When you’re ready to make the strudels, remove the dough from the fridge and preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Generously dust your work surface with flour. Divide the dough in half and place the first portion on the floured area. Roll the dough around the flour to coat, forming it into a chunky rectangle as you move it.
Using a well-floured rolling pin, gently work the dough into a 14- to 15-inch/36 to 38 cm square. Make sure that the dough isn’t sticking to the board by using plenty of flour.
Divide the jam, nuts, and raisins in half. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Pour ½ cup/120 ml of the jam onto the prepared dough and spread it out to cover, leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border along the edge farthest from you. Distribute the nuts and raisins evenly across the jam-covered territory. Starting at the edge closest to you, begin to roll the dough toward the border. Wrap as tightly as you can without tearing the dough.
When you’ve reached the other side, paint the border with some of the egg wash and roll the strudel to close. Roll the strudel so that the seam is on the bottom. Pinch the ends to seal and carefully move the strudel to the prepared baking sheet.
Repeat the process with the second batch of dough, jam, nuts, and raisins.
When both strudels are on the baking sheet, paint the tops generously with the egg wash. Bake until the tops are deeply golden and the smell of toasted butter becomes impossibly delicious, 40 to 46 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the strudels cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully slide the parchment from each baking sheet to a wire rack to finish cooling.
When fully cool, slice the strudels into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces. They will keep on the counter for 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, leave the strudel unsliced, triple wrap them in plastic, and stash them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
Apricot jam is traditional, but nectarine or plum is also good.
LINZER BAR COOKIES
MAKES 24 SQUARES
Traditional Linzer cookies are carefully rolled and cut sandwich cookies, filled with generous dollops of raspberry jam. They are delicate, beautiful, and somewhat of a pain to get right. However, I love a lightly sweet and buttery almond cookie with jam. So, some years back I took a batch of Linzer dough, pressed most of it into a quarter sheet pan, gave it a slick of jam, and topped it with rounds of the remaining dough, and baked it. The result was a bar cookie that was easy to slice between the rounds into squares and was awfully good. I like to use mini cookie cutters for the dough on top. This ends up giving them a reverse Linzer look, with the jam showing around the edges rather than through a hole in the top round.
½ cup/60 g raw blanched almond slivers
1½ cups/180 g all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 ounces/170 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅔ cup/135 g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup/120 ml jam
Lightly toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. You don’t want to get a lot of color on them; you just want to bloom their natural oils, bring out some fragrance, and warm them up a little to make them more receptive to grinding.
Pour the warm almonds into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse 7 or 8 times, or until they resemble rough meal. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse until just combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until combined.
Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients in the stand mixer and run on low just until the ingredients are incorporated.
Spread a length of plastic wrap on your countertop and carefully scrape the cookie dough into the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, form the dough into a rough disk. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using and up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to make your cookies, preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C. Line a 13 × 9-inch/33 × 23 cm baking sheet with parchment paper so that the paper edges protrude to overhang on 2 opposite sides. Divide the dough into 2 portions: one that is one third of the total; and the other, two thirds.
Dust your work surface with some flour and roll out the larger portion of dough into a rectangle that’s about the same size at the bottom of the pan and about ⅛ inch/3 mm thick. Transfer the dough into the pan, pressing it into place and patching any tears that occur.
Spoon the jam onto the cookie dough and use an offset spatula to even and smooth.
Roll out the remaining dough into a similar thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes and tile them across the jam, leaving some jam peeking through.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are light brown and the jam is glossy.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookie slab cool to room temperature in the pan. Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the slab out of the pan and place it on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into individual cookies.
These cookies will keep in an airtight container for a week on the counter and up to 6 months if frozen.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
Raspberry is classic, but I’ve made these with peach, apricot, or orange marmalade. It’s hard to go wrong here.
HAMANTASCHEN
MAKES 12 TO 16 COOKIES
When I was in high school, my mom came home with a 2-pound bag of pitted prunes so she could make her favorite prune Hamantaschen for Purim. She thought she had put the bag far enough back from the edge of the counter, but our dog managed to get ahold of it, and in less than five minutes, polished off every last prune. The dog learned the hard way that she should stay away from prunes and I learned that it’s better to make Hamantaschen with jam.
