Cheesecake Cookies and Jewish Food Hero (Jewish Sweets)

Shavuot is the perfect time not only for cheesecake and all things dairy, but also to recommend a new book, “Jewish Sweets” by Kenden Alfond, author of several cookbooks including The Jewish Food Hero Cookbook series.

Jewish Sweets, like others in the Hero series, is a community cookbook, with recipe contributions from cooks around the world. All profits from the book go to Jewish charities.

I have contributed to several of the Hero books. This new book includes my recipe for Rose’s Cheesecake Cookies - a recipe I found years ago in my mother’s papers. I don’t know who Rose was, but her recipe, which I have made a zillion times, is fantastic.

There are 100 wonderful recipes in this worthy book (Gloria Kobrin contributed a recipe for cheesecake). So check it out!

In the meantime, just in time for Shavuot, here is the recipe for those cheesecake cookies. Whenever I make them I thank Rose, whoever she was!

ROSE'S CHEESECAKE COOKIES

• 1/3 cup butter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 8 ounces cream cheese

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons milk or cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter and set it aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nuts and brown sugar and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the melted butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly. Remove one cup of this mixture and set it aside. Place the remaining mixture inside an 8-inch square baking pan. Press the crumbs down firmly to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until firm. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until well blended. Add the egg, lemon juice, milk and vanilla and beat the ingredients for another minute or until thoroughly blended. Spoon the cheese mixture evenly over the baked crumbs. Top with the remaining, reserved unbaked crumbs. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Cut into small squares.

Makes 16

Malai; Romanian Cheesecake

When it comes to the food part, most of us associate Shavuot with cheesecake.

Who doesn’t like cheesecake?!

There are so many fabulous cheesecake recipes! I have several on my website. But one of them — my family recipe — is somewhat different than most because it’s made with cornmeal, a staple in Romania.

My grandmother made this, I never learned its proper name until a few years ago: Malai. All I know is how delicious it is.

So here, in time for Shavuot, is Romanian Cheesecake (Malai)

ROMANIAN MALAI

THE BATTER:

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup milk, half-and-half or buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• filling

• sour cream, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. optional

• extra sugar or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the milk, eggs and cooled, melted butter and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Spoon one half of the cornmeal mixture into the prepared pan and spread the batter to make it even. Top with the filling. Top with the remaining batter (spread the batter to make a smooth, even top crust). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake is set.

Serve the cake warm, room temperature or slightly chilled. Serve plain or topped with sour cream (traditional), whipped cream or ice cream. (I add about 2 teaspoons of sugar for each cup of sour cream used as a garnish).

Makes 8-10 servings

THE FILLING:

• 1 pound farmer’s cheese

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel

Mix the farmer’s cheese, egg, sugar and lemon peel until the ingredients are well blended.

Spanakopitas/Bourekas

I used to make spanakopitas but it was really labor intensive. You have to butter several layers of phyllo dough, which is thin and fragile and breaks apart a lot.

Frustrating!

One day I decided it was enough! From then on I used the same delicious filling but made it into one big spinach pie. Much easier.

Then, last year I read a post by Dana L Shrager that included her recipe for spinach and cheese bourekas wrapped in puff pastry. She said it was a real treat for Purim.

Genius!

Bourekas are triangle shape, just like spanakopitas but SO MUCH EASIER to prepare. So, for Purim, here’s my recipe, same filling as I used for the spanakopitas but inside puff pastry. Perfect for Purim.

Thanks for the inspiration Dana!

SPINACH AND CHEESE BOUREKAS

• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 large egg

• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the egg, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, dill and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Using one sheet at a time, roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured board slightly thinner (I did 12”x9”). Cut each sheet on the long side into 4 equal strips (3”). Cut the strips into thirds (making 12 pieces). Place equal amounts of the filling in the center of each piece of dough. Fold the dough to enclose the filling and make a triangle. Press the edges to seal them. If necessary, wet the edges of the pieces before folding, OR, press the edges down with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking. Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until browned and crispy.

Makes 24

Dairy Hamantaschen

Dairy Hamantaschen

If you follow a food calendar the way I do, you know it’s hamantaschen season.

