Red, White & Blue Ricotta Cake

I found this on a YouTube video, in metric measures. It incorporates much of what I like in baked goods: not too sweet, fruit added -- in this case, cranberry and blueberry, an uncommon combo -- and lemon zest. I suspected the large amount of ricotta plus the yogurt or sour cream would give it the taste of a Danish, and yum. I was right!

Bake one larger, flatter cake in a spring form, and one smaller. A bundt pan would be fine, too. The picture is the mini-cake I baked for Eyal and Nadav. When I come to take care of Noa, I make sure there's a treat for the boys when they get home from school. You can't see the blueberries, which are the lower layer.

2 eggs

1/2 c sugar

Lemon zest

1/2 c natural yogurt (I used sour cream and that was fine, too)

1/3 c sunflower oil

1 1/2 c flour (can be half Whole Wheat)

1/2 t. salt

Scant T baking powder - seems like a lot but it came out fine

1/2 c blueberries 

 

Topping: 

1 c. ricotta - 8 oz

1 t. vanilla 

1/4 c sugar 

1 egg

1 T coconut

1/4 c cranberries, currants, or raspberries

Powdered sugar when you serve it.

 

350 / 30 min.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest. 

Add and whisk the yogurt, oil, flour(s) and baking powder.

Pour it in the greased baking pans, and add the blueberries. No need to mix, as they sink.

Mix the topping ingredients, holding the red berries. Place dollops of the ricotta mixture on the surface. If it touches, fine, but the original recipe doesn't spread it, they drop it on. Add the cranberries last in the open areas.

Bake about 30 minutes until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar when you serve it.

This is a nice breakfast cake. Not very desserty.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l8IiRxkr8Y

Peanut Butter Cookies

I have baked peanut butter cookies exactly three times. I once made them when Dick and Rochelle visited, and Dick ate them with such gusto that it made a big impression. When I went to visit when Ram was a baby, I baked them to bring with me (though with SunButter), and Thaer liked them so much they were gone in an evening. I just went for Dick's 80th and Ram's 2nd birthdays, and you guessed it. I brought them peanut butter cookies.

I took two to Eyal and Nadav before my trip, so they could taste test, and they gave them big 👍👍.

1 1/3 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 c packed light or dark brown sugar,
1/4 c regular sugar + [1/2 c. sugar for rolling later]
1 egg
3/4 c creamy peanut butter (spray the measuring cup first!)
1 t vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixer, or a large bowl with a hand beater, beat the butter for 1 minute on high til creamy. Add in the sugars until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg. Add the peanut butter and vanilla until mixed.

Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Dough is creamy and soft. Chill the cookie dough for an hour or two, or up to a few days.

Heat oven to 350. This will fill two greased cookie tins.

Put the extra 1/2 c sugar in a bowl. Roll each cookie, a scant tablespoon (think, large grape) in the sugar, and put ot on the tin, leaving space for expanding during baking. Using a fork, make criss-cross tops. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set and browned. 

Cool for about five minutes before removing with a spatula onto a cooling rack.

This is from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Eyal and Nadav's Toast Crowns with Chocolate Pudding Dip

Nadav with toast crowns and dip in
Chestertown, Hanukkah 2025

Eyal and Nadav and I like to discuss breakfast at sleepovers.

Since I often make them Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding when they visit, and also Toast Crowns for breakfast (both recipes are on this blog), they had a great idea.

Toast Crowns with Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding Dip!

It's especially fun when the dip is in a fancy glass!

Cranberry Brie Pull Apart Loaf

We don't have parties very often, but I just made this for a winter tea. It's appropriate anytime, but lovely for the Thanksgiving to New Years holiday stretch. It is beautiful and delicious. A bit of a technical challenge, but not much in the way of complexity. Quantities are flexible.

1 round or oval boule or sour dough loaf
1/3 c whole cranberry sauce (could be apple slices for RH) [I just made a small amount with equal parts water, sugar, and cranberries]
5 T butter

1-2 T honey
8-10 oz Brie (it's easy to find kosher brands now, for whatever reason) - sliced thin.
a few sprigs of rosemary, chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish

Thyme - chopped or ground, maybe a teaspoon.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut the loaf in a criss-cross grid, leaving the bottom intact. Make sure the knife is sharp - if the bread is dense, this is hard. One recipe said to do is diagonally, which might be easier.

Melt the butter with honey, rosemary, and thyme.

Setting the sliced loaf on a tin foil base, on your baking tin - pour about half of the melted butter in the crevices and over the top so it soaks in.

Poke the brie slices in the cuts, in both directions. It's going to melt, so don't worry about it being perfect.

