6. Bake one pan at a time for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 1 to 2 minutes (do not wait too long or the fig paste will stick to the parchment paper). Using an offset spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining pans. 7. Rugelach can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Rolled, unbaked rugelach can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
classic cream cheese dough Yield: 2 (13- by 18-inch) sheets of dough Ingredients: • 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature • ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes Directions: 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium speed for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and mix on medium speed to combine, 10 to 15 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on medium speed until aerated, approximately 3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. 2. On medium speed, add the vanilla, mixing briefly until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to bring the batter together. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salts. 3. Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together but still looks shaggy, approximately 30 seconds. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. With a plastic bench scraper, bring the dough completely together by hand. 4. Stretch two sheets of plastic wrap on a work surface. Divide the dough in half (each half will weigh around 14 ½ ounces) and place a half on each piece of plastic. Pat the dough into rectangles, wrap tightly, and refrigerate until chilled throughout, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Note: For a variation, make the cream cheese dough with 2 ounces of grated 70% cacao chocolate ground into the flour in a food processor before mixing the dough. 52
JW Magazine | jwmag.org
GEFILTE FISH: LIZ ALPERN AND JEFFREY YOSKOWITZ When Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz first began talking about a food venture, they kept coming back to gefilte fish. “It was a frequent butt of jokes,” Alpern admits, “but gefilte fish was so good when it was fresh! And we loved its symbolism. It showed how far a family could stretch one little fish. It stood for resourcefulness and the honor paid to the Sabbath. If we could re-introduce people to gefilte fish, we could do anything.” And so The Gefilteria, a boutique company specializing in Old World Jewish foods beginning with its namesake fish, was born. Yoskowitz explains their recipe-creation process: “We think about why our peers don’t like a certain food and then we find a way of making it delicious for them.” Adds Alpert: “Presentation helps.” The elegant striped fish loaves Alpern and Yoskowitz came up with are delicately textured and brimming with savory aromatics. And the ick factors – fish jelly and that grey dust color – are gone. “It’s the carp that turns grey,” they note. They don’t use it because “today it’s hard to find good carp that is free from pollution and sustainably sourced.” The ardent fans of their gefilte fish are by no means limited to Jews. “And what’s not to like? If you grind high-quality fresh fish, fresh onions and spices together and bake the mixture in a terrine, it’s not so different from popular dishes around the world,” they note. While they initially toyed with au courant seasonings like curry, sriracha, and turmeric, they ultimately realized they preferred to “build on top of the classic flavors of the Ashkenazi kitchen. We use ingredients that weren’t available in the shtetl, of course, but we are mainly interested in introducing flavors that are complementary, rather than flavors that mask the Ashkenazi nature of the dishes.” They’re still working on new versions of their signature gefilte fish, as well as other reclaimed Ashkenazi treasures for their upcoming book, The Gefilte Manifesto, due out in 2016.