Dairy Delights

The Festival of Weeks or Shavuot, so dedicated to dairy delights in the kitchen, is the perfect holiday to follow Passover. Passover has a criterion that is unique and beautiful in culinary observances. But to a baker and chef, Shavuot is having all the stops pulled out – for the dairy palate is broad and rich. Inspiration rules in a host of superb dairy dishes – blintzes of course, being the most traditional of offerings, to pastries, coffeecakes, cheesecakes, and more.

This is a time of year that remembers the desert trek our forefathers made that first Shavuot, after the Exodus. With their new set of kosher dietary laws in hand, the Jewish wanderers embraced their dietary regime from that point on. There are many explanations for why Shavuot is a dairy holiday and feted with blintzes, and other cheesy delights. As they had just received the laws they had no time to prepare their two sets of dishes and pots (dairy and meat) and so, meals that were dairy-based were simpler and the kosher laws could be observed.

Blintzes are considered the most common Shavuot food but cheesecakes, cream-cheese based rugulah, and in Montreal, ‘cheese bagels” would also be fine, as one a jaunty, sour cream coffeecake.

I am delighted to share a classic blintz recipe, and because Shavuot has to have at least one cheesecake, I offer a not-too-sweet, rather European Hungarian Cheesecake.

You must try the Sweet Cheese Bagels – also known as Montreal Cheese Bagels. A mock puff dough works here or use store bought, kosher puff pastry to make this recipe in a snap. Sweet Cheese Bagels taste like blintzes, look like pastry, and are a wonderful offering as a simply, light dairy meal or part of a brunch menu.

Do note, that while Shavuot is not congruent with some of the caveats of the American Heart Institute but you can always, substitute low fat cream cheese, sour cream, or any other dairy item, so easily available these days. Shavuot is however, a fine occasion to boost your calcium, so enjoy!

Sweet Cheese Bagels

Mock Puff Dough
1/2 cup unsalted butter - cut into chunks
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg

Filling
1 pound dry cottage cheese (in the USA, also known as hoop or baker’s cheese or no-curd dry cottage cheese)
1 egg
2-6 tbsp. sugar (to taste)
pinch salt
squirt of lemon juice
1 tbsp. flour

For dough, place flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in food processor. Pulse to blend. Add butter chunks and pulse to cut fat into flour. Add sour cream and egg and process to form a soft dough. Wrap dough and chill about 20 minutes.

For filling, blend ingredients and chill for ten minutes.

To form cheese bagels, divide dough in half. Roll out on a lightly floured board to an oblong 1/4 inch thick. Place half of filling along one edge. Roll half way then cut the roll you have formed away from the remaining body of the dough. Repeat. Cut into 8 inch lengths and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Curve rolls into horse shoe shapes, pinching ends together to seal a bit.

Brush (if desired) with beaten egg and sprinkle very lightly with fine sugar.

Bake at 350 F. for about 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about a dozen bagels. Freezes well. Can be made in miniature form. Serve hot with sour cream.

To make pizza, divide dough in three. Flatten each out to make a nine-inch pizza. Cover with a tea towel and let rest a few minutes. Preheat oven to “Broil”. Place pizza on baking sheet. Place on lowest rack in oven and (check often to ensure does not burn), allow pizza to bake a bit and have top surface char a bit (total 5-8 minutes). Remove from oven.

Preheat oven to 475 F. On charred sided surface, smear olive oil and garlic. Spread out feta and cream cheese (in dollops). Top with onion, olives, tomatoes, fill and toss lox on last. Brush out rim with olive oil and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake, on middle rack in oven, until top is bubbling and rim is colored, 7-12 minutes.
Three 9 inch pizzas.


	Shavuot Hungarian Cheesecake Sweet Tart Crust 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened Cheese Filling 1 1/2 pounds dry cottage cheese Pinch salt 3/4 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 yolk 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup yellow raisins, plumped and chopped 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, well drained Garnish Confectioner’s Sugar for dusting Generously grease a 9 inch springform pan or 9 inch deep quiche or tart pan with removable bottom. Sweet Tart Crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine sugar and flour in medium bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in egg yolk, lemon juice and softened butter. Mix with fingertips until blended and pat into a flattened disc. Wrap in plastic and chill 10 minutes. Roll out half of the dough to cover pan bottom, patching in an areas that tear. Prick with a fork and bake this 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Filling: Cream the cottage cheese with the salt and sugar. Then, fold in flour, cornstarch and blend well. Stir in sour cream, vanilla, eggs, and yolk. Fold in raisins and pineapple. Spread filling into prepared pan. Roll reserved dough into 12 strips (pencil thin strips) of dough. Arrange strips on top of cake in a latticework. Bake crust, just to dry out, about 8-10 minutes. Bake until light, golden brown on top. Chill several hours or overnight. Dust with Confectioners’ Sugar before serving. Serves 10-12


	Classic Cheese Blintzes They are simply crepes, done Jewish style. They can be filled with almost anything but the cheese filling that follows is traditional. Serve with cherry topping, applesauce, or cinnamon and sugar. I recommend these as a snack, breakfast or brunch dish, or a light, early supper entrée with fruit salad and a pot of fresh coffee or tea. 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 4 eggs 1 cup water, milk or half seltzer and half milk In a large bowl, sift flour, salt and sugar. Beat eggs to blend, and add milk and water to this. Add to flour and whisk, to make a thin batter. Let stand 30 minutes and stir down before using. Lightly grease a 6-inch skillet with butter and heat till butter sizzles. Pour in about 1/3 cup of blintz batter, tilting pan to spread out batter to make a thin pancake or crepe. Let set up. As blintz begins to blister and edges curl, turn over once. Cook briefly. Repeat with remaining batter, re-buttering pan every third blintz or as required. You will be raising and lowering heat to accommodate proper cooking of blintzes. Makes 16-20 blintzes Blintz Cheese Filling Dry cottage cheese is also called baker’s cheese or no curd or hoop cheese. It is generally available but if you cannot find it, substitute half ricotta and half cottage cheese, drained overnight in a fine sieve. 1 pound dry cottage cheese 1 egg yolk 1 egg 1/4 cup sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons all purpose flour Garnish Sour Cream Fruit Toppings Cinnamon and Sugar, for dusting In a medium bowl, using a sturdy wooden spoon, blend ingredients together to make a thick, cheese filling. TO FILL AND FINISH BLINTZES Place a blintz on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper.Put a hefty tablespoon of filling in center of blintz. Fold in two ends (top and bottom parts, as you face the blintz), and then fold two sides in to form a neat packet. Repeat with remaining blintzes and fillings. Heat some unsalted butter in a small skillet and fry a few blintzes at a time, over low to medium heat, to brown blintzes. Serves 2 per person, and offer sour cream on side or fruit toppings, and a dusting of cinnamon and sugar.

Marcy Goldman is author of A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, coming out in a new edition this August as well as The Best of BetterBaking.com. Visit her at Kosher Cuisine at www.Clabbergirl.com. You can e-mail Marcy at editors@betterbaking.com