Pour, or by hand, stuff cooked cranberries in the slots. Pour the rest of the cranberry sauce and the butter over the top.

Bake until the brie melts, about 15 minutes. Don't overbake or it's really hard to cut the bottom. 

It's nice on a pedestal cake server. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Use a serrated spatula and pull!

This is gorgeous! And delicious!

There was a lot leftover and I served it room temperature at a kiddush, and people enjoyed it that way, too. But hot and gooey is the goal.

Comfort Food Cabbage & Noodles

 

This really isn't a recipe, it's a lovely, flexible combination. I am always looking for ways to eat more vegetables, and cabbage is great cooked. This was done in less than 10 minutes.

Butter and/or olive oil for sautéing
1 large sliced onion
8 oz or so of cooked flat noodles (egg are good)
1/2 head small cabbage sliced thin, or a bag of shredded

Nutmeg, salt, pepper

Shredded parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta. Then slice the onions and melt butter in a big skillet. Start sautéing on medium in a big pan. Stir frequently, while chopping the cabbage into slivers, and add to the pan. Cook and stir, for about 7-8 minutes until the onions start to brown and the cabbage releases its liquid. 

Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Drain the noodles and add them, still a little wet is fine. 

Serve with parmesan cheese. A little chopped parsley would improve the looks! 

It's called halushki, and is a Central and Eastern European staple. Recipes call for a lot more butter than I used. You could add cottage cheese or other protein, too. 

Here's a video:

Fig Spread

Our fig trees produced a lot of figs this year.

Putting up preserves is a big deal, if you want to store them and eat them later. I just cooked the batch up, and will keep it in the refrigerator.

Chop the figs in quarters. In a sauce pan, add a little wine, sugar to taste, cinnamon and thinly sliced lemons. Ginger would be good too.

Gently boil, stirring frequently. Keep it at a low flame (1 or 2 on the induction top) and stir frequently to prevent burning. 

At some point, you can use the immersion blender.

It turns amber and eventually cooks way down. The second batch I made, I didn't cook at as high a temp (as described above) and it didn't burn, but it also didn't turn amber. Each kind of fig will have a different color palette.

Put the spread/jam in a glass jar so you can admire the contents!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I made these for a June shabbat when we were all together in Chestertown when Noa was a wee one. Big hit, and Zach asked for them a few weeks later. I happily obliged.

Once you assemble all the ingredients, which is a bit of a scavenger hunt, these are fun to roll. They make a delicious and beautiful presentation. This is based on https://cookieandkate.com/fresh-spring-rolls-recipe/ , this guy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUO2PuGu9DQ&ab_channel=AGlobalKitchen, and https://natashaskitchen.com/fresh-spring-rolls/ but watch a few videos to get different ideas of the basic techniques.

You'll need about a 12-16 rice paper wrappers, found in the Asian section of big supermarkets. The sauces keep, so you don't have to make the whole package. 

Cook the rice noodles -  just submerge them in boiling water for a few minutes, and drain. While they are cooling, prep your fillings. You can lay them in piles on a tray.

• Herb leaves: basil, mint, or other herbs of choice. Be generous.
• lettuce leaves. I found mini-romaine, which was perfect. Spinach would be good.
• grated carrot, either a bag, or use a cool tool. I actually have one, called a julienne peeler. You can also just slice thin.
• purple cabbage, sliced very thin
• English cucumber, seeded and sliced thin
• avocado, sliced thin, if you have a ripe one
• thin sliced daikon or red radish
• slivered jalapeno if you like more heat
• rice vermicelli or plain rice
• strips of spiced tofu are a good addition to amp up the protein.

We liked having two dipping sauces. Be sure to put dips out in a few smaller bowls.

Peanut Hoisin Sauce:

In a big jar, add

100g or 1/3c hoisin sauce (vegetarian)

30g -  2 T peanut butter

3-5g/1 small clove grated garlic 

3-5g about1/2 T grated ginger

30g or 2 T rice vinegar

5g or 1 t sesame oil

30g or 2 T water

Whisk to combine.

Traditional Fish Sauce from Natasha.

• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 to 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp shredded carrot

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. For serving, pour into a few smaller bowls. This makes a lot.

Assembling:

Rice Paper needs just a quick dip in a curved plate of water. Then move it to a tray, and add the rice noodles and the other ingredients. Try to get some of the pretty herb leaves on what will be the bottom so when you roll each one, you can see them. Best to watch a video.

Do not stack them. They stick to each other! You can leave them at room temperature for an hour or two.

 Figure on folks eating 2 or 3, or even 4, depending on what else you are serving.