Easy Jam-Filled Cookies

Make 4 dozen or 48 serving, one cookie each

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/3 cup Walnut Pieces, finely chopped
3/4 cup raspberry preserves (mixed with 3 teaspoons breadcrumbs)
1 tsp. powdered sugar

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cream cheese, butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Separate 1 of the eggs; set egg white aside for later use. Add yolk, second (whole) egg and vanilla to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Gradually add combined flour and baking powder, beating until well blended after each addition.

DIVIDE dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into 12x1-inch log; place, 2 inches apart, on large ungreased baking sheet. Use handle of wooden spoon or fingers to make depression down length of each log, about 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep. Beat reserved egg white with fork; brush over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts. Fill depressions with preserves, using about 3 Tbsp. preserves in each log.

BAKE 25 to 27 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks; cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut each log into 12 diagonal slices.


Recipe from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-jam-filled-cookies-107774.aspx

Dilled Salmon Salad

If you have salmon leftovers from First Seder, please make this salad. It's goes with matzos really well. I made this salad for the Second Seder.

Dilled Salmon Salad

1 (20-ounce) skin-on salmon fillet, pin bones removed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup small-dice red onion
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
3/4 cup small-dice celery
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the salmon skin-side down on the foil. Drizzle the oil over the salmon, rub it into an even layer with your fingers, and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake the salmon until it’s just opaque all the way through or the center of the thickest part of the fillet registers 135°F to 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 to 17 minutes.

Using a flat spatula to get between the skin and the flesh, lift up the salmon and transfer it to a plate, leaving the skin behind. (It’s OK if the salmon falls apart a little bit.) Discard the foil and skin. Let the salmon cool slightly at room temperature, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered until completely chilled, at least 2 hours. (If you’re not using it right away, cover the chilled salmon and refrigerate it up to 24 hours.)

Stir together the onion and vinegar in a large, nonreactive bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. Using your hands, flake the chilled salmon into bite-size pieces and place them in the bowl with the onion-vinegar mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and gently stir to combine, being careful not to break up the salmon too much. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately or chill for up to 4 hours.

Салат из лосося с укропом.
350 грамм филе лосося
1 чайная ложка оливкового масла
1/3 чашки мелко нарезанного красного лука
3 столовых ложек уксуса
3/4 чашки мелко нарезанного сельдерея
2 столовых ложки сметаны
2 столовх ложки май онеза
2 столовых ложки консервированных каперсов
1 столова ложка мелко нарезанного свежего укропа
1/2 чайной ложки соли
1/2 чайной ложки свеже молотого черного перца.

Нагреть духовку до 425Ф. Положить фольгу на дечку. Выложить лосось на фольгу, полить оливковым маслом. Втереть масло в лосось и посыпать солью и перцем. постацить запекать в центре духовки на 10-17 минут. Готовность лосося можно проверить термометром. Воткнуть термометр в толстую часть тушки лосося и он должен показать 135-140 Ф.

Вынуть мясо лосося из духовки, отделить филе от шкурки. Дать лососю остыть. Остывший лосось можно положить в холодильник на несколько часов или даже на сутки. если у Вас остался лосось после большого застолья, то из него можно сделать этот салат через день.

Замариновать лук, смешав лук с уксосом. Дать постоять 15 минут. Нарезать лосось на небольшие кусочки и смешать со всеми остальными ингридиентами. Добавить маринованный лук. Попробовать салат, если нужно можно добавить еще соли и перца. Перед подачей можно поставить в холодильник.



Recipe adapted from http://www.chow.com/recipes/30318-dilled-salmon-salad

Quick Salmon Mousse

I have just finished an article about 2 new and quite good cooking books. One of them is "The Whole Food Kosher Kitchen" by Levana Kirschenbaum. The first recipe I decided to try is a Quick Salmon Mousse. It's absolutely delicious appetizer and goes along with matzos very well.
About my article... It's for Russian-speaking readers. It's going to be publsihed on my website www.allastar.net and several Russian newspapers. I really want Russian people to know about new and, specially important, healthy ideas in Jewish cooking.

