It is a basic tenet that noodle kugels are made with love. It is what binds the eggs, cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese together. The food processor is also essential: it supplies the brawn to make fast work of all the smoothing and pureeing.
This year, my Beloved asked for cornflake topping on the kugel. For the man who kept a constant flow of ice tea on my desk these last few months when crutches precluded me from carrying liquids; who did my grocery shopping for six solid months (not to mention much of my cooking for work), who came running each and every time he heard the ominous crash when I’d bopped around too carelessly on those crutches; who brought ice packs and Tylenol time after time… yes, I will make you cornflake topping. And together we will savor the start of a new year, and together we will toss the remnants of last year’s hardships and heartbreaks in the Hudson River.
I will make you kugel with crunchy, sweet cornflake topping, and not just because you brought me ice tea. I will make it for you the way you make me just the right blend of green and chamomile ice tea– not as a quid pro quo, but with love and caring and in celebration of the 12th anniversary of our wedding day.
| Servings 12 | |
- 12 ounces medium egg noddles
- 6 large eggs
- 16 ounces light sour cream
- 8 ounces Neufchatel (light cream cheese)
- 16 ounces 1% cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 cups chopped plums or black grapes
- 2 cups cornflakes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
I like to add about 2-3 cups chopped Italian plums or halved black grapes to the kugel; others prefer raisins, or no fruit at all. The kugel may be made the day before and reheated (covered with foil) or served at room temperature. Filling
Topping
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- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook the noodles according to the least time suggested on the package directions; drain but do not rinse.
- Make the filling: Place the eggs in a food processor and pulse briefly. Add the sour cream, Neufchatel, cottage cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt; run the machine until the mixture is smooth. Stir in to the cooked noodles, add the fruit (if using) and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Make the topping: Place the cornflakes in a medium bowl and crush with the back of a spoon or your fingers. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; add the butter and stir with a fork until completely combined. Sprinkle over the noodles.
- Bake 1 hour until golden and bubbly.
| 425 calories | 16g protein | 56g carbohydrates | 2g fiber | 16g fat | 8g saturated fat | 494mg sodium |
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