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Hello, foodies…

Hanukkah begins tomorrow! From what Mary tells me from the chat yesterday, some of you—like Carly, here—are READY!

That’s terrific, Carly!! I wish you all a very Happy Hanukkah…may you be blessed with happiness and good fortune. And may you celebrate with some terrific food! Might I suggest our Cherry-Almond Rugelach?

Cherry-Almond Rugelach
Makes 64 Cookies

This recipe is prepared with the Temp-tations® Old World Ceramic Rolling Pin with Stand (K40729).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 8 oz cream cheese


• 1/2 lb butter


• 7 oz almond paste


• 2 cups flour

Filling:

• 6 oz dried cherries


• 1/2 cup cherry-flavored brandy or 1 Tbsp brandy extract


• 1/2 cup water (if using brandy extract, add an additional 1/2 cup water)


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon


• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Additional Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten


• White sparkling sanding sugar

Preparation:

1. To make the dough, cut the cream cheese, butter, and almond paste into bits. Pulse the cream cheese, butter, almond paste, and flour in a food processor until crumbly. Place the mixture onto a working surface and knead the dough together. Shape it into 4 equal disks, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or up to 2 days.


2. To prepare the filling, put the cherries, brandy, and water in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat. When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, put the cherries, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small mixing bowl and fold in the almonds. Set aside.


3. To prepare the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. On a well-floured work surface, roll 1 disk into a 12" round. Be sure to keep the other disks chilled until ready to roll. Spread a quarter of the cherry mixture over the dough leaving a 1/2" border. With a chef's knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll the wedges from wide to narrow, so you end up with a point on the outside of the cookie. Repeat with remaining discs of dough.


4. Place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets and chill the rugelach for 20 minutes. Brush each cookie with egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Foodies, just a word of caution. Cream cheese can make your dough sticky, so you combat that by chilling the dough. As long as this dough is really cold before rolling, you'll be just fine. If you let it come to room temperature, however, you'll have some trouble.

Now you’ve got the rugelach…what about the latkes!?  

Potato Latkes with Applesauce

Ingredients:

Latkes:

• 2 large eggs, beaten


• 1 tsp kosher salt


• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper


• 1/2 cup onion, grated and squeezed of excess moisture


• 4 scallions, chopped


• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes


• 4 Tbsp flour


• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Applesauce:

• 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large slices


• 1 Tbsp lemon juice


• 1 cup water


• 1 1''-3'' cinnamon stick


• 2 strips lemon zest lemon


• 1/2 cup white sugar

Preparation:

1. To prepare the applesauce, combine all the ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the apples have softened. Remove from the heat to cool.


2. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon zest. Mash the apples with a fork or potato masher. Set aside.


3. To prepare the latkes, combine the beaten egg, salt, pepper, onion, and scallions a medium-size mixing bowl. Set aside.


4. Peel the potatoes and grate them on the large side of a box grater. Place the potatoes in a dish towel or cheese cloth and wring out the excess moisture.


5. Add the potatoes to the egg mixture. Sprinkle the flour over the potatoes and mix until well coated.


6. Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium- or large-sized sauté pan. When the oil is hot, scoop a 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the oil and flatten each cake slightly to form a pancake.


7. Fry until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Transfer the pancakes to a plate or cookie sheet lined with paper towels to remove the excess oil. (You may need to fry the pancakes in batches.)


8. Spread applesauce on each latke and serve.

Foodies, I’ll see you all on Wednesday night for In the Kitchen with David at a special time—7pm ET. We’ve got a big 3-hour show this week and I’m looking forward to helping you finish your holiday shopping.

Keep it flavorful!
—David