Rugelach Revelation

Until about 4 p.m. Sunday 16 December 2012 I never had much taste for rugelach. It always seems to me a bit flat. The dough in particular. Pleasant and tasty but also weighty, so that it never has risen above a mid-level option at best when searching for a treat. Then I pulled a batch of these dainties out of the oven. It was my first attempt. I had marked the page for this recipe from Nancy Silverton's Pastries from the La Brea Bakery ages ago, and I have always found her a trustworthy guide. Plus I happened to have cream cheese and butter and raspberry jam and a loaf of sour dough bread all at once on hand. A conspiracy of convenience.

I waited a few minutes for them to cool enough to taste, and when I took my first bite, the sensation was -- revelation. The dough has weight, for sure, but also is genuinely flaky. The tang of the cream cheese in the pastry matches beautifully the tang of the sour dough breadcrumbs in the filling matches beautifully the tartness of the raspberry jam.

I hesitate to make the claim, since I believe it is human nature to love that which is one's own creation, for no other reason than because it is one's own creation. But honestly, I think these are the best rugelach....