OCTOBER 10 • 2024 | 31
¼ cup heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. red-pepper flakes
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced
½ medium bell pepper (preferably red),
trimmed, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, diced (remove seeds for less
spice)
1 (4-ounce) jar pimiento peppers, diced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place
cream cheese pieces in the freezer.
In a medium bowl, whisk togeth-
er the eggs, cream, salt, red pep-
per flakes and black pepper until
combined.
Add the olive oil, onion, bell
pepper, garlic and jalapeño to a
10-inch cast-iron skillet and sauté
over medium heat until softened,
about 8 minutes. Stir in the pimien-
to peppers, reserving their liquid.
Turn off the heat. Add the reserved
pimiento liquid (about ⅓ cup) to
the eggs and whisk to combine.
Spread the cooked vegetables
in an even layer in the skillet.
Sprinkle the cheddar, chives and
chilled cream cheese over the
vegetables. Pour the egg mixture
on top.
Bake until the eggs are set, 13 to
15 minutes. Remove from the oven
and let cool slightly before serving
warm or at room temperature.
RUGELACH
Adapted slightly from Yotam
Ottolenghi and Helen Goh
Makes 24 small rugelach
Dairy
Ingredients
Pastry
1¼ cups/160 g all-purpose flour
⅛ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon (¾
tsp.)
Scraped seeds of ¼ vanilla pod
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp./125 g unsalted butter,
fridge-cold, cut roughly into 1-inch/3-cm
cubes
4½ oz./125 g cream cheese, fridge-cold
Filling
⅓ cup/40 g walnut halves
½ packed cup plus 1 Tbsp./100 g light
brown sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
5¼ oz./150 g store-bought quince paste
(membrillo) or apricot jam
1 tsp. lemon juice
Topping
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ Tbsp. demerara sugar
Directions
To make the pastry, place the
flour, salt, baking powder, lemon
zest and vanilla seeds in a
food processor and pulse for
about 15 seconds to combine.
Add the butter and pulse for
a few seconds more, until the
mixture has the texture of fresh
breadcrumbs. Add the cream
cheese and process just until the
dough comes together in a ball
around the blade; be careful not
to over-process or the pastry will
be tough. Tip the dough onto a
lightly floured work surface and
knead for a few seconds, just to
bring it together.
Divide pastry in two, cover each
half loosely in plastic wrap, then
press to flatten into disks. Transfer
to the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line
two baking sheets with parchment
paper and set aside.
To make the filling, spread the
walnuts out on a rimmed baking
sheet and toast for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven, set aside
to cool, then chop finely and place
in a small bowl with the brown
sugar and cinnamon. Mix together
and set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine
the quince paste or apricot jam
and lemon juice to form a smooth
paste. (If your quince paste is very
firm, warm it gently over low heat
to soften [or heat for 10 seconds
in a microwave], until the texture is
thick like jam but spreadable, then
set aside to cool before using.)
Take one of the pieces of dough
from the refrigerator and use a
rolling pin to roll out on a lightly
floured work surface to form a
9½-inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick.
Use a small spatula or the back
of a spoon to spread half of the
quince paste evenly over the
surface and then sprinkle with half
of the sugar-nut mixture.
Using a sharp knife or a pizza
wheel, cut the dough as though
you are slicing a cake into 12
equal triangles. The best way to
get even-sized triangles is to cut
it first into quarters, then each
quarter into thirds.
One at a time, roll each wedge
quite tightly, starting from the wide
outside edge and working toward
the point of the triangle, so that
the filling is enclosed. Place them
on the lined baking sheets, seam
side down, spaced about 1 inch
apart. Repeat the rolling process
with the remaining disk of dough
and filling, then chill the rugelach
in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
before baking.
Increase the oven temperature
to 400°F.
When ready to bake, lightly
brush the tops of the rugelach
with the beaten egg and sprinkle
with the demerara sugar. Bake
for 20–25 minutes, rotating the
sheets halfway through, until
golden brown all over. Don’t worry
if some of the filling oozes out;
this will add a lovely toffee taste to
the edges of the cookies.
Remove from the oven and
allow to rest on the sheets for 5
minutes before transferring to a
wire rack to cool completely.