Rugelach Cookie Salad

Amarante

Mon, May 31 2021, 3:20 pm

I happened to catch an episode of Girl Meets Farm and this recipe was so out of the box intriguing that I had to try it. The next recipe I might try is her Challah Pretzel Rolls used for barbecue brisket sandwiches.

The creator is by Molly Yeh who is half Chinese/half Jewish. She studied at Julliard where she met her husband and after they married, they moved back to his family's farm in South Dakota.

I have her cookbook - Molly On The Range which is a very fun book because basically she does modern fusion takes on Jewish/Asian/Midwestern cuisines. This recipe is Jewish/Midwestern fusion. LOL

I had the ingredients at home and it was fun and quite good. Kind of a bit like a trifle but with a twist. Obviously one could greatly simply prep by using packaged pudding and store bought rugelach. But the custard was really delicious and very simple to make - nothing tricky. I think it is probably a waste to use high quality home baked rugelach though since they really become part of the whole dish. Smile

I included her recipe for the rugelach - with the use of store bought pie crust preparation of the rugelach is very easy. On the other hand, they are not nearly as good as ones made with the classic cream cheese infused dough but then again, one is not really able to fully appreciate a good rugelach when it is used as part of this kind of recipe.

Per notes, you need to use a Granny Smith apple so you get a bit of sour or else the final result might be cloying sweet. And this is obviously something that is is a make ahead dish. The custard/pudding can be made ahead. The rugelach can be made ahead or purchase. And the actual dish can be assembled and served later.

Rugelach Cookie Salad

Ingredients

Pudding:

6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange

Rugelach:

1 store-bought refrigerated rolled pie dough
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 large egg, beaten, for the egg wash
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts, plus for more garnish
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar, for topping
Pinch of flaky salt

Whipped Cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Assembly:

1 cup multicolored mini marshmallows, plus more for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1 Honeycrisp apple, diced

Directions

For the pudding: Combine the granulated sugar, flour and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks, then the heavy cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Add the vanilla and most of the orange zest (save some for garnish), pour into a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate until cooled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

For the rugelach: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll the pie dough out on a lightly floured surface to a large round, about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle the granulated sugar, cinnamon and half of the walnuts in a light even layer across the dough. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into 8 triangular wedges. Roll up each section starting with the wide end. Transfer the rugelach to a parchment-lined baking sheet and space them 1 inch apart. Lightly brush the top of the rugelach with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar, flaky salt and the rest of the walnuts.

Bake until golden brown; start checking for doneness at 15 minutes. Let cool completely on the pan or a cooling rack.

For the whipped cream. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar to stiff peaks.

For the assembly: Roughly chop half of the rugelach cookies, leaving the rest intact.

In a large bowl, fold together the whipped cream and pudding. Add the marshmallows, apples and chopped rugelach and mix together. Top with the intact rugelach, some marshmallows, the remaining orange zest and a few more toasted nuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.