I don’t understand why we wait for Purim to eat these magnificent pastries. Sure, they’re classic for this holiday, but I like them in June and October and any given Sunday.

Anyway, here’s one of my favorite recipes. There’s a recipe for prune lekvar on my website. For apricot lekvar: put about one pound dried apricots (I use California apricots because I think the Turkish or Mediterranean ones don’t have good flavor) in a pot, add about 1/4 cup sugar and cover with orange juice. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until soft, then puree.

DAIRY HAMANTASCHEN

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup butter, cut into chunks

• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks

• 1 large egg, beaten

• lekvar (about one cup)

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix briefly. Add the butter and cream cheese and mix on low speed for a minute or so until the mixture is crumbly. Raise the speed to medium and continue to mix until a smooth dough has formed. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using small chunks of dough at a time, roll the dough thin (about 1/8th-inch) and cut out circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. Brush each circle lightly with the beaten egg. Place one slightly mounded teaspoon of lekvar in the middle of each circle. Bring up the sides to shape the circles into a triangle. Press the sides tightly to keep them from opening when they bake. Place the triangles on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes about 36

#hamantaschen #purim #purim2025 #lekvar

Lemon Cream Pie

I finally used the two lemons that grew on my indoor plant. I had asked around for ideas and got many good ones! I was thinking of baking a lemon meringue pie, thanks to @suefreedland’s suggestion. But in the end I decided on a lemon cream pie.

There wasn’t enough zest or juice to make a regular (9-10”) size pie and besides, I recently bought some smaller pie dishes, so I scaled my old recipe down to fit my 7-1/2” pie dish.

I hate to brag, but I have to say: this is the best lemon dessert I ever ate.

Period.

For a full size version of this pie go to:https://www.ronniefein.com/recipes/when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-lemonade-right (use Meyer or regular lemon)

Lemon Cream Pie

crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks

• 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into chunks

• 2 tablespoons milk or water

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and shortening and work into the flour until crumbs form. Add the liquid and mix in to form a dough. Let rest for at least 30 minutes. Roll to fit a 7-1/2”- 8” pie dish. Prick the dough. Cover with foil. Add weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Let cool. Spoon in the filling. Top with whipped cream.

Filling:

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons cold water

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 cup boiling water

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1-1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

• 3/4 cup plain Greek style yogurt or sour cream

• whipped cream

Place the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cold water and lemon juice in a saucepan and whisk to blend the ingredients. Add the egg and yolk and blend them in. Gradually add the boiling water and whisk the ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for about one minute or until the mixture is thick (puddinglike). Remove the pan from the heat; stir in the butter and lemon zest. Let rest for 15 minutes. Add the yogurt and whisk it in. Pour the mixture into the crust and chill until cold. Top with whipped cream and serve.

Makes 4-5 servings

Persimmon Streusel Cake

Now’s the season for people like me, who love persimmons. Unlike so many other fruits, you can only get persimmons (where I live anyway) for a limited time, which makes them all the more special. I eat them plain - to me they taste like a cross between mango and plum. I also chop them up for homemade salsa. And I bake with them too. Look on my website for goodies like persimmon coffee cake and muffins. There are also a couple of recipes for salsas you can use as dips for watching football or movies or whatever. Here’s my latest venture: I cut up a large, ripe fuyu persimmon and added it to a coffee cake recipe (I usually use apples or blueberries). I adjusted the flavors, just a bit and voila! Another good dessert:

Persimmon Coffee Cake

Streusel:

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Place the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix until well blended. Pour in the butter and blend it in. Let stand for 4-5 minutes, then crumble the mixture using your fingers. Set aside.

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1-2 fuyu persimmons, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until evenly combined. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and thoroughly blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with the persimmon pieces. Cover with the streusel. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the outer ring from the pan and let the cake cool completely.

