Bloody Mary Rugelach Food

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured board and roll it into a ball. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap each piece in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• To make the filling, combine 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the raisins, and walnuts.
• On a well-floured board, roll each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the filling. Press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges?cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush each cookie with the egg wash. Combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on the cookies. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
• Add the chunks of butter and cream cheese, as well as the egg yolk. Pulse until the dough is moistened and crumbly with curd-like pieces about the size of peas. Dump the dough out onto a work surface. Knead just until it comes together and shape into a square or rectangle. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and flatten into 1-inch thick discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Wipe out the food processor. To make the filling, place the brown sugar, granulated sugar, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the walnuts and raisins are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until the dough is ready.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove one disc of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured work surface. (If necessary, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until pliable enough to roll, but not too soft.) Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a 10 - 11-inch circle, or just under an ⅛-inch thick. Sprinkle more flour and turn as necessary so the dough doesn't stick. Spread ½ cup of the filling over the dough; using your hands, press the filling into the dough to anchor it.
• Using a pizza cutter or very sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve equal wedges (just like you would cut a pizza). Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end and ending with the point. Place the rolls point-side down, about an inch apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have 24 rugelach on each baking sheet.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, or until the tops are lightly golden and the bottoms are golden and crisp (at first glance, it might look like the bottoms are burnt, but that's just the dark filling oozing out). Transfer the rugelach to a rack to cool.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, and then proceed with recipe. They can also be assembled and frozen before baking: Arrange them on a baking sheet (so they're not touching) and freeze until very firm. Transfer them to an airtight container. They can be baked directly out of the freezer; they may just need a few extra minutes in the oven. To Freeze After Baking: Let the rugelach cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove them from the container and let them come to room temperature.

BLOODY MARY

Steps:

• Cut the celery in large dice, including the leaves, and puree in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely minced. In a large pitcher, combine the rest of the ingredients except the vodka. With the food processor running, pour 1/4 of the tomato juice mixture into the food processor through the feed tube. Then pour the contents of the food processor into the pitcher with the remaining tomato juice mixture. Add the vodka and chill. Serve in tall glasses over ice with a stick of celery.

BLOODY MARY RUGELACH

Steps:

• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cream cheese and continue mixing, 2 minutes more, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to low and add flour, salt, and pepper. Mix until just incorporated.
• Divide dough in half and form into two discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together cocktail sauce, horseradish, lemon zest, and vodka and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and allow to temper, 15-30 minutes. Unwrap first disc and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour surface of dough and, using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough to an approximately 14" diameter circle. Using a 12" round cake pan or large bowl as a guide, trim edges of dough to form a neat circle. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Divide cocktail sauce mixture between the two circles and spread into a thin layer over each. Scatter chopped parsley and celery leaves over each and sprinkle with celery salt. Using a pizza cutter, divide each circle into 16 wedges. Starting with the wide edge, roll each wedge into a crescent shape and transfer to two parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2" apart. Transfer cookies to refrigerator and chill, 45 minutes to an hour.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg and 1 t. water. Remove cookies from refrigerator and brush lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with additional celery salt and bake, rotating once halfway through, until golden, 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets, 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

BLOODY MARY RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the ice in a large jug. Measure the vodka, tomato juice and lemon juice and pour it straight onto the ice.
• Add 3 shakes of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco (or more if you like it very spicy) and a pinch of celery salt and pepper. Stir until the outside of the jug feels cold, then strain the cocktail into 2 tall glasses.
• Top up with fresh ice, add a celery stick and lemon slice to both glasses and enjoy.

RUGELACH

Steps:

• To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes - you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.
• Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds - don't work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.
• Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• To make the filling: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)
• To shape the cookies: Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.
• Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.
• Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don't defrost before baking, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.)
• Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• To finish: Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.
• Bake the cookies 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.