Amy Rosen’s Delicious Recipes For Rugelach, Lemon Meringue Pie And Coffee Cake Muffins

Amy Rosen arguably first came to national attention for her cinnamon buns—gloriously sticky and sugary treats that she sold from her eponymous Toronto storefront and which were featured on food travel shows and in magazines. She’s also a freelance food journalist, the editor of the website Modern Farmer and the author of five books.

Kosher Style, her new cookbook, is a compendium of classic and updated Jewish recipes, including apricot-almond rugelach, lemon meringue pie with coconut crust and sour cream-pecan coffee cake muffin. Here’s how to make them:

Apricot-Almond Rugelach

These are all about the tender cream-cheese dough, and the scant apricot and almond filling. My mom’s friend, Etty, who had a kosher baking business, is who I got my love of rugelach from, while French patisseries gave me an appreciation for these flavors; so I combined the two. These perfect little crescent shapes go down well with a warm cup of tea and some company.

INGREDIENTS 2 cups flour 1 cup cold butter, chopped 1 block (8 oz) full-fat cold cream cheese, chopped 3 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling: ½ cup smooth apricot jam ½ cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted

For the topping: 2 Tbsp cane or demerara sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

METHOD 1. For the dough, place the flour, butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a food processor. Pulse until a uniform large ball forms. Divide into three equal balls and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight.

2. To prepare the filling, warm the jam in a small pot over low heat or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside. In a bowl, crush the toasted almonds with your hands, or place them in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.

3. To prepare the topping, mix the sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge about 30 minutes before using. On a well-floured surface, roll out one of the dough balls into a large circle, about 12 inches in circumference and about ⅛ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining two dough balls.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

6. Using a knife or pizza cutter, slice each circle into 16 wedges and separate them slightly. Evenly divide the jam and almonds among the three circles (this comes out to about ½ teaspoon jam and a pinch of nuts per rugelach), leaving ½ inch clean at the outer edges. Roll the wedges into crescents by rolling the wider outer edge in toward the point.

7. Place on the baking sheets, at least 1 inch apart, with the point sides down. Brush the tops of the rugelach with beaten egg and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

8. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20–22 minutes, or until golden brown. These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Lemon Meringue Pie with Coconut Crust

I started out by making this with a straight-up graham cracker crust, which you’re more than welcome to do. But then I thought, what if we upped the tropical side of this zesty pie? Graham crackers meet coconut meet lemon meet meringue—meet my mouth.

INGREDIENTS

For the crust: 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs 1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut 6 Tbsp butter, melted

For the filling and meringue: 1 (10 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 3 eggs, separated ¾ cup fresh lemon juice 5 Tbsp sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch tart pan.

2. For the crust, in a medium bowl, combine the graham crumbs, coconut and butter. Stir to combine, then press the mixture into the greased tart pan, pressing it evenly on the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Set aside.

3. For the filling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Beat for several minutes until smooth and glossy. It will be runny.

4. Pour the filling into the crust, place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until just set. Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then slowly add in the sugar. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form, then spoon onto the baked, cooled pie. Turn on the broiler setting for the oven, then broil for about 30 seconds, or until the meringue slightly browns—watch it very closely to prevent burning. Let the tart cool for 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Sour Cream–Pecan Coffee Cake Muffins

When you’re not having everyone over for mah-jongg but you still feel like a nice piece of cake, these muffins—moist, crumbly and crunchy—are like the best streusel-topped coffee cake you’ve ever had.

INGREDIENTS

For the topping: 1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted ¼ cup packed brown sugar 2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the batter: 1 cup butter, softened ½ cup sugar 2 eggs ½ cup full-fat sour cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 1½ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp sea salt

METHOD 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

2. To make the topping, combine the pecans, both sugars and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. For the batter, using a stand mixer, beat the butter with sugar until fluffy, about 3–4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into the butter mixture, scraping down the sides occasionally and making sure that everything is combined and fluffy.

5. Spoon 1 tablespoon batter into the bottom of each paper liner, then sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon pecan topping. Add another spoonful of batter to each liner, then sprinkle with the remaining topping.

6. Bake on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 20–22 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Store at room temperature in your best airtight container for up to 2 days.

Excerpted from Kosher Style: Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook by Amy Rosen. Copyright © 2019 Amy Rosen. Published by Appetite by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.