Aunt Sima's Apple Noodle Pudding
With the Jewish holidays fast approaching, I thought it was high time for this wonderful apple noodle pudding, courtesy of my Aunt Sima, a fantastic cook herself! I've already shared her Apple Cake, which is legendary in my family and I know you'll want to have this one as well. Now, this is one of those truly "unwritten" recipes--I've got a scribbled down version with barely any measurements for anything, but I do have to say, that after much tinkering, this version comes pretty close to the original. It's full of the good Old-world combination of apples, noodles and cinnamon, all topped with a deliciously crunchy graham cracker crumb based streusel. Total comfort food!
This noodle pudding is not as creamy or heavy as some others I've had. There's no sour cream or cottage cheese or any dairy here at all other than the butter that goes on the noodles. Instead the moisture comes from the generous amount of shredded apples that fill this casserole. Dads, grandpas and uncles seem to especially love it!
And it all comes together fairly easily--peeling and shredding the apples is the hardest part!
Meanwhile, you boil the noodles and when they're done, toss them with some butter--
Then you mix them together with the shredded apples, eggs, cinnamon, sugar and raisins and transfer to a casserole dish.
The topping takes just moments to mix up and is a sweet and crumbly mixture of melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Irresistible!
Though I would serve this as a side dish with dinner, you could also serve it as a not-too-sweet dessert or as a very welcome addition to a casual brunch. It's also wonderful cold, eaten directly from the pan, right in front of the refrigerator--not that I would know from personal experience, of course! Each bite is a little bit of appley, cinnamon noodle perfection and don't even get me started about the little bits of noodles that stick to the edges and get all crunchy and charred!! Yum!! Thanks again, Aunt Sima!!!
Aunt Sima's Apple Noodle Pudding
Makes enough for 6-8 people as a side dish--double it for a big party
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: 40-45 minutes
Ingredients
For the noodles
3-4 tart apples (I almost always use Granny Smith)
1/2 pound extra-wide egg noodles
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins (I always use golden--use whatever you like or omit them altogether)
For the Topping
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Place a medium pot of water on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, peel and grate the apples into a large bowl. When water is boiling, add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and add back to the pot. Stir in the 4 tablespoons butter. Add the noodles to the grated apples in the bowl and stir in the eggs, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Mix to combine well. Transfer to a 8x8 inch baking dish and set aside.
3. To make the topping: Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon until the mixture is crumbly. Spread the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the noodle mixture in the pan.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is golden brown and crunchy. Let sit for a few minutes before serving so that it doesn't fall apart when you cut it. It's great served hot or at room temperature, if you're trying to juggle getting other dishes in and our of your oven. This can also be put together early in the day and stored, uncooked, but well-covered in the fridge and then cooked when ready. Or you can cook it ahead of time and simply reheat it. Leftovers last for several days, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
5. Also, this can easily be doubled, just use a 9x13 inch baking pan instead and double all the ingredients.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from my Aunt Sima.
