Pear and Cherry Matzo Kugel

Amarante

Thu, Mar 30 2023, 4:44 pm

The heiress to the Streit matzo company has a really good cookbook of Matzoh recipes.

This is a bit like a matzoh cobbler. LOL

PEAR AND CHERRY MATZO KUGEL

Excerpt From: Heilbrun, Michele Streit. “Matzo: 35 Recipes for Passover and All Year Long

Grab the ripest pears you can find. The winter fruit and matzo combine to make this the perfect side dish or even dessert—just add vanilla ice cream! It will put a smile on everyone’s punim .

SERVES 12

4 Anjou pears, cored and diced
½ cup (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
8 large eggs, beaten
2 cups dried cherries
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ cups sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) margarine or butter, melted, plus more for greasing the dish
6 sheets of matzo, broken into large pieces
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold margarine or butter, cut into small pieces, for topping the kugel

1 Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10 × 14-inch baking dish.

2 In a medium bowl, toss together the pears, brown sugar, and orange juice. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cherries, salt, cinnamon, sugar, and melted margarine.

3 Soak the matzo in warm water until just softened, about 45 seconds. Using your hands, squeeze well to remove excess liquid and add to the egg mixture. Add the pear mixture. Mix well and pour into the prepared dish.

4 Dot the pieces of cold margarine across the top of the kugel. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and the kugel is set. If the top browns too quickly, cover with foil. Remove and let sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

TIP Here’s another serving option: Instead of using a baking dish, spoon the kugel into a muffin tin to bake as individual portions. The cooking time will reduce to about 20 minutes. Look for the tops of the finished kugels to be golden brown and the centers to be firm and piping-hot.