Rugelach

Makes 24

Dough

100g unsalted butter, cold

100g curd or cream cheese

125ml sour cream, plus a little more if necessary

A pinch of salt

250g plain flour

1 egg yolk to glaze

Filling

50g caster sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tbsp raisins, finely chopped

100g finely chopped walnuts

Using an electric beater or food processor, beat the cold butter (it must be cold) to a cream. Add the curd cheese, sour cream and salt and blend well. Add the flour – just enough so that the dough holds together in a soft ball – and combine briefly in the processor. If necessary, add a tablespoon or more extra sour cream, or a little more flour. Do not work the dough any further. Wrap in clingfilm and leave in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

Divide the dough into four. With floured hands, roll each piece into a ball. On a floured surface, and with a floured rolling pin, roll each ball out into a large round as thin as possible. You will need to keep dusting the sheet of pastry with flour and to turn it over, because it’s very sticky.

With a pointed knife, cut each round like a cake, into six triangular wedges. Sprinkle each wedge evenly with a mixture of the filling ingredients. Roll each triangle up tightly, with the filling inside, beginning from the wider curved end and finishing with the point in the middle. Curve the rolls slightly into little crescents and place them, point side down, on well-greased baking trays, a little apart from each other. Brush with egg yolk and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven for 20-25 minutes, until slightly coloured. Let them cool.

Made these 15-16^th November 2007

Refrigerated overnight, rather than just four hours. Light cream cheese and sour cream used. Dough is lovely, elastic as, and not that sticky. I used rhubarb jam, strawberry orange jam, pureed dried apricots soaked in orange and mango juice, and a sugar/cinnamon/macadamia nut mix as fillings (so four in total). They are really, really more-ish.