Homemade Rugelach 3 Ways: Chocolate Raspberry, Cinnamon Apple with Toasted Pecans, & Honeyed Fig with Goat Cheese

The five years I spent living in NY shaped my life in so many ways. It was the city that introduced me to my husband, it educated me, and taught be how to support myself. I feel indebted to all living in NY taught me as well as all the city introduced me to including (and especially) a love for rugelach. Since moving to California, I've noticed when I mention my love for the stuff, I get a weird look followed by a "isn't that a green you put in a salad". No, that is arugula. Get it together, people. But I hear it over and over again. Apparently it's not a thing out here, because literally not a soul knows what I'm talking about. And what a shame that is. 

So if you're unfamiliar with the classic Jewish delicacy, let me introduce you. Rugelach are perfect bite-size pastry morsels. The flakey, moist dough is made of about 80% cream cheese and butter. And the fillings? Oh the fillings. Traditionally there are chocolate flavors, and jam flavors with nuts and raisins and things of that sort. Choosing between the two is always a painful process which results in me buying an entire bag of the stuff and devouring it before I make it to the subway.

There are recipes you pin and think "oh that looks good" then there are recipes you see and think "oh my god, I have to drop everything I'm doing and make this right now. Where have you been all my life?!" This is the latter. At least for me. So when I saw Deb's recipe for rugelach while thumbing through the Smitten Kitchen cookbook last year I did exactly that. 

So for Thanksgiving this year, instead of making a bunch of elaborate pies and cakes, I decided to jazz up this perfect pastry with some festive fillings - and what I created was a rugelach sampler of sorts. Chocolate Raspberry is classic, rich, bold and my favorite of the three. Cinnamon Apple with Toasted Pecans (Nate's favorite) feels warm and cozy and tastes like Thanksgiving, and Honeyed Fig with Goat Cheese is sophisticated and savory. Oh and to top it all off, this stuff is super hands-on and fun to make, if you're into that kind of thing. They transport me to my favorite Italian pastry shoppe in the east village with the added charm of being perfectly homemade. 

Homemade Rugulach: 3 Ways 
Makes 48 (16 of each flavor) 
adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook 

For the dough: 
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 
8 oz (1 brick) cream cheese, at room temperature 
1/2 tsp salt 
2 cups all purpose flour 

Chocolate Raspberry Flavor: 
1/3 cup raspberry jam 
1/2 cup (3 oz) bittersweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped 

Apple Cinnamon with Toasted Pecan Flavor: 
1/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted 
1 granny smith apple
1.5 tbsp lemon juice 
1/4 cup sugar 
1 tsp cinnamon 

Honeyed Fig with Goat Cheese Flavor: 
1/2 cup packed (4 oz) dried black mission figs  
3 oz goat cheese, room temperature 
1-2 tbsp honey 

For the egg wash: 
1 large egg yolk 
1 tsp water 
turbinado sugar for sprinkling 

Make the dough. In a stand mixture, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl whisk together salt and flour. With the mixture on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little at a time until completely combined. Be careful to not over-mix. Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and cover, forming it into a solid disc. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 3 days). 

Prepare your fillings. Small prep bowls or ramekins come in very useful here. Heat the jam in a small saucepan until it loosens and becomes easily spreadable. Set aside. Finely chop chocolate. Chop and toast pecans. Core, peel and dice the apple into tiny 1/8 inch cubes, place in a bowl with lemon juice and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Remove fig stems. Place figs in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Stir goat cheese to loosen it and make it easier to spread. 

Divide your dough into 3 equal parts. Place 1/3 of the dough on a lightly floured, cold, work surface (keep the remaining refrigerated). Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle. It doesn't matter at all if it's a perfect circle. Apply fillings (see details for each flavor below). Place a large piece of wax paper over your fillings and gently press them into the dough - this makes the rolling process slightly less messy. Using a pastry wheel or a knife, cut your dough into 16 pieces (like a pizza - see photos). Starting from the outside, tightly roll each slice. Transfer the rugelach to a baking sheet lined with parchment, then place in the freezer (or fridge if you're like me and live with a freezer so tiny not even the smallest baking sheet will fit) for 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and water. Remove rugelach from freeze, paint the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops just begin to brown. Continue with remaining two thirds of the dough. 