4 ounces/110 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces/110 g cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup/50 g granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cups/150 g all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup/120 ml jam
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese, and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat again until combined.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.
Scrape the dough onto a length of plastic wrap, swaddle tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to make the cookies, divide the dough into 2 equal-size portions. Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it about ¼ inch/6 mm thick. Cut the dough into circles, using a 3-inch/7.5 cm round cutter. Dollop a teaspoon of jam in the center of each circle and brush the uncovered edges of the cookie with the egg wash (the egg wash functions as a glue as well as a coating). Shape each circle into a triangle by pinching the edges and pulling the sides of the dough up over the filling, so that only a shirt button–size area of the jam remains visible. They should look like little tricorn hats. Really pinch the edges tightly and roll the seams down slightly to seal in the jam.
Put the filled and shaped cookies on a plate and place them in the freezer to chill for an hour. Repeat with the remaining dough. Make sure to refrigerate the egg wash while the cookies chill, as you will need it again and you don’t want it to spoil in the interim.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Place the chilled cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Paint the cookies with the egg wash to give them an appeali
ng sheen.
Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the dough is nicely browned and the jam looks glossy and sticky. The sides of the cookie will inevitably have opened up a little, but if you pinched and sealed the sides tightly enough, most should retain their triangular shape. Don’t fret if one or two cookies open completely during baking. It happens to the best of us.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. They’ll keep for up to a week in an airtight container.
Note: A big tip of the hat to my friend Deena Prichep, who taught me to freeze these cookies a few at a time on a plate, rather than trying to squeeze a baking sheet into my already overstuffed freezer.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
These triangle cookies like jams and fruit butters with relatively stiff consistency. If you have any overset preserves, use them here.
RUGELACH
MAKES 32 TO 36 COOKIES
This is the cookie of my mother’s people. Her Auntie Tunkel always had a tin of them in her valise-size handbag when she visited, most often filled with jam, raisins, and nuts. I often make them at my sister’s house when we gather for the holidays and they are always the first to disappear from the jar. My favorite thing about these cookies is that they’re made with an unsweetened dough, so all the sweetness comes from the jam. If you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, use fruit butter or a very lightly sweetened jam to match your taste.
2 cups/240 ml all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces/225 g cold unsalted butter, diced
8 ounces/225 g cold cream cheese, diced
¾ cup/180 ml jam
¾ cup/90 g finely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Granulated sugar and ground cinnamon, for dusting
Place the flour and salt in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Add the butter and cream cheese and process until the dough forms a rough ball.
Scrape out the dough and shape into a disk. Swaddle the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. The dough can also be frozen for 3 to 4 months, if double wrapped in plastic.
When you’re ready to make the rugelach, preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Divide the chilled dough into 3 portions. Dust your countertop with flour and roll out one portion of dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch/6 mm thick. Spread a third of the jam onto the rolled dough, leaving a ½-inch/1.25 cm border along one of the long sides. Distribute a third of the toasted nuts on top of the jam.
Paint the border of dough with the egg wash. Roll the dough toward it, keeping the roll as tight as possible. When you get to the edge that’s been painted with the egg wash, push it down to seal.
Position the roll so that the seam is facing down. Paint the top of the roll with the egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Using a knife with a serrated edge, cut the roll into sections of about ¾ inch/4 cm in width. Place them, seam-side down, spaced about an inch/2.5 cm apart, on the lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are browned and flaky. Some of the filling will inevitably leak out.
Let the cookies cool for at least 15 minutes before you attempt to move them, as they are quite fragile when hot.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. For longer storage, arrange them in a freezer-safe container with parchment dividing the layers.
Once you’ve made a basic batch, consider trying some variations. Here are a few ideas you can use as a starting place.
RECOMMENDED PRESERVES:
I like these with apricot or tart cherry, but any jam you’ve got on hand should work.
APRICOT JAM AND WALNUT RUGELACH
Use ¾ cup/180 ml of apricot jam and ¾ cup/90 g of finely chopped and toasted pecans or walnuts.