Quick Salmon Mousse
1 (15 oz) can red or pink salmon, 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 small bunch dill, juice and grated zest of one lemon, 1 small onion, 1 cup dairy-free cream cheese (I took regular cream cheese), 1 tablespoon paprika, pinch cayenne, pinch nutmeg, ground pepper to taste, 1/4 cup very thinly sliced chives (I did not take it)
Pour the liquid from the salmon can in a bowl and stir in the gelatin. Let the mixture stand a few minutes, then stir in the boiling water, mixing thoroughly. Reserve the mixture. Place salmon and all remaining ingredients except chives in a food processor, and process until perfectly smooth. Add the reserved gelatin mixture and process a full minute, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined. Stir in the chives with a spoon. Pour the mixture in a bowl or loaf pan and refrigerate a few hours, until the mixture is set. Serve chilled. Makes a dozen servings.

Быстрый мусс из консервированного лосося.
1 (15 оz.) банка консервированното лосося (canned red or pink salmon), 1 пакетик желатина, 1/2 чашки горячей кипяченной воды, 1 небольшой пучок укропа, сок и лимонная цедра одного лимона, 1 небольшая луковица, 1 пачка (8 oz.) сливочного сыра (cream cheese), 1 столовая ложка паприки (paprika), щепотка натертого мускатного ореха (nutmeg), черный молотый перец по вкусу.
Отцедить жидкость из банки консервированного лосося. Добавить желатин и перемешать. Дать постоять смеси несколько минут и добавить горячую воду.
Положить все остальные ингридиенты в чашку кухонного комбайна (food processor) и размельчить до образования однородной смеси. Добавить жидкость с желатином в чашку кухонного комбайна и провернуть в течении 30 секунд. Вылить в посуду и поставить в холодильник на несколько часов.
Recipe from Levana Kirschenbaum "The Whole Food Kosher Kitchen"

Green-on-Green Salad

Green-on-Green Salad

Finally, I'm reading "the Bonne Femme Cookbook: by Wini Moranville, Finally, I can try some of the recipes. First recipe I tried is Green-on-Green Salad. I really like and will make again especially the dressing. I will try some salads with dressing I used for this salad. Definitely, it's a good salad for incoming Pesach seder.

1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and black peppers to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 or 2 drops red pepper sauce
4 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup halved, thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 avocado, peeled and sliced

In a small bowl, use the back spoon to mash the garlic clove with salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Add the olive oil, whisking until incorporated. Whisk in honey and red pepper sauce.

In a large bowl, toss the arugula with enough dressing to make the leaves appetizingly slick. Arrange the arugula on a platter. Toss the cucumber and scallions with a bit of the avocado slices atop the salad. Drizzle just a little more of the dressing atop the avocado and serve.

Зеленый французский салат.

1 зубчик чеснока, мелко нарезанный
соль и перец по вкусу
2 столовых ложки свежего сока лайма
4 столовых ложки оливкового масла
2 чайные ложки меда
1 или 2 капли "red pepper sauce"
4 чашки арагулы
1/2 чашки свежего огурца, тонко нарезанного
1/2 чашки мелко нарезанного зеленого лука
1 авокадо, очищенного и нарезанного на тонкие кусочки

Приготовить соус. В небольшой мисочке растереть чеснок с солью и перцем. Добавить сок лайма и все хорошо перемешать до растворения соли. Добавить оливковое масло и опять все хорошо перемешать. Добавить мед, "red pepper sauce" и перемешать.

В большой посуде перемешать арaгулу с небольшим количеством соуса. Добавить огурцы и лук. еще добавить соус и перемешать. На верх выложить авокадо и полить оставшимся соусом.

Apple turnovers

Apple turnovers Russian way

Finding a wright recipe for apple turnovers became a historic experience for me. For years I used to make an yeast dough for turnovers. I made myself, I bought a various types of dough from the store. Today, I decided to make a very simple recipe recommended by one of the cooking groups on Russian social web site. I love to bake with farmer's cheese or ricotta cheese. I always have a fun testing new recipes with ricotta cheese. Here's one more successful recipe for apple turnovers, which we used to called "pirozhki".

Make 35 medium size turnovers ("pirozhki")


Dough
1 & 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
9 tablespoons milk
9 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 or 3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling
5-6 large apples, cored, peeled, and diced
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 cup raisins or dry cherries (optional)

Egg wash
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk

Place ricotta cheese and sugar in a big bowl. Stir together, add milk and vegetable oil. In a separate bowl mix flour with baking powder. Mix in flour mixture: 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and does not stick to your hands.

Prepare filling. Mix together apples, sugar, lemon juice, bread crumbs and raisins.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).

