Food in France -- autographed ... sigh ... :)

So stay tuned to hear all about the luscious dinner, the conversation, the entire escape from daily routine! And in the meantime, read all about the Chocolate Almond Cake I baked recently with a 400-year-old recipe featured in Joan's new cookbook. Tom said I should rename it "Chocolate Orgasm Cake;" and it's hard to argue that point -- there is more than half-a-pound of chocolate in this magnificent specimen!

Here's the link to my post on AnnArbor.com: C'est Magnifique! Exquisite French Chocolate Cake Recipe Doesn't Disappoint. Read it, go shopping, and bake the cake. I promise you won't be disappointed either ....

Chocolate 'n' Cherries ... Need I Say More???

I love kugel [KOO-guhl] -- a noodle pudding served for dessert or as a side dish. I absolutely adore it. It's sweet, it's creamy, and I can delude myself that it has redeeming nutritional qualities because I use part-skim ricotta, low-fat sour cream and whole wheat noodles.

Of course, reality is quite the contrary to this little fantasy. There are eggs (though only 2 for the entire 9"x13" pan!), there is butter in the topping (but only 1/4 cup!), and both sugar and brown sugar make appearances. Oh, well. Sometimes you just have to have some fun, and then run a marathon ... or at least contemplate the prospect, hoping it will burn off at least a few calories if you think about it really hard.

Jeremy has been asking me to make a chocolate-cherry kugel for awhile now. Well, I needed to make food for Rosh Hashanah, right? Holiday food. Celebratory food. And it's not a Jewish party without kugel. So, this was the time to try it.

I took my basic kugel recipe, added some of the hand-pitted cherries I'd frozen this summer, threw in a generous quantity of chocolate chips (because why be stingy with them???), and substituted chocolate graham cracker crumbs for the standard ones I usually use for a topping. I put it into the oven while Jeremy and his buddy Robby were upstairs, and when they came out of Jeremy's room I heard them say "It smells good in here!" and "It smells like pie!" Aromatherapy at its finest!

And in summation, let me tell you what Jeremy's friend Andrew said when he got a chance to try it: "This is like eating crack."

'Nuff said -- stop reading and go make kugel!


Chocolate Cherry Kugel

1-1/2 cups tart cherries
1/2 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup + 3/4 cup sugar
1 12-ounce package whole wheat noodles
1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 16-ounce container low-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 rectangles chocolate graham crackers, ground into crumbs1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine cherries, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl; let macerate for 1 hour, then drain and chop.

Prepare noodles according to package directions; drain.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, sour cream, salt, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 3/4 cup sugar, and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips, cherries and noodles.

Pour mixture into a greased 9"x13" casserole dish.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon; pour melted butter over the mixture and stir to combine.

Spread crumbs over the top of the noodles, then bake the kugel for 45 minutes until the edges are bubbly and a knife inserted into the center comes out nearly clean. Let the kugel rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Kugel for Comfort

Shavuot [shah-voo-WOTE] is one of my very favorite Jewish holidays, and it begins at sundown tonight. It commemorates bestowing the Torah upon the Israelites and the beginning of their covenant with God; and the holiday is welcomed with a variety of learning and study sessions, which can only be enticing to someone whose ex-husband once referred to her as an "intellectual snob." (Not true!!! Though I do admit to difficulty in suffering fools ....)

To a food-obsessed chickie like moi, though, Shavuot is really about the cheesecake ... and the blintzes ... and the ice cream. Because it's traditional to eat dairy foods at Shavuot, so you get a free pass to eat all the creamy goodies you can stand. This morning I made a sweet kugel [KOO-guhl] that not only made the house smell wonderful to greet the day, but which will then be ready for me to simply re-heat when I get home later tonight after taking our anonymous patient home from the hospital. Kugel is comfort food supreme, and will be much appreciated after a long day.

I debated whether to go for the gusto and make blintzes, which just struck me as too much work after an exhausting several weeks having led up to the weekend's hospitalization. Make crepes, fill crepes, fold crepes, fry crepes ... and do I really want to clean up the mess??? So then I considered my traditional blintz casserole, which is not what everyone else's blintz casserole seems to be. Others take frozen blintzes and place them into a baking dish, then pour a creamy batter over them before baking and slicing. Mine involves pouring some crepe batter into the bottom of a dish, baking it just until set, then topping that with the cheese filling and pouring the rest of the crepe batter over the top; once it bakes, it is cut into squares. But I didn't feel like making that, either ... no reason, just 'cause. Feeling fickle today, I guess, since I usually love anything blintz-like.

But a craving struck, and it struck like a flash of both lightning and brilliance: kugel, a noodle casserole without which a Jewish feast is not complete. I'm not too big a fan of the savory kugels; and the Kugel Yerushalayim -- with caramelized sugar and black pepper, which Israelis adore -- is fairly dry and crunchy and disgusting, in my opinion. But give me ricotta cheese, sour cream, a hint of almond and lemon, and a generous amount of cinnamon .. oh, I am a happy, happy girl!

And since this dish involves noodles, it met the one very easy and welcoming condition for joining the Presto Pasta Nights recipe round-up I just signed up for yesterday. Susan, of The Well-Seasoned Cook, is our charming hostess this week; but we must not forget the fabulous woman who began it all -- Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast. Thanks for letting me crash the party -- what a fabulous way to collect recipes and make new friends!!!

Sweet Kugel

Kugel:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
grated zest from 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 12-ounce package whole wheat noodles, cooked according to package directions

Topping:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Nilla wafers, crushed fine
1 cup Barbara's Shredded Spoonfuls cereal, crushed fine

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine ricotta, sour cream, almond extract, lemon zest, salt, sugar and eggs in a large bowl.

Stir in noodles, then place into a greased 9"x13" baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over kugel.


Bake for 40-45 minutes until topping is golden, some of the noodles are a bit crisp, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let set for 15 minutes before serving. It's best served warm, and reheats beautifully.

Hag Sameach!!! [HAHG sah-MAY-yahk] = "Happy Holiday!" in Hebrew