Cuisine Featured: Jewish
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
½ pound cream cheese, softened 2 c all-purpose flour
½ pound unsalted butter, softened
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DOUGH: In a large mixing bowl, cream the cheese and butter together by
beating them against the sides of the bowl with a wooden spoon until the
mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the flour, about ½ c at a time, and
continue to beat until the dough is smooth and can be gathered into a ball.
Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.FILLING:
½ c sugar ½ c seedless raisins
1 tsp cinnamon ¾ c finely chopped walnuts
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FILLING: Meanwhile, prepare the filling by combining the sugar, cinnamon,
raisins and nuts in a large mixing bowl.Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll it out to a large rough circle about 1/16 inch thick. Peel off the top sheet and, using a 9-inch cake pan as a guide, cut out two 9-inch circles of dough. Gather the scraps into a ball, wrap it in wax paper, and refrigerate.
Working with one circle of dough at a time, start at the center of the circle and, with a small, sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut the dough as you would a pie, into 16 narrow wedges. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, and cover with another sheet of wax paper. With a rolling pin, press down on the wax paper so that the filling adheres to the dough. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper and, with the aid of a small knife, roll up the triangles. Tuck under the pointed end of each cookie and place the cookies on a cookie sheet. Repeat with the other circle of dough, and similarly roll out, fill and shape the refrigerated dough scraps.
Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until they are pale gold, then transfer to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozen.
