BORZOI COOKS

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THIS MONTH'S WRITER

Joan Nathan
© Michael Lionstar

Joan Nathan was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a master's degree in French literature and earned a master's in public administration from Harvard University. For three years she lived in Israel, where she worked for Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. In 1974, working for Mayor Abraham Beame in New York, she cofounded the Ninth Avenue Food Festival. Ms. Nathan is a frequent contributor to The New York Times and other publications. She is the author of numerous books including Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, both of which won the James Beard Award and the IACP Award. She was the host of the nationally syndicated PBS television series Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan, based on the book. The mother of three grown children, Ms. Nathan lives in Washington, D.C., and on Martha's Vineyard with her husband, Allan Gerson.

LINKS

Visit Joan Nathan's website

Fresh Bread in an Hour: Joan Nathan shows you how in The Washington Post

Have yourself a vegetarian Thanksgiving: Joan Nathan provides a menu on The New York Times' Well blog

Joan Nathan on Facebook: She's easy to "Like"

Dear cooks,

Here is a cookbook that is both a history lesson and a recipe treasury: Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous. It is a book born of Joan Nathan's trip to discover the culinary legacy of the 2000-year Jewish presence in France. What she found is that Jewish cooking is more alive in France than ever; consider, for example, the provençal fish soups, the Rosh Hashanah brioches, and the kosher pastries.

This was all news to me, Gentile from Connecticut that I am. I couldn't wait to dive into these recipes, starting with a word from the book's title that I've never heard before: kugel. As I discovered when making the nudel schaleth (noodle kugel with apples) recipe below, a kugel is a sweet or savory "pudding" of noodles or potatoes. Or more simply, kugels are Jewish comfort food. See for yourself.

B'tayavon!
Pam Cortland

This Month's Recipe: Noodle Kugel with Apples

From Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous

Joan says: When the French make noodle kugel, it is more delicate and savory than the rich, creamy confections that Americans know. This nudel schaleth or pudding is derived from the Sabbath pudding baked in the oven overnight. Here is where linguistic immigration gets all mixed up—some call it noodle schaleth, others noodle kugel.

Ingredients

- 4 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the dish
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- Salt to taste
- 4 large eggs, separated
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup raisins or currants
- ¼ cup rum
- 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 6-cup soufflé dish or equivalent baking dish with butter or oil.

2. Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until al dente, slightly less than recommended by the package instructions. Drain in a colander.

3. Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until stiff but not dry.

4. Put the egg yolks in another bowl, and whisk in the sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, the vanilla, raisins, rum, apples, and melted butter or oil. Gently fold in the noodles and then the beaten egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé pan, and bake for 50 minutes.

YIELDS: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

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Recipe excerpted from QUICHES, KUGELS, AND COUSCOUS by Joan Nathan. Copyright 2010 by Joan Nathan. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.