Plum Hazelnut Kugel

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 10 to 12 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 30 min
  • Active: 30 min
Molly loves to make kugel for Jewish holidays, including Sukkot. It’s a traditional Ashkenazi dish that she grew up eating, so it’s super nostalgic. It’s basically a bread pudding, but instead of bread you use egg noodles and get sweet, creamy, noodl-y comfort! Plus, it all bakes up in a casserole dish, so it’s easy to transport to parties and outdoor dinners like Sukkot.
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Ingredients

Kugel:

1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, plus more for the dish

Kosher salt

1 pound wide egg noodles

1 pound whole-milk ricotta

1 pound sour cream

1 cup (240 grams) whole or 2% milk

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon (15 grams) vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

5 large eggs

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

Topping:

1 cup (140 grams) raw unsalted hazelnuts, chopped

1 cup (30 grams) corn cereal, crushed with your hands

1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 large (or 3 small) plums, pitted and sliced

1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Directions

  1. For the kugel: Arrange an oven rack in the middle position; preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or deep 9-inch square dish) with butter.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the egg noodles for 4 to 5 minutes, until they’re just shy of desired doneness. Drain and toss with the butter while still hot. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, sour cream, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, eggs, lemon zest and juice and 1 teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Add the cooled noodles and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared pan. You can cover and refrigerate overnight or continue right on to the topping.
  4. For the topping: Mix together the hazelnuts, corn cereal, melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Scatter evenly over the kugel. Bake until the kugel is set and the center puffs up; begin checking at 40 minutes.
  5. Remove the kugel from the oven and increase the heat to a low broil. Top the kugel with the plums and turbinado sugar, making sure to cover as much of the nut mixture as you can with the fruit. Broil until the plums are glossy and the edges have curled; begin checking at 5 minutes. Remove and cool slightly. Scoop into bowls. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Loved the recipe but the heat/time seems off. I pulled it after 40 minutes to check if it was set as instructed and it did appear to be but I found out too late it wasn't and I made noodle cinnamon cream soup. I looked around at other recipes that are very similar and found temps 25 to 50 degrees higher and cooking times of at least 50 minutes. I am going to try it again but it seems the heat is too low.

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