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. 

