Shared by David Lenga
Shared by David Lenga
Blueberry Stonekes
Yield: 12 pastriesTime: 1 h 30 min
Blueberry Stonekes
Yield: 12 pastriesTime: 1 h 30 minAuschwitz-Birkenau survivor David Lenga shared this recipe for blueberry stonekes and his family's story in the moving cookbook "Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors." He shares:
“I was eleven years old when the war broke out. I was very eager to help my mom: washing the dishes, peeling potatoes, or helping with whatever she needed me to do in the kitchen — and she was grateful for that. I noticed how diligently she worked to put the ingredients together for the blueberry stonekes. The end product was so delicious — better than any baker could possibly bake. The whole family was wild about them. When you bit into the stonekes, they were full of blueberries and sugar — so juicy — the taste has stayed with me forever. The stonekes remained so much in my memory that I taught my wife how to make them when I got married.”
Try David's recipe for cholent with eggs and kishke and explore more recipes from other Holocaust survivors in "Recipes from the Kitchens of Holocaust Survivors."
Ingredients
For the blueberry filling
- 3 cups blueberries, plus a few reserved for each pastry
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 heaping tablespoons cornstarch
For the pastry
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- Pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ cup ice-cold water
For the egg wash and garnish:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon cold water
- 2 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the berries, sugar and ½ cup water to a gentle boil over medium heat and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes. (Some juice should steam off, which concentrates the blueberry flavor.) Mix the cornstarch with about ½ cup water and slowly pour it into the boiling berries, stirring constantly. Continue to stir and boil gently for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill completely in the refrigerator.
Step 2
Make the pastry: In a food processor, blend the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until it looks like a coarse meal with pea-size pieces of butter remaining in the mixture. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and ice water into the food processor and pulse until a soft, uniform dough forms. Divide the dough into 2 disks, then wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Roll out the dough: On a well-floured surface, roll each portion of the dough out to about ⅛ inch thick, or roughly a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. (The dough will be sticky, so use a lot of flour on the board and rolling pin.) Cut the dough into 5-inch rounds.
Step 4
Assemble the stonekes: Whisk the egg and 1 teaspoon cold water together in a small bowl. Brush the edges of each round with the egg wash, then scoop 1 ½ -2 tablespoons of the blueberry compote onto the center of each round. Add a few whole berries to each one. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon shaped pastry. Pinch the top closed, then crimp along the edge with the back of a fork. Brush with more egg wash. Cut 3 small slits in the center of each one with a sharp knife to allow the steam to vent. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon demerara sugar atop each pastry.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the pastries onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Bake the pastries for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the pastries are golden brown. Carefully remove and set on a wire rack to cool.
This recipe is reprinted with permission of the Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial Foundation.
