Tuesday, November 4, 2008

TWD - Rugelach

I think I've wanted to make rugelach ever since I saw Ina Garten make them on Barefoot Contessa, probably like 4 years ago! So I was really excited when I saw that Grace of Piggy's Cooking Journal had picked rugelach for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie. I had so much stuff to do last week though that I almost had to skip this recipe. But I didn't. Sunday night, at a quarter to ten, I decided I was making rugelach dough.

Since I have no food processor (Santa, if you're reading this, hint, hint!) I got out my trusty pastry cutter, gathered my ingredients and 15 minutes later my 2 little discs of dough were ready and waiting in the refrigerator. Another 5 minutes and the dishes were washed and put away! w00t! My dough was definitely crumbly, but still workable. OK with me! The next day, I had to decide what I was going to use as a filling. I decided on two different fillings. One batch was filled with some homemade spiced plum jam, chopped hazelnuts and mini chocolate chips. And the other batch was a bit more traditional: orange marmelade, chopped pecans, dried blueberries and mini chocolate chips. I had a little trouble rolling the dough into a circle. It looked more like lace than a smooth pastry!

But the end result is so worth the work! These cookies are fantastic! I have to say, I preferred the spiced plum jam version. The chocolate and the plums go surprisingly well together. And it was a little less sweet than the marmelade version. I'm sure these would work with pretty much any good jam or preserve. And I'm sure the rest of the Tuesdays with Dorie gang tried out a lot of different versions of these fabulous little crescent cookies, so go check out the blogroll, won't you! For the recipe you can read this article on NPR, about Dorie's rugelach secrets or check out Grace's blog.


For those of you who are interested, here's the spiced plum jam recipe. It's really good!

Spiced Plum Jam
from What's For Dinner

Makes 8 cups of jam

Ingredients
3 pounds plums (weight with pits removed)
6 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Directions
Prepare 8 8-ounce jars for canning.

Put chopped, pitted plums in food processor or blender and puree.

Pour plum puree into large stockpot. Stir in sugar and spices, then bring to boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes, continuing to stir constantly to avoid burning the jam.

Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Store in cool dark place until ready to use; when opened, store in refrigerator.

Plain Plum Jam Alternative
Follow all instructions as above, but leave out spices.

Note: I used tonka bean instead of allspice and I let the jam boil longer than the specified 5 minutes, probably 20 minutes or so. It got thicker and darker and more "jam-like".
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50 comments:

Susan from Food Blogga said...

I can't believe this was your first try at rugelach. They're beautiful. I'll take one of each, please. :)

Piggy said...

Yours look better with coarse sugar! I used caster sugar instead and so it's not that obvious on my rugelach.

And thanks so much for the recipe of spiced plum jam, I'll try it out soon.

CB said...

Wow. Your rugelach are so purdy! I can't believe it was your first time. I am jealous. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Those are lovely! I love the contrast of the dark jam and the light pastry! Great job! Glad you didn't skip with week!

chocolatechic said...

Oh your fillings sound so wonderful.

Isabelle Lambert said...

vraiment sympa le look ! j'aime beaucoup les parfums que tu as mis:)

Engineer Baker said...

Plum jam? Dried blueberries? Yum! They look absolutely perfect!

Manggy said...

I've only had rugelach once-- years ago, from one of those supermarkets. Even then I liked them-- then that must mean I'll love yours :) I gotta remember the chocolate-plum combo, sounds awesome :)

Julie said...

Je prends en note ta recette de confiture aux prunes. Magnifique tes petits rugelachs!!!

Megan said...

Well, no would know that this was your first time making them - they look amazing!

Anonymous said...

Oh heck yeah chocolate and plums go together. That version sounds fabulous!

Melissa said...

Wow, yours look fantastic. Great photos! The plum jam sounds delicious.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping you get that food processor for Christmas! Santa is good, right? Your rugelach are beautiful. I wish I could have made them this week, but I had to put it off.

Sarah said...

delicious! i wanted to try them after ina made them as well and this was my first try. great job!

Beth said...

Wow - great job!! I'm a fellow TWD baker, and I was thinking that it would be nice if we all could chip in and get Laurie some small token/gift for all the work she does. Would you be willing to contribute? If I can get enough people, it would only be about $1 per person. No pressure :-) Let me know! bethberg12@yahoo.com

Amy of Sing For Your Supper said...

