Apricot rugelach
Small rolled crescents made from a tender cream cheese dough, filled with apricot jam and walnuts. They keep for a week in a tin and only get better.
Small rolled crescents made from a tender cream cheese dough, filled with apricot jam and walnuts. They keep for a week in a tin and only get better.
Don't think that because I had battles to fight I didn't like a little sweetness. These little pastries, we rolled them by the dozen, stored them in a tin box, and they waited. The cream cheese dough is the secret: it stays tender for days. A bit of apricot jam, walnuts, you roll it tight, and you have enough for the week. It's the memory of a people in one bite, and that, no one can take from you.
- •Fresh cheese (like fromage blanc) — one part (dough tenderness)
- •Butter — equal part (dough richness)
- •Flour — as needed (dough)
- •Apricot jam — generously (tangy filling)
- •Walnuts — a handful (filling)
- •Sugar and cinnamon — a little (flavor)
Apricot rugelach
Small rolled crescents made from a tender cream cheese dough, filled with apricot jam and walnuts. They keep for a week in a tin and only get better.
Why this dish? In Ashkenazi Jewish families like Dworkin's, batches of small rolled pastries — rugelach — were baked and kept in a tin box for visits and weekends. It's the sweetness of heritage, shared and lasting for days.
Don't think that because I had battles to fight I didn't like a little sweetness. These little pastries, we rolled them by the dozen, stored them in a tin box, and they waited. The cream cheese dough is the secret: it stays tender for days. A bit of apricot jam, walnuts, you roll it tight, and you have enough for the week. It's the memory of a people in one bite, and that, no one can take from you.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh cheese (like fromage blanc) — one part (dough tenderness)
- Butter — equal part (dough richness)
- Flour — as needed (dough)
- Apricot jam — generously (tangy filling)
- Walnuts — a handful (filling)
- Sugar and cinnamon — a little (flavor)
Ingredients
- Cream cheese (or drained fromage blanc) — 120 g (tenderness)
- Unsalted butter — 120 g (richness)
- Flour — 180 g (dough)
- Salt — 1 pinch (balance)
- Apricot jam — 6 tbsp (tangy filling)
- Chopped walnuts — 60 g (filling)
- Sugar — 3 tbsp (flavor)
- Cinnamon — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Egg yolk (wash) — 1 (finish)
Method
- Cream the softened butter with the cream cheese, then incorporate flour and salt until a homogenous dough forms. Shape into 2 discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Roll each disc into a thin circle. Spread with apricot jam, sprinkle with chopped walnuts and a sugar-cinnamon mixture.
- Cut the circle into 12 triangles like a pizza.
- Roll each triangle from the base to the tip to form a small crescent.
- Place on a baking sheet, brush with egg yolk, sprinkle with more sugar-cinnamon.
- Bake at 180°C for 22 to 25 minutes until golden. Let cool and store in an airtight tin.
How it was made : Rugelach are an Ashkenazi pastry from Central and Eastern Europe, which became a classic in American Jewish bakeries. The cream cheese dough (New York style) dates from the 20th century, after the spread of cream cheese. Traditional fillings include jam, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon.
The contemporary twist : A pinch of lemon zest in the jam and a dusting of powdered sugar at serving: the tin-box rugelach as a chic teatime treat.
Andrea Dworkin · Charactorium