Noodle Kugel
Cookbook author Ina Garten made this dish a dozen times before she got the right balance of savory and sweet, crisp and creamy. Now it’s just right and not too sweet to be part of the main course. Naturally, children love a reason to have sweet noodles for dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. wide egg noodles (see note)
- 5 extra-large eggs
- 4 cups half-and-half
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tbs. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup golden raisins
Directions
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-by-13-by-2 1/4-inch baking dish.
Drizzle some oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the noodles and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, halfandhalf, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir in the ricotta and raisins. Add the drained noodles.
Pour the noodle mixture into the baking dish. Place the filled dish in a larger pan and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides. Cover the entire assembly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the custard is just set, about 45 minutes more. Serves 10.
Note: Ina Garten uses Goodman’s wide egg noodles—they’re curly—but any curly noodle will work.
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001).