In the Kitchen with Henny: Milk and honey

Just having celebrated Jerusalem Day and my 20th aliyah anniversary coming up next week, I’m eagerly looking forward to the approaching holiday of Shavuot. It’s that special time when we indulge in all our favorite dairy recipes, cherishing the sweetness of Torah. 

I’ve put together these recipes as a tribute to our beloved Land of Milk and Honey.

Sweet Cheese Noodle Kugel

During our first year of marriage, my husband and I spent Shavuot with his sister Rachel and her family in Toronto. I vividly recall Rachel making her special noodle kugel, a recipe passed down from my mother-in-law. The sweet aroma filled the kitchen as she prepared it, and the next day we enjoyed it for lunch. Contemplating which sweet dish to feature in this article, I realized that this sweet noodle kugel had to be included.

This dish is incredibly easy to prepare and exceptionally rich, making it perfect for feeding a crowd. Plus, it freezes well for convenient storage.

Yields one 9” x 13” pan (23 cm.x33 cm.).

• 250 gr. fine noodles (cooked + drained) 
• 1 cup sugar
• 500 gr. cottage cheese 
• 5 eggs
• 450 gr. sour cream 
• 2 cups milk
• 100 gr. butter (1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Topping

• 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F/170°C. Grease a 9” x 13” pan (23 cm. x 33 cm.) with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, cream together the cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and milk. Stir in the drained noodles until the batter is thoroughly combined – it will be quite wet. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for added flavor. 

Bake for approximately 1.5 hours, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Delicious Quiches – Mushroom Onion

In November, I started making meals for families whose husbands were serving in the army. Cooking for 10 families, each of about six people, I needed something filling, delicious, and easy to prepare. I turned to my sister-in-law Hindy, an amazing cook, for ideas. She suggested quiches, since they can be made ahead of time and frozen until delivery. I loved the idea and used the recipe she shared, which, funnily enough, she got from my mother. 

You can use pastry dough: Cut it into a circle, place it on the bottom of your pie pan, and par-bake it for 5 minutes. 

Alternatively, for a healthier option, here is an easy gluten-free pie crust recipe.

Yields one 9” round pan (23 cm.).

Almond flour pie crust

• 2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. honey/sugar 
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter or coconut oil

Quiche

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 200 gr. mushrooms, sliced
• 2/3 cup shredded cheese – yellow or mozzarella
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup flour
• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• Dash of pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F/170°C. Put the crust ingredients into a food processor using the S blade and mix until a dough forms. Grease a 9” pie pan and press the dough down and along the sides. Bake this for about 6 minutes, then remove from the oven.

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Sauté for about 8 minutes until the onions soften but are not too brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 4-6 minutes, mixing occasionally, then turn off the heat.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, flour, milk, baking soda, salt, and pepper until smooth with no clumps.

To assemble the quiche:

1. Place half of the onions and mushrooms on the pie crust.
2. Sprinkle a third of the cup of shredded cheese on top.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
4. Pour the flour mixture over the top.
5. Sprinkle on some Parmesan.

Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Let it cool before covering, first with baking paper, then foil. Keep in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Variation: Instead of mushrooms, you can use 2 colored peppers and 2 zucchinis, sliced and sautéed with the onions.

Honey Butter Salmon

Salmon is my favorite go-to fish. Bursting with flavor, it adds deliciousness to any meal. Usually, I serve it on Shabbat, so I tend to keep it parve – but for a dairy Shavuot meal, I can add that buttery taste.

Yields 4 servings.

• 4 salmon fillets
• 50 gr. butter (¼ cup)
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. parsley flakes
• 2 tsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. coarse salt
• Lemon slices and fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the salmon fillets skin side down, on the tray, leaving space between them. Melt the butter in a small pot over low heat, then turn off the heat and add the garlic, lemon juice, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix well and pour the mixture evenly over each salmon fillet. 

Bake the salmon in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and baste the salmon with the juices that have collected in the pan. Return the tray to the oven and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Once done, remove the salmon from the oven and serve warm.

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Until a year ago, I had never made a cheesecake, but that’s because I thought I didn’t like cheesecake. Well, after I was hired last year to run a cheesecake-making workshop for new immigrant families at the OU Israel Center, I had to learn how to make a no-bake cheesecake, and I discovered a new love. You can be creative and vary the cookie crust or toppings to your liking.

Here, I give you a simple ganache to top it off with.

Yields one 9” (23 cm.) round pan.

Crust 

• 200 gr. tea biscuits/lotus cookies
• 100 gr. butter (½ cup)

Filling

• 1 cup of cream cheese 9% or higher (gvina levana)
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla pudding powder 
• 1 cup whipping cream (250 ml.)

Ganache topping

• ½ cup whipping cream
• 100 gr. dark chocolate
• Chocolate-covered candies to decorate

In a small pan, melt the butter on low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat. Use a food processor with the S blade to grind up the tea biscuits. Combine the crumbs and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Press the mixture firmly onto the bottom of your round pan, then put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to cool. Using an electric mixer, whip together the ingredients for the cheese filling for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy, being careful not to over-mix. Spread the cheese layer on the cooled crust and return it to the fridge for 20 minutes. 

Using the same pot in which you melted the butter, make the ganache by adding the cream and chocolate and heating on very low heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the ganache over the cheesecake and return it to the fridge to cool completely before covering. Add some chocolate covered candies if you wish.

SHAVUOT IS a time to renew our attachment to and love for the Torah, not only celebrating its reception thousands of years ago at Mount Sinai but also striving to receive it anew every day. It is often said that just as a baby needs milk to grow and develop, so too do we need the Torah for our spiritual growth. When young children begin learning Torah, they often trace letters with honey, symbolizing the sweetness and nourishment it provides. 

Our Land, flowing with milk and honey, reflects God’s love and care for us.

Wishing you all a much-needed, sweet Shavuot.

The writer is a kitchen coach who teaches women how to meal plan and cook to get dinner on the table and prepare for Shabbat and chag on time. To join her YUM & DONE Challenge coaching program: inthekitchenwithhenny.com