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Fruited Passover Kugels

A fruit-filled Passover kugel baked in custard cups.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Apple and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓

Fruited Passover Kugels

Oven350°F
Timeabout 35 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. Grease eight 6-ounce custard cups with ¼ teaspoon margarine each; set aside.

  3. In a small bowl, combine matzo and water; set aside.

Make the batter

  1. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon margarine with the sugar until light and fluffy.

  2. Add egg yolks and continue beating until the mixture is well combined.

  3. Add the fruits, lemon juice, cinnamon, and matzo mixture, and stir to combine; set aside.

  4. In a separate bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form; gently fold the whites into the batter.

Bake and cool

  1. Spoon 1/8 of the batter into each prepared custard cup and bake until lightly browned, about 35 minutes.

  2. Let cool for 5 minutes; using a spatula, loosen the kugels from the cups, transfer them to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

342Calories
7 gProtein
17 gFat
44 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Prunenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,598 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  2. Lemon + cinnamontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together7,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together30,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Apple + lemontop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,551 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Sugar + appletop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together16,478 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Whites beaten to stiff peaks lighten the batter and give the kugels their airy, risen structure.
Matzo
Soaked in water, it softens and binds the batter, giving the kugels body and moisture.
Margarine
Creamed with the sugar, it adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and helps the top brown.
Apples
Shredded, they add moisture and natural sweetness that keeps the kugels tender.
Prunes
Diced, they add concentrated sweetness and moisture to the batter.
Light brown sugar
Creams with the fat and adds sweetness, molasses flavor, and browning during baking.

The step that matters

Folding in the egg whites. Whites beaten to stiff peaks trap air that makes the kugels rise. Overmixing or stirring instead of gently folding deflates the foam, leaving dense kugels.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, lemon, cinnamon):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Orangefits better
  3. Raisinfits better
  4. Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, lemon, cinnamon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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