Does anyone recognise this Jewish dessert?

[AlyssaHasAChaaaaild]

Apologies in advance if any of my language is offensive:

As a child my mum used to make a dessert from a foreign language cookbook where it was just called "The Jewish sweet". I don't have the original cookbook but mum copied it into her own recipe book under the same name.

I have no idea if it actually was of Jewish origin as it was in a section of the book called "foreign cuisine".

Basically you mix cream cheese, yoghurt, sugar, butter and dried fruit and refrigerate it. Sort of like the creamy bit of a cheesecake without any biscuit base.

I've never seen it anywhere else.

Does anyone else know this dish?

Could it be a form of sweet kugel?

Lokshen kugel?

It's baked though.

My recipe has no cooking, just mix and refrigerate.

Also no noodle, just cream cheese and dried fruit and nuts.

Maybe something like a Pashka?

https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/pashka-recipe/amp

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy ooooooh that is close, if you ignore the custard element.

I'm Jewish and never seen anything remotely like that! Or in any of my Kosher cookbooks 😁Sounds like a dessert that might be served at a Shavuos meal

Makes me wonder how many cookery books contain made up recipes claiming to be from a different country or tradition, which the users just accept and assume are authentic??

Reminds me of Rachel's's trifle !

My mum used to make something called Molly's Pudding. It was equal parts of natural yoghurt and whipped cream, with a sprinkling of demerara sugar. Pop it into the fridge for an hour or two and the sugar "melts" across the top. It's very weird as it's sweet but sharp , smooth but crunchy.

I'm Jewish and I've also never had anything like this. But Jews are very multi-ethnic - there are African Jews, and Indian Jews, and your more New York bagel eating with lox Jews and obviously huge populations of Jews across the med and Middle East. So it could be it's more a traditional regional dish that somehow has been assimilated into Jewish food culture in that region.

I don't think cream cheese has traditionally been a thing outside of the US for very long. It's certainly not 'Jewish' in an European sense. So wonder if it's an olde American dessert that's somehow ended up translated a bit weird (I also grew up in the US and can't say I've ever had anything like that there either, but we did make lots of stuff with cream cheese growing up).

Not like any Jewish dessert I’ve made or heard of
lockshen has vermicelli noodles in so this isn’t a lockshen pudding
creamy / milk based desserts are served at particular festivals but not heard of this one

Lots of old Ashkenazi recipes are made with curd cheese (cheesecakes, blintzes etc)- I think people now use cream cheese because it's easier to get.

OP, I will look in my Claudia Roden book for you later as that covers Jewish food from lots of different regions.

Claim it as you own and rename it! The Alyssa Pudding!

Thanks for the responses.
I will be claiming this recipe as my own and I would definitely recommend the Alyssa pudding to you all.

I think it may well be a case of an author in a European country taking a recipe and adapting it for their home market. Mum has often bought cookery books in the UK and criticised recipes that claim to be from her home country as being utter nonsense.

On the other hand, this recipe book was published in the 60s, and I really don't think cream cheese was so popular then as it is now. It must have been a rather exotic ingredient!

Have looked in CR and the closest thing is another Paschka recipe like PP’s- it does sound quite similar though.

That CR recipe sounds lovely, I like the inside of cheesecakes more than the crust so I'll be giving it a go. Do we think a sour cherry compote would go well?

I was pretty convinced it was Pashka too.

Definitely, there’s a bit at the end of the recipe where she mentions that Alsatian Jews make a version with fruit compote, sounds lovely.

@Childhoodnostalgia is that picture from an M&S cookbook?

I've just learnt about Alsatian Jews. I'd always though Alsace was Protestant as MIL is a Protestant from Alsace. Bit of an oddity in France.

Everyday is a school day.

Yes, It’s my new passion, I’ve been buying all the old cookbooks from my childhood, that I remember poring over the pictures of as a kid.

Some of the recipes leave a lot to be desired..I never realised food was quite so bad in the 70’s and early 80’s 🤣

@Childhoodnostalgia I was so happy last year when I managed to find the Be-Ro cookbook my mum had when I was a kid. It's brilliant, full of really simple basic recipes and tips on how to 'manage your oven' to fit as much as possible in and cook in bulk, in advance to conserve fuel. Love it!

FatAgainItsLettuceTime. I’ve still got my DMs old Be-Ro book. I’m 62 and still use it occasionally .