HOUSTON – There is a special dish that goes back centuries in Jewish cuisine, now has more than two dozen kinds, and is always found at the table during Hanukkah.
It’s called kugel and Ziggy Gruber, owner and chef of Kenny & Ziggy's, stopped by our studio here with his recipe for Hungarian apple crumb kugel, an eastern European Jewish recipe you can find at his famous delicatessen restaurant.
It’s an easy recipe you can try at home if you enjoy making dessert. “It’s not rocket science, it’s nothing fancy, very simple. So you are going to have plenty of time with all of your family,” said Gruber, who has given Houston a taste of deli food for nearly 20 years.
Hungarian Apple Crumb Kugel
(Serves 6-8)
For the batter:
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup white sugar
Pinch salt
3 eggs, large
1 cup caramelized apples
1 cup half-and-half
½ cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Crumb Streusel:
Ingredients:
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick cold butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° and lightly grease a 9-inch round spring form pan. In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix thoroughly. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and half-and-half until slightly foamy. Pour in the melted butter and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Combine the egg mixture and the flour mixture, folding gently until mixed. Set aside.
For the crumb streusel, whisk together sugar, flour, salt and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a small bowl. With your fingers, a fork or a pastry blender, blend in butter until it forms large clumps. Set crumble mixture aside. Peel, core and slice the apples, then caramelize them.
Combine the apple mixture with the batter and fold gently into the prepared baking dish. Top with crumble mixture. Put baking dish on a cookie sheet to avoid spill over onto oven floor.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until crumble is lightly browned. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
Caramelized Apples
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 pounds golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut into half-inch slices
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Sprinkle the sugar over the butter and stir until sugar begins to melt, about one minute. Add the apple cubes and sauté until apples are brown and tender and juices form. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Makes 2-3 cups. Excess may be refrigerated or frozen for other recipes.
Recipe provided by Ziggy Gruber.