ESSAY: Kuchen in the kitchen (05/07/03)

The cookbooks stopped arriving about 15 years into married life. Only then did my mother-in-law finally accept that her son really did commit to a woman who considered Reese's Puffs cereal a surprisingly satisfying dinner alternative. I'm not a bad cook, actually. It's just that I follow the State Fair theory of culinary arts: Make it big, fanciful and once a year. Still, until recently I secretly fretted that the phenomenal cooks and bakers on my husband's side (every darn woman in his family, actually) were disappointed that I was not cooperating by passing down cherished recipes made with love for generations.

My husband's grandmother was born in St. Louis in 1906. She married at 16, lived to 94, ran a family farm and small dry goods store, and skimmed fresh cream from the cows' milk for her husband's breakfast cereal every morning. That's why he only lived to 100. She experimented to create what have become family legacies: sweet and sour meatballs, baked fish with sour cream sauce, baked chicken with noodles, peas and onions, spaghetti casserole and her famous graham cracker cake with a coup de grace of chocolate mocha frosting. No family event is complete without at least two of them.

Food was more than nourishment for her four children and, later, 26 grandchildren (including spouses) and 33 great-grandchildren. It was the magnet that pulled everyone to her big wooden kitchen table in south Texas to talk and laugh and fight and act like a family.

Her daughter, my mother-in-law, delights in trying new recipes. She arrived in Minneapolis from Texas recently with an ice chest full of meat (fajitas, corned beef, short ribs) despite our insistence that one could find a grocery store north of Kansas City. Her sweets are divine, particularly her kuchen, a light and sweet pastry rolled out long, then baked and cut into small pieces.

My sisters-in-law were all up to the challenge. Jolene is a registered dietitian who studied cooking in Europe and lived for years in San Francisco, where she became expert at Asian and French cuisine. More than 1,000 cookbooks line bookshelves throughout her house.

Carol's kids, now grown, beg for her carrot cake whenever they're home for a visit. Peggy makes tofu irresistible and bakes fresh challah every Friday night for her kosher Jewish home.

And then there's me.

There's no political agenda lurking behind my reluctance to experiment in the kitchen. It's just that, from the moment we started dating, hubby started cooking. I think he sensed it would be a good idea.

But that legacy thing kept gnawing at me. If I couldn't offer up comfort foods like tender brisket, spaghetti casserole, corned beef and cabbage or graham cracker cake, what could I contribute?

Then it came to me. I could offer something better.

My 14-year-old daughter, Sydney, stands at our long kitchen counter with her paternal grandmother. Their hands are now the same size and they move in one effortless motion.

Together, they have kneaded bread and sliced apples for pie. But tonight it's kuchen, my daughter's favorite. Grandmother gently takes granddaughter through the steps, sifting flour, baking powder and sugar, then smoothing in the butter, egg yolks and vanilla. They spread on plum jam, sprinkle the dough with cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts, then roll it up jelly-roll fashion. Once it is baked, they will cut it into strips and serve it warm.

I'll be waiting, proud and relieved, with a big cup of milk.

Gail Rosenblum is at grosenblum@startribune.com.

Kuchen

Makes about 8 dozen pieces. Best results if made with one's grandchild. From "La Pinata" cookbook published by the Junior Service League of McAllen, Texas.

- 4 c. flour - 2 tsp. baking powder - 1 c. sugar - 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter - 1 c. sour cream - 1/2 tsp. baking soda - 3 eggs, separated - 1 tsp. vanilla - 1 (16-oz.) jar plum jam - 1 c. cinnamon sugar - 1 1/2 c. pecans, chopped - 1 egg white, lightly beaten Sift together flour, baking powder and sugar. Work in butter with a pastry cutter or two knives, as you would a pie crust. Mix sour cream and baking soda and add to flour mixture. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Form into smooth dough. Divide dough into 8 parts, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours.

Defrost dough. When dough is thawed, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured board roll out each dough part to a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Spread with plum jam and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts. Roll up jelly-roll fashion, starting with a long side of the rectangle. Brush with egg white and sprinkle additional cinnamon sugar and chopped pecans.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cut into slices and serve. To freeze finished kuchen: Before cutting. wrap the baked, cooled kuchen tightly and freeze. When ready to use, remove from freezer, heat for about 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven and cut into slices.

(Recipe has been tested.)