Makes one cake, 8-10 servings

#persimmon #persimmonseason #coffeecake #persimmoncoffeecak

Fresh Homemade Vegetable Cream Cheese

Vegetable Cream Cheese

I bought these gorgeous looking radishes at a farmer’s market and what did I use them for first? Vegetable cream cheese! Which we love to spread on a toast or a bagel. Store-bought veggie cream cheese costs anywhere from $12-$16 per pound where I live. But with @phillycreamchs cream cheese on sale here (2 packages; one pound $5.49) plus 3 scallions, 1 carrot, 3 radishes) mine cost about $6.49. And also it’s more delicious because it’s got more veggies in the amounts that suit our palates. I chopped the vegetables in a processor, mixed them with the cheese and that’s that! #creamcheese #vegetablecreamcheese #savingmoney #breakfastspread

Quickie Cole Slaw (Dairy)

I had some buttermilk leftover from a baking class I taught at the New Canaan YMCA. I made some biscuits but still had a bit more buttermilk left so I made a dairy version of cole slaw which was perfect with grilled salmon and a tomato-avocado salad.

Great warm-weather goodies.

This is a simple recipe because I used what I had — no parsley garnish, alas! Since I was cooking for just the two of us, this recipe —- half the amounts I usually use for cole slaw — took almost no time! And it was perfect for two people for two nights of dinner.

Buttermilk Cole Slaw

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 3 cups packed shredded cabbage

• 1 large carrot, shredded

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix the buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and apple cider vinegar together until smooth and well blended. Set aside. Place the cabbage and carrot in a bowl. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the vegetables. Add the basil and thyme. Toss the ingredients until the vegetables are thoroughly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let rest for at least one hour before servinve.

Makes 4 servings

Grandma's Baked Blintzes

One of my grandma’s signature dishes was blintzes. But the cheese filling she made was different than the classic sweet version (with vanilla and/or cinnamon). Her blintz filling was lemony, and included cheese, egg and a small amount of sugar. Also, because there were so many of us, she had no time to fry them a couple at a time and still have everyone eat at the same time. So she placed the blintzes, seam-side down, on a baking sheet, topped each with a little dab of butter, and baked them until they were golden brown. I still love blintzes, lemony and baked. And so does my family. Grandma’s cheese filling recipe is below, but the instructions give you the option to make the more popular vanilla version (and also how to fry them). Don’t worry if the wrappers don’t fry into perfect circles — you’re going to roll them and if they’re a little off, no one will ever know.

GRANDMA’s CHEESE BLINTZ FILLING:
1 pound farmer’s cheese
1 large egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest, optional (I always include)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Place the cheese, egg, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the lemon zest OR vanilla extract and mix in thoroughly. To fill each wrapper: use the first fried side as the inside of the blintz. Use about 2 tablespoons of filling for an 8-inch wrapper and place the filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom side up, over the filling. Fold the left side, then the right side over the filling, then roll up to enclose the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the blintzes in a single layer on a jelly roll pan, top each with a tiny piece of butter. Bake for about 10 minutes.

To fry: place the blintzes seam side down first over medium heat (using the same method as for frying the wrappers – let the butter melt and become foamy).

#blintzes #cheeseblintzes #shavuot #shavuot2024 #shavuos

Pierogies for a Delicious Dairy Dinner

After Father’s Day (heavy on the meat), I want a dairy dinner. These pierogies! One of my favorite meals. POTATO CHEESE PIEROGIS
FILLING:
3 cups mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup farmer cheese
salt and black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes in a bowl. Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes or until soft and golden. Add to the potatoes. Add the farmer cheese, salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside to cool. Use about one tablespoon filling for each pierogi. DOUGH: 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup water, approximately
1 cup dairy sour cream Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and work it into the dough until crumbly. Add 1/2 cup of water and the sour cream and mix the dough until it is soft and well blended. If it seems too dry, add more water. (Or use a food processor.) Let the dough rest at least 30 minutes. Roll portions of dough on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick and cut out circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. To fill the pierogis: place filling in the center of each circle. Fold the circle in half, pinching the edges to seal. Heat 1 tablespoon butter plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add some of the pierogis (do not crowd the pan) and cook 3-4 minutes on the flat side, or until golden brown on the bottom, then turn them over and cook another 2-3 minutes or until golden. Repeat. Serve with sour cream. Makes about 4 dozen #pierogies #cheesepierogi #potatopierogies
#dairydinner