• For the chocolate raspberry flavor: Spread an even layer of jam over the entire surface. Top with chocolate. 
   
• For the apple cinnamon: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over entire surface. Drain the liquid from the apples as best and possible, then top the dough with apples and pecans. 
   
• For the honeyed fig with goat cheese: Spread a thin layer of goat cheese over the entire surface. Sprinkle with minced fig, then drizzle with honey. 

Notes:

You really can't go wrong with the fillings. Feel free to substitute or add things if the spirit moves you. Or add everything! The original recipe was a sort of "everything" flavor with jam, chocolate, pecans, and cinnamon sugar. 

Stores at room temperature for three to four days, in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer for up to two months. 

Spinach & Feta Quiche

Let's talk comfort food, shall we? Growing up my favorite family meals were things like Chicken and Dumplings (which my dad so lovingly called "chicken and glue"), Enchiladas de Creme, and homemade Quiche Lorraine complete with bacon. That's right, bacon. It's safe to say things have changed quite a bit since then, and since going vegetarian my comfort meals have began looking quite different. Instead of chicken and beef we eat beans (so. many. beans.), squash, pasta, and roasted vegetables. These things have become my comfort foods. 

I hadn't made my mom's quiche recipe in months when my man and I visited Prague last year on a trip to Europe. I know what you're thinking, "Prague is the home of goulash, bratwurst, and red meat galore". You're right. But it also happened to be home to the cutest little "Prague's first smoke-free" cafe with the best quiche I've ever had (sorry mom, you lost me at the bacon, no hurt feelings). What made this quiche so special was the perfect blend of creamy delicious spinach and the salty bite of feta, with really just a touch of eggs and milk. It was strangely reminiscent of spanakopita. I knew after one bite I had to recreate it.

Since coming home I've probably attempted it close to a dozen times, even serving it as a side for Thanksgiving last year, but never getting the proportions just perfect. Until now. Unlike traditional quiche, made with about 75% egg and a combination of milk and cream and about 25% vegetables and meat, in this quiche those proportions are swapped. And from a girl who considers bright green cooked spinach to be one of the most comforting foods in the world, this spinach-packed quiche is comfort food at it's finest. It's still got two eggs, a nice helping of mozzarella, feta, and freshly grated parmigiano reggiano but it's got a whopping 1.5 pound of spinach. That's right. Popeye would be proud. Oh and did I mention the homemade crust? Yeah, I'm not going to lie, there's a stick of butter in it, which I stand whole-heartedly behind. 

This spinach and feta quiche was made for cool fall evenings and is meant to be savored at a table surrounded by people you love. The entire pie doesn't usually make it more than 24 hours in our house before it's devoured. I suppose the fact that quiche makes a perfectly acceptable breakfast, lunch or dinner has something to do with it. This dish tastes like home. It reminds me of high school dinners, coming downstairs to eat with the family for a much-needed study break. But it also reminds me of the look on my husband's face when he comes home from work and I tell him I have quiche in the oven. I think we could all use a little more of that this time of year. 

Spinach Prague Quiche 
Makes one 9-inch round quiche
Inspired by mom & café kafíčko

For the crust (from The Art & Soul of Baking): 
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 
1/2 cup unsalted butter 
1/4 tsp sea salt 
3-4 tbsp cold water 

For the filling: 
1.5 pounds frozen spinach 
2 green onions, diced
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
6 oz crumbled feta 
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano, plus more for topping 
1 tbsp all purpose flour 
1/2 cup whole milk 
1/2 cup heavy cream 
2 large eggs 
1/2 tsp salt 
freshly ground pepper   

Cut your butter into 1/2 inch pieces and freeze for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined. Then add butter pieces and pulse until the dough looks like chunky sand with big bits of butter. Add water, 1-2 tbsp at a time, and pulse. You'll know when your dough is ready when you squeeze a small amount of it in your hand and it forms a cohesive ball. If you do this and it falls apart, add more water and continue to pulse. Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and press it together to combine into a disc. Knead the dough one to two times, then cover completely in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your frozen spinach for 2-4 minutes, until bright green. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer and press all the water from the spinach. Combine spinach, green onions, cheeses, and flour. In a separate bowl, combine milk, cream, eggs, salt & pepper. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll the dough out to fit your pie dish, then transfer to dish. If your dough gets too warm and butter chunks begin to melt, (mine did), pop it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Top the pie crust with the spinach & cheese mixture, then pour milk and egg mixture over the spinach. Using a fork, or your hand, gently massage the spinach with the egg mixture until loosely combined. Top with freshly grated parmesan then cook for about 1 hour until a toothpick comes out clean and the feta bits begin to brown just slightly. 