Oh wow - yours look fantastic!! Love that coarse sugar on top!!

-Amy
www.singforyoursupperblog.com

ostwestwind said...

Glad you didn't skip the recipe, it was worth all the effort.

Yours turned out just perfect...


Ulrike from Küchenlatein

marae said...

spiced plums sound YUM!! i loved rugelach... i made it last year and when i saw it again i was jazzed. it's a great holiday option as well.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Santa leaves a food processor under your tree, but by the looks of your GORGEOUS rugelach, you didn't even need it! This is your first time?!?! JEALOUS!!

vibi said...

OH! Du gros sucre! ...snif, j'en avais pas et pis, du sucre casson ça aurait eu l'air bizarre un peu.
En tout cas, les tiens sont super beaux!

Anonymous said...

These are gorgeous! I'm going to have to do a Dorie Rewind.

spike. said...

I usually use Ina's recipe- it isn't as easy to work with as Dorie's but the flavor is a bit better

kimberly salem said...

they look so lovely!! wonderful job:) thanks for the jam recipe, that sounds delicious!

Anonymous said...

Very lovely...and the filling combos sound excellent. One fine job on these cookies! I hope Santa hears your pleas...you have been nice this year, right??? LOL.

Heather B said...

I love your rugelach! They look so delicious!

Sherry Trifle - Lovely Cats said...

Lovely crisp rugelach, just the right shade. And the jam recipe! - Thanks.

Linda said...

Wow, you would never know that this was your first try at rugelach ... they look picture perfect!!!

Thanks for sharing the spiced plum jam recipe...it sounds delicious!

Gigi said...

I make these every year for Christmas. They are my fav! And the yours look absolutely delicious!

Anonymous said...

i've always wanted to make those also - both the fillings sound fantastic!

Kimberly Johnson said...

Your rugelach turned out awesome!

Nancy said...

Your rugelach are so pretty! I bet they taste even better than they look!

Amber said...

I am baking them as I write, talk about down to the wire. Yours are very lovely. I hope mine come out bigger that when they went into the oven and that I can fake a great photo because yours are intimidating, especially for your first. I have never had plum and chocolate. Interesting. Now you have me very curious.

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

That spiced plum jam sounds fantastic! I wish it was still plum season.

Pamela said...

Yum! Your rugelach look amazingly good and flaky. Great job!

grace said...

lyb, both of your versions sounds tremendous! i've never had plum jam, but the thought of it sure does trigger my saliva glands. beautiful creations. :)

Anonymous said...

You inspire me to follow my dreams.

So thank you.

Kaitlin said...

Gorgeous! And that homemade plum jam sounds delicious.

Heather said...

those are gorgeous! they look so tasty :)

steph- whisk/spoon said...

beautiful!! and spiced plum jam--oh my--sounds fantastic!!

Marthe said...

Your rugelach look delicious!! Glad you enjoyed them, I will also be making these again!

Anonymous said...

They look beautiful! The jam filling sounds delicious!

Jin Hooi said...

haha, i am sure santa willl hear you ;-p Your rugelach look so good !! I had fun making them too

Gretchen Noelle said...

These really turned out beautifully! Great job!

Mari said...

This recipe definitely made a rugelach lover out of me! Your fillings sound so good! Don't you just love a recipe where you're free to play around?

p.s. Sorry I haven't been around in awhile, life has been bit crazy over here in the Lowlands. Thanks for still dropping by though, I appreciate it!

PG said...

I keep seeing this TWD recipe and now I'm wanting to start my weekend early and make some rugelach. Yours look delicious. I agree - the coarse sugar is a great touch.

Ginny said...

Looks great! :) I hope santa hears your request...he heard mine two years ago and I love my food processor!!!

Pip said...

So curiosity finally got the best of me and I ordered "From my home to yours" at my local library. I got it on Friday and...
I've been baking ever since! NEVER has a cookbook gotten my attention so well! I flagged eight recipes in the first hour!
I have made the pumpkin muffins and cinnamon cake and coffee break muffins so far!
Where has Dorie been all my life?

Shari said...

Your plum jam sounds amazing! I also love the sugar crystals on your rugelach. Your flavor combos sound really good too!

Liz said...

Gorgeous rugelach! I love the look of the large-grained sugar.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Will you look at the golden brown goodness of your rugelach! I loved these also. Your combinations sound really good.
Nancy