Place the dough onto floured surface and divide into 30 equal balls. Flatten the balls by hand until they are 3 to 4 inches across. Place a spoonful of the apple filling in the center and fold in half to enclose. Pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place the pirozhki onto the baking sheet, leaving a little bit of room between them for them to grow.
Mix together egg and milk and brush each turnover.
Bake for 20-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.


I keep the Russian version as it is:

Творожные пирожки с яблоками и изюмом
Ингредиенты:
Тесто:
пастообразный нежирный творог - 150 г.
мука - 300 г.
1 пакетик разрыхлителя (15 г. )
6 ст. ложек яичного ликёра (можно заменить на молоко, сливки, "Бейлис"," Амаретто"...)
6 ст. ложек растительного масла без запаха
1 пакетик ванильного сахара ( 8 г. )
60-70 г. сахара

Начинка:
яблоки - 700 г.
сахар - 75 г.
изюм - 50 г.
лимонный сок -2 ст. ложки
(В качестве начинки очень хорошо подходят так же замороженные ягоды + сахар. Ягоды не нужно предварительно размораживать!)

Приготовление:
Для начинки яблоки очистить от семян, порезать кубиками и вместе с сахаром, изюмом и лимонным соком уварить на среднем огне в течении 10-15 минут до загустения, иногда помешивая. Оставить остывать.
Духовку включите греться на 180 °C. Для теста перемешать миксером творог, сахар, ликёр, ванильный сахар и масло. Всыпать просеянную муку и разрыхлитель и замесить гладкое, мягкое тесто. Возможно, оно будет немного липнуть к рукам...

Рабочую поверхность слегка! присыпать мукой. Тесто нужно разделить на 12 равных кусочков. Каждый кусочек раскатывать в круг толщиной примерно 0,5 см . На каждую половинку круга выкладываем примерно 2 полные чайные ложки начинки. Края теста смазываем слегка водой и закрываем начинку второй половинкой круга, несильно прижимая края. Выпекать пирожки в течении 15 минут до зарумянивания. Готовые пирожки после остывания можно покрыть глазурью из сахарной пудры и лимонного или яблочного сока, посыпать миндальными пластинками или фисташками или украсить как пожелаете.
Recipe from http://vk.com/wall-4806561_79938?hash=c841e3a73dfe23526f

Crispy hamantashen

Crispy Hamantashen

This year I decided to add one more interesting recipe to my hamantachen collection. Previously I did 2 different type of dough for hamantachen. Both of the are good, but this time I tried something new.


Couple weeks ago I baked Raspberry fan cookies. My cookies were a hit among my coworkers, and one the coworkers mentioned that dough is quite good for hamantashens. So, I tried this type of dough for my hamantashen.

here's a recipe:

Make 40 hamantashen

Prep: 1 hour
Chill: 1 to 2 hours
Bake: 8 -10 minutes

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can of "solo" poppy-seed filling
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
Finely shredded lemon peel (optional)

Directions
1. In a very large bowl, combine butter and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in the 1 teaspoon lemon peel, the vanilla, and lemon extract until combined. Beat in cornstarch. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough portions to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a round 2-1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out dough. Place dough rounds 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Mix poppyseed filling with bread crumbs and mix well. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the poppyseed mixture onto the center of each round and shape the hamantashen

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Repeat with the remaining dough portions. If desired, sprinkle cookies with additional lemon peel before serving.

5. To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Dough recipe from Better Homes and Gardens magazine

How to make chocolate Babka

Here's a second recipe from "Healthy and easy kosher cooking" by Leach Schapira. enjoy !

Eggplant & Tomato fettuccini

Several weeks ago I received a cooking book "Fresh and Easy kosher cooking" by Leah Schapira. Right away I decided to go through all recipes from the book. I spent all evening reading and choosing recipes to make. Before beginning to make some recipes, I payed attention to the quality of publishing work. It's being done very well. Many of the recipes have wonderful pictures. The first recipe I want to try is a eggplant and tomato fettuccini. The recipe sounds healthy, easy and extremely delicious for the eggplant lover.



So, I decided to treat my mom and myself with a good lunch on President's Day.

Eggplant & Tomato fettuccini

1 medium eggplant
1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb fettuccini, prepared according package directions

Olive Oil dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 450F. Wash eggplant and dice into 1/2-inch cubes. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes.

Slice the tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet lines with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 12 minutes.

Combine the roasted vegetables with the cooked cooked fettuccini.

To prepare the olive-oil dressing, combine the oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

Toss pasta with the sauce and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve warm.