I started The Culinary Institute of America on September 28th 1982….

I will never forget the 1st day of cooking and meeting all of my classmates.

One dude that I made an immediate connection with was Ken Shore!

He just walked up to me and started talking and talking and talking.

Needless to say, Ken is a major player in the hospitality industry, although no longer sweating in the Kitchen.

But as they say- once you get the food business in your blood, there is no turning back!

Here is Ken’ Rugelach recipe which was tweaked from his Grandmother’s recipe!

Ingredients

• Rugelach Dough
• 8oz butter – room temp
• 8oz cream cheese – room temp
• 2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp bar sugar
• 1/8tsp salt
• 1/2tsp vanilla extract

Method

• Cream butter and cream cheese med high speed scrape down with a spatula twice
• Add vanilla mix
• Sift dry ingredients
• Add dry ingredients in two batches, mix to incorporated
• Fold out onto a flowered surface
• Kneed to combined
• Refrigerate at least an hour
• Roll out and tri fold on flour surface (like croissant dough or a business letter)
• Refrigerate at least an hour
• Cut dough into thirds and cover
• Roll out one at a time to 1/8 – ¼” thick
• Use a cake ring or mixing bowl (upside down) to cut a circle

Filling

• 2 cups Chocolate – dark
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts – toasted lightly colored
• In food processor blend nuts and chocolate to make pasted and remove

(Hint… keep warm or re-warm in bowl in microwave easier to spread on dough)

Alternative filling

• Raspberry preserve
• Apricot preserve
• Chopped nuts
• Cinnamon sugar
• Assembly and Bake
• 1 egg for egg wash

Method

• Spread filling evenly on circle dough leaving 1-2” filling free boarder outer circle and 1” middle of circle (so easy to roll dough)
• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar with a light even amount for seasoning
• Cut circle (from above) into 3” triangle (just like you would cut a pizza) half and thirds etc.
• Roll each triangle like a croissant
• Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar (fully coat)
• Brush egg wash on top of each rugelach
• I use parchment paper to bake
• Bake 350 degrees until lightly brown
• Remove from pan when cool