Hi! Thanks for your kind comments.

The carob spread is not quite the same as fruit molasses, which is made by boiling down the fruit juice and pulp without added sugar. I usually bring a bottle of date molasses (Silan) back from Israel and use it instead of maple syrup on pancakes and such. (By the way, did you know that the predominant flavoring of artificial maple syrup is fenugreek, one of the Talmudic Rosh Hashanah foods, known in Aramaic as rubiyah, but in Arabic as hilbeh.) Anyway, the carob spreads are cooked with sugar and various other ingredients. I haven’t checked out the carob possibilities in the local grocery store here in Israel, but I will.

From your question “what is kakosh,” I can tell you are not Hungarian. Neither is my family, but kakosh has become one of my favorite pastries. kakosh is a chocolate roll made from very thin layers of rich yeast dough. Unlike a chocolate babka, which entails thicker layers of a less rich dough. Sometimes I cheat and use a regular babka dough to make it and several other treats from one batch of dough. However, the very rich dough version produces thinner cake layers. Chocolate cake rolls can be found in many stores in the NYC areas from a Hungarian bakery in Brooklyn.

Shanah tovah!

Gil

Enjoyed the article. I love Yerushalmi kugel too, but I’ve never had it with a pickle and can’t say I missed it.

Is carob spread the same as carob molasses sold in Middle Eastern stores? It’s sold near the date molasses and grape molasses but I haven’t seen it with maltitol.

I liked your discussion of pot luck communal sharing. We often celebrate the holidays with Israeli neighbors and their relatives, and it’s always a big pot luck. It’s a lot of fun because there’s a variety of foods and we can learn from each other.

A question – What is kakosh?

Shanah Tovah,
Faye

There are numerous versions of noodle kugel running from sparse salt-and-pepper to cake-like sweet and rich. Here’s a basic buttermilk noodle kugel with variations in the amount and types of cheeses.

When eggs are heated, the bonds that hold its protein together unfasten. When these denatured proteins come in contact with other proteins (such as in dairy products), they bind together into a network, thickening the liquid. As with other custards, the general proportion of egg to liquid is 1 large egg for every 2/3 cup of liquid. Without egg whites, the custard turns out too soft and would collapse if unmolded, which would be a problem in kugels. High-cream dairy products, such as sour cream and cream cheese, produce a thicker custard. The amount of eggs in a custard must be increased if adding sugar or starches which get in the way of the protein bonds. Thus, the more sugar, the more eggs. Since starch contains its own thickeners, less eggs are needed (some people let the kugel mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator for the liquid to absorb starch from the noodles). Acids (such as orange juice) also reduce the protein’s thickening properties.

What type of cheese rolls were you searching for? Those with cheese in the dough or with a cheese filling?

Gil

Buttermilk Noodle Kugel
(8 to 12 servings)
1 pound (455 grams) medium or broad noodles
½ cup (1 stick/4 ounces/115 grams) unsalted butter
6 large eggs, well beaten
1 quart (1 liter) buttermilk, or 3 cups buttermilk and 1 cup (240 ml/8 ounces/225 grams) small-curd cottage cheese, farmer cheese, or pot cheese
½ to ¾ cup (3.5 to 5 ounces/100 to 150 grams/120 to 180 ml) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) vanilla extract or almond extract
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cinnamon (optional)
¾ to 1 cup (180 to 240 ml) raisins or chopped dried apricots (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C). Grease 13- by 9-inch baking dish.
2. Bring 4 quarts (4 liters) of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) salt. Stir in the noodles. Cook until tender but still firm (7 to 10 minutes for medium noodle). Drain. Add the butter and toss to melt.
3. Beat together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the noodles and, if using, cinnamon and/or raisins.
4. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown (about 1 hour).

VARIATIONS
Add 3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest.

For the raisins, substitute 4 cups peeled, cored, and sliced ripe apples or pears and 1½ cups fresh cranberries.

Substitute 1 pound (455 grams) Israeli white cheese (gevina levana) for the buttermilk and increase the cottage cheese to 1 pound (455 grams).

Omit the sugar, reduce the buttermilk to 2 cups, increase the cottage cheese to 2 cups, and add 6 ounces (170 grams) grated Muenster or Cheddar cheese.