Honeymoon 3.0 + Napa & Sonoma County Food & Wine Guide

We threw together a pretty last minute trip to Sonoma for our two year anniversary. We've been talking about driving up the coast for years and were happy to finally pull the trigger. So we took a full week off of work, loaded up our pup, jam packed my little fiat (comfortable seats > bigger car), and road tripped it up to nor-cal. 

Sonoma was more beautiful than I had imagined. The rows of vines were brilliantly colored by Fall and the weather was perfect. It felt like we'd travelled much farther than just up the state. We hit up 11 wineries in five days. That's a lot of wine. So much that I'll be replacing my glasses of wine with glasses of green juice until Thanksgiving. Here's what we learned: 

• I should have assumed this, but any place known for good wine is going to have good food to go with it. The food was ridiculous. I was in heaven. 
   
• Sonoma v. Napa apparently have some pretty strong opinions towards each other. We heard over and over again that "People who really know wine visit Sonoma, tourists visit Napa", "Napa is too Republican for us" and "Many of the fancy Napa wineries have lost the heart and soul of wine making". Yikes. In their defense, we did get a much more laid back, charming vibe from the Sonoma wineries, wheres the Napa we experienced took itself a bit too $eriously. Apparently the further south you go, the closer to the actual city of Napa you get, the more snooty the wineries become. Fortunately we only have one bad experience (do not go to Newton - we left feeling robbed.) 

• Visiting each of the wineries was like stepping into a new little world. No two are the same, and each offers something unique from the type of wines, to the way they're produced, to the production size and history. We felt like we gained and learned something from each one. But of course, the small-family operated ones were our favorites. 
   
• The people are seriously relaxed. Everywhere we went, the people seemed to really value savoring and enjoying life - I think the good food and wine everywhere you turn must do that to people. 

• The towns in both Napa and Sonoma are spread out and divided by beautiful scenic drives and rows and rows of vines. Because of this, I recommend plotting our your route ahead of time. Hit up everything you want to see in one town, then move on to the next. We drove a lot, but as long as the sun is out the drives are all gorgeous. 
   
• I had braced myself for an expensive trip. But tastings are surprisingly affordable. Most of the places they ranged from $0 (with coupons!) to $15 per tasting. And at many places Nate and I split a tasting. He's less into wine so most of his tastings got dumped after a sip or two so he could drive. And most wineries will waive the tasting fee when you buy a bottle. 

Before the trip, I polled facebook looking for advice on where to go/what to do. During our trip, I asked almost every person we came into contact with where to go. But as much as I panicked about visiting all the right places, our favorite places were often those we stumbled upon while driving through the vineyards. So without further ado here's my guide to food + wine. These were our favorite places, all of which I completely 100% recommend. 

Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa was the first place we went after arriving at our hotel. It lived up to it's rave yelp reviews with a super cute patio, and creative and flavorful tapas dishes. We had homemade skillet rosemary bread, a citrus salad, goat cheese fritters with blistered cherry tomatoes with a honey lavender drizzle, and chocolate banana croissant bread pudding. It was the best first impression of this beautiful city. 

Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena. Their restaurant Farmstead was one of my favorite meals during the trip. The gardens and gift shop were dreamy, and the 2 for 1 wine tasting we got after lunch which ended up being free when we bought a bottle of sauv blanc was just fantastic. The staff was super friendly. They also do farm and vineyard tours complete with a 3-course meal. It's on our list of things to do next trip. I just could not recommend this place enough. Downtown St. Helena is filled with cute boutique shops packed with kitchen gadgets, serve-ware, linens, speciality olive oils, and everything having to do with food and wine. I was in heaven. 

Dutton Estate Winery in Sebastopol is a very small production winery and one of my second favorite of the entire trip. We were greeted by the friendliest staff who served us a cheese pairing to go along with the wine tasting. We even got a homemade chocolate chip cookie to go with the dessert wine. This small quaint little tasting room complete with lovely staff was what made this winery so special. We chatted with some locals as we tasted and took home a bottle of sauv blanc. 

