Apple Noodle Kugel

NOTES:

1. Based on the recipe from the book Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family. Topping is from another recipe.
2. Serves 12-16; half-recipe amounts are in parentheses
3. Other kugel recipes call for cream cheese or other cheeses. Liz might substitute cream cheese for cottage cheese, or do half and half.
4. Original recipe calls for blender but maybe a large food processor should work too.
5. Other kugels are topped with crushed corn flakes. Many recipes call for golden raisins, too. Look for two other kugel recipes on this blog.


INGREDIENTS:

3/4 tsp Kosher or coarse salt (3/8 tsp)
1 lb wide egg noodles (1/2 lb)
12 eggs (6 eggs)
1 lb cottage cheese (or cream cheese?) (1/2 lb)
1 cup sugar (1/2 cup)
2 cups sour cream (1 cup)
1 stick (8 Tbl) butter (4 Tbl)
1 tsp vanilla
3 medium firm, sweet, aromatic apples (Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp) (3 small)
(optional) 1 cup golden raisins (1/2 cup)
additional butter for the pan
additional salt

Optional topping:  
1/2 cup crushed corn flakes (1/4 cup)
4 tsp sugar (2 tsp)
2 tsp cinnamon (1 tsp)
Butter (up to 4 Tbl) (2 Tbl)


PREPARATION:

1. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add noodles and cook until al dente.

2. While water is boiling, melt butter and set aside to cool a bit.

3. Then put half of the eggs, cottage cheese (or cream cheese), and sour cream into blender (or large food processor?); blend until combined.

3. In a large bowl, beat the remaining eggs.  Transfer mixture from blender to large bowl and stir in sugar, salt, vanilla, and melted butter.

4. Oven to 350; grease a large casserole dish (13 x 9 x 2)

5. As noodles cook, peel, core, and slice the apples thinly. Add apples to existing mixture.

6. When noodles are al dente, drain and add them to mixture.

7. Transfer mixture into baking pan.

8. If topping with corn flakes:  Mix cinnamon and sugar together; sprinkle corn flakes on top of pan, followed by dotting them with small bits of butter; sprinkle with sugar mixture.

9. Bake until set and golden, 75-90 minutes.  The kugel will puff up and then deflate slightly when cooling.

10. Cut into squares and serve hot or at room temp.