TOMATO JAM AND GOAT CHEESE RUGELACH
Use ¾ cup/180 ml of tomato jam and 3 ounces/85 g of cold, crumbled goat cheese.
GRAPE JAM AND PEANUT RUGELACH
Use ¾ cup/180 ml of grape jam and ¾ cup/90 g of finely chopped and toasted peanuts.
CAKES, PUDDINGS, AND COBBLERS
I didn’t realize that jams were often used for filling cakes until I was in high school. A group of us had shown up at my friend Kate’s house on a Saturday afternoon with a box of cake mix, intending to both go swimming in Kate’s family pool and bake a cake. We started making the cake, but got distracted with swimming and splashing, and left the baking project undone.
Later in the afternoon, I wandered back to the kitchen, and found Kate’s mom, Lenore, assembling our cake for us. She put a dab of frosting on the plate to hold the first layer in place and then spooned raspberry jam onto the cake. Watching her spread the jam, stack the next layer, and finish the cake with frosting felt instructive, meditative, and soothing, particularly in contrast to the sounds of happy shouts and splashing coming from the backyard.
When I ate my slice, I noticed how the jam served as a sharp, tart complement to the sweet layers of cake and frosting. I’ve been tucking jam and other preserves into cakes ever since.
That said, not all of the following collection of cakes, puddings, and cobblers employ jam as Lenore did that day. Some of the cakes do use it as a filling. Others use applesauce, marmalade, fruit butter, or whole preserved fruit. There are even a couple of recipes in this section that don’t include a lick of preserves in the actual dessert, but instead are made complete when served with a generous dollop of jam.
Victoria Sandwich
Yogurt Upside-Down Cake
Marmalade Pound Cake
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Fruit Butter Dollop Cake
Chocolate Applesauce Cake
Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake
Apple Bundt Cake
Layered Bread Pudding
Creamy Rice Pudding
Raspberry Fool
Fruit Cobbler
Spiced Peach Cobbler
Pear and Cranberry Cobbler
Blueberry and Walnut Cobbler
VICTORIA SANDWICH
MAKES ONE 8-INCH/20 CM LAYER CAKE
Until I started watching The Great British Baking Show, I had no idea how many classic English desserts and pastries included generous portions of jam. There are trifles, jam roly-polies, summer puddings, bakewell tarts, and even the evocatively named Queen of Puddings (layers of custard, cake, and jam, topped with meringue), but my personal favorite will always be the Victoria sandwich. Made from two rounds of gorgeously light pound cake and sandwiched together with jam and whipped cream, it is easy to make and a delight to eat. My only major change to the traditional approach is that I like to add a little tang to the whipped cream in the form of crème fraîche or sour cream. It helps cut through and balance the sweetness of the jam.
¾ cup/170 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for pans
¾ cup/150 g granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1⅓ cups/160 g all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup/240 ml heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, divided
¼ cup/60 ml crème fraîche or sour cream
½ cup/120 ml berry jam
Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C. Generously butter two 8-inch/20 cm round cake pans and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides occasionally. Once it looks light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a medium mixi
ng bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated, then stop the mixer. It’s imperative that this cake has a light texture and too much mixing can make it tough.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the batter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cake (a few crumbs are fine, wet batter is not).
Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack, positioned so that the tops are facing up. You want to have at least one cake with a gorgeous top and rack impressions don’t look pretty.
While the cakes are cooling, pour the cream into the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk. Add 2 tablespoons of the confectioners’ sugar and whip on medium speed. When you’ve reached the stiff peak stage, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl. Fold in the crème fraîche with a silicone spatula.
To assemble the cake, place the less perfect of the 2 layers on a plate or cake stand, bottom-side up. Spread the jam across the cake as evenly as you can. Dollop half the whipped cream mixture over the jam and use an offset spatula to make it even and smooth. You can also use a pastry bag, but they’re bothersome to clean, so I employ them only when absolutely necessary. Place the second cake round gently on top of the whipped cream, making sure that this cake round is top-up. Top the cake with the remaining whipped cream. Slice and serve!
The Food in Jars Kitchen Page 13