Graton Ridge Cellars in Sebastopol was another small production winery. Very quaint with picnic grounds and a winery dog who met Pumpkin. The staff was super friendly and helpful. 

Deerfield Ranch Winery in Kenwood. Kenwood was my favorite area of the entire trip. This winery was certified organic and the tasting room was in an actual wine cave. For how cool it all was, the tasting room was surprisingly not crowded. The staff was friendly, and walking among the rows of barrels in the cave was super neat. 

St. Francis Winery in Kenwood was a bit more on the large corporate side of things, but beautiful none-the-less. We split a tasting and chatted out on the patio with a very relaxed, friendly retired couple whose dog became best buds with Pumpkin. The service was friendly and I honestly loved every wine I tried. This is the only winery we visited (besides the monstrously corporate vineyard Kendall Jackson - we weren't fans) that sells in stores. The grounds of this winery were absolutely breath-taking, and definitely the most beautiful of those we visited. 

Figones Olive Oil in Kenwood. YOU HAVE TO GO HERE. This place was the cherry on top of an incredible day. We did an olive oil and balsamic tasting followed by a snack of fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes with pumpkin on their patio. We took home a garlic olive oil and blood orange olive oil. They are sitting next to the stove waiting to be devoured with a big loaf of ciabatta. 

The Girl and The Fig in downtown Sonoma. We'd heard rave reviews about this place but figured we'd never get a table without a reservation. We visited on a Sunday evening, it was jam packed and we were told the soonest we could get a table was 9:30pm, we waited for the bar, then miraculously a table became available for us. It was classic french food, with a funky, laid-back vibe. I had a raviolo (one giant ravioli) with very french herbs and flavors. My man had Coq Au Vin and we split a Persimmon Tart . Downtown Sonoma is super cute with a charming little central park covered in Fall leaves.  

Lava Vine in Calistoga is a small production winery with a very hipster laid back feel. Nate seemed to really bond with the guys working. They all had big thick beards, tattoos and wore flannel. The wines were all fantastic. And the tasting ended with a dessert wine and dark chocolate covered in olive oil + sea salt. We took home a Viognier. 

Tedeschi Family Winery in Calistoga was my favorite winery. It was recommended to us by the guys at Lava Vine and tastings were done by appointment only. We called and they told us to come by. The tasting room felt like a wine storage room with a bar that only fit two people - very small. The woman who gave us our tasting was lovely. She walked us into the vineyard, let us taste the grapes right off the vine, let us sample the vineyard's still shelled walnuts, and meet the winery's dog. We saw the wine grapes in production, met Mario the winemaker (a 3rd generation Italian who didn't look a day over 21), and even got him to sign the bottle of Mario's Blend we bought. All of the wines were fantastic. This place was so special. 

Dutch Henry in Calistoga has fantastic wines. The tasting room is in a barn. They seemed to specialize in reds with wines on the pricier side (nothing less than $50 is pricy to us). We took home a blend called Three Red Heads. By the time we got here I had had a lot of wine... 

Bouchon Bakery in Yountville lived up to its infamous reputation with some of the best damn macarons I've ever had. I could have eaten ten thousand salted carmel macarons. There's a reason Thomas Keller is famous. Yountville was the most snooty pretentious towns I have ever been. But there's no arguing with the quality of it's famous restaurants. If you visit, you have to walk around the French Laundry (another Thomas Keller restaurant and arguably the best restaurant in the world. What?! It's on my bucket list) garden. And then if you're dorky like me, you'll walk over to the restaurant and peak inside the kitchen window to see a slew of copper pots and culinary experts hand-making ravioli. I die. 

Bottega in Yountville, was our big fancy meal of the trip.  We couldn't get into the French Laundry in this lifetime so we splurged at Bottega, where I had a Raviolo (never even heard of these, then I had two in two days!) with an egg yolk INSIDE! I could imagine myself trying to recreate something like this and it ending in absolute disaster. It was fancy, but lovely, and the food was delicious. 

We took PCH home, something I'd never done, and quickly realized why no one goes this route. It was brutally long with windy rough roads and a solid three hours with zero cell phone reception. But Big Sur made the drive worth it. Where the cliffs meet the sea, insanely gorgeous.