Care for Some Kugel?

Note: This column appeared in The Chapel Hill News and is reproduced here for blog readers because the newspaper does not maintain its links.

My cousin Amy and I both love kugel. More specifically, it’s our Grandma Abby’s kugel we crave. Who wouldn’t? The sweet, noodle pudding is essentially custard-draped pasta topped with butter, sugar and corn flakes.

Over the years, Amy and I have earned a reputation for eating our fair share of kugel. When we’re at our grandma’s condominium, we have a routine where one of us pretends that the serving platter of kugel is actually our plate. Ah, if only.

Kugels come in many varieties, from potato-based to the noodle ones to which I’m genetically linked. “There are some typical foods that Jews eat—bagels, gefilte fish, matzo balls,” said UNC professor Marcie Cohen Ferris, a knower of all things Southern, Jewish and edible. “Kugel falls into that kind of canon.”

The noodle casserole can be part of a meal, dessert or a little bit of both. In my family, like most who eat kugel, it’s usually the main attraction at a lunchtime get-together. “Kugels can be savory or sweet. Even if they’re sweet, I eat them with the meal,” said Matzo Ball Gumbo author Cohen Ferris said. “They’re great alongside more savory dishes like brisket.”

A word of warning—there are many ways to pronounce the dish. There’s the logical KUG-ul that I use. Cohen Ferris calls it KOO-gull. And then there’s that loony KIG-ul fringe that includes one whole side of my family. I’ll let you decide where you stand.

No matter how you say it, kugel is a bona fide rib filler. ‘Rich’ is the adjective I associate with the dish. It’s like cheesecake with some noodles thrown in to make you feel better about having it for lunch.

In mixing together the ingredients—sour cream, butter, sugar, cream cheese and three eggs—I finally realized what kugel was: ammunition in Grandma Abby’s campaign to expand my waistline. I let out my belt a notch after merely smelling the egg nog-like solution.

At her dining room table, Grandma Abby usually offers me a second serving before I’m half-way done with the first. When asked about its filling qualities, she demurred, then came clean. Neither shy, nor one to miss an opportunity, my grandma said, “It does help put meat on the bones, which you could use.”

Now Abigail Schwartz knows what you’re thinking and advises against it—don’t use light cream cheese. “It’s only three ounces, you may as well use the real stuff. Otherwise it won’t come out right,” said the 84-year-old culinary queen. “You don’t use light [cream cheese] when you’re cooking. Maybe on bagel.”

But Grandma Abby will have you know that she has halved the amount of butter the recipe used to include. Besides, “It’s OK. You have a treat once in a while,” she said.

The remaining butter is put to fabulous use in the corn flake topping, which I’ve always viewed as the crowning touch. In case a certain grandmother is reading this, I can’t imagine there ever being too much of that crunchy ingredient. I used a little more than the recipe—about one and a half cups—accordingly.

In mixing the cereal with melted butter and sugar, you’re essentially creating really, really good Frosted Flakes. In fact, you could probably just call on Tony the Tiger if you’re in a hurry. But don’t get all crazy on us and use Cocoa Krispies or Honey Smacks.

When the photographork who’d just finished shooting the dish sat down for a square of kugel, she really enjoyed it. Either that or she’s a skilled faker. But to me, something was awry.

In hindsight, there are just some foods that lose their true flavor when removed from their place. For me, eating kugel is so tied up with family memories and meaning that it just seems pointless having it anywhere but in Grandma Abby’s condominium with the Schwartz clan. I just didn’t enjoy eating it like I usually do.

Then again, maybe I just overcooked the kugel. It wouldn’t be a first.

But I can’t imagine many of you folks would miss my grandma’s condo. Therefore, you’ll revere this kugel. Maybe you can even have someone play the Grandma Abby role. Just get a person you really love to serve you another slice while you’re still working on the first. It’ll taste like family.


Grandma Abby’s Kugel

8 ounces. medium egg noodles (wide)
1/4 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 oz. cream cheese (stick)
8 ounces sour cream
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Cook noodles, drain and cool. In a mixer or large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Blend in cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and three egg yolks. In another bowl, beat three egg whites until stiff. Put cooked noodles in cream cheese mixture. Fold in egg whites. Pour into a buttered 8-inch square pan. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Remove kugel from oven and sprinkle corn flake topping over the top. Bake an additional 25 minutes.

Corn Flake Kugel Topping
1 cup corn flakes
1/4 stick butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar

Lightly crush corn flakes and mix with melted butter and sugar. Nibble a few flakes on the sly.

Eggstra! Eggstra!

I have a new editork over at Fork & Spoon Headquarters. I mention this because he's quite efficient. Just Tuesday morning, I submitted this month's column to him and by Wednesday it was in the paper, in all its glory.

My previous editork worked on a slower pace, so I was expecting to see the column next week or maybe the week after. You can imagine my surprise, confusion, then excitement when a reader e-mailed to say they enjoyed the kugel column.

Anyway, I hope you too will be pleasantly surprised to read about my wonderful Grandma's wonderful kugel, or noodle pudding.

Pudding on the Hits

After saving this idea for months, I've decided it's finally time to write about kugel. Yes, that kugel, the grande dame of Jewish delicacies.

The version of this noodle pudding concoction that I grew up with looks something like what you see here. Only there were never any whole cinnamon sticks lying around at my family's house. Also, we could afford four tines. (I've never liked the three-toed sloth approach to cutlery.)

But seriously, kugel is my comfort food. It's what we eat when we go to my Grandma Abby's. The kugel I know and love has that staple of Jewish cuisine: the sour cream/butter/cream cheese triumvirate. It's not for the counters of calories, but all the better. Like we learn every autumn, the year's supposed to be sweet, remember?