While many associate Shavuot with cheesecake, there are plenty of delicious dairy recipes to get excited about! Here are a few favorites to try this year.

OneTable Together director Susan Salzman loves her baked eggs aka crustless quiche recipe, as does everyone she serves it to. “This recipe has been in my collection for over 20 years and it is one of my biggest crowd pleasers,” Salzman told The Journal. “It can be assembled the day before, requires one bowl, easily uses cooking staples and the leftovers are a welcome treat.” She added, “It’s perfect for putting in the oven after a late night celebrating Shavuot, and light enough to leave room for some cheesecake later.”

Crustless Quiche

Serves 10-12. Goes great with a simple fruit salad

57 grams | 4 oz | 1/2 cup unsalted, grass-fed butter, melted

70 grams | 2.5 oz | 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

10 large organic whole eggs, well-beaten

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 7 oz can diced green chilies

2 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 pound grated Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients, except for the eggs. Mix well.

Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. 

Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Melt 2 additional tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the top of the egg mixture.

Place in the middle of your preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly on the sides.

Let rest for 5-7 minutes before cutting and serving.

Note: This can be made and assembled the day before. Place the baking dish in the fridge, covered. Take it out of the fridge one hour before you are ready to bake, so it can come to room temperature.

Cheese bourekas are also often associated with Shavuot. After all, these golden, flaky pockets of puff pastry, filled with gooey, savory cheese, are impossible to resist. “It’s one of our favorite ways to get ready for Chag Matan Torah — easy enough for little hands to help, and fun enough to keep everyone engaged,” Debbie Kornberg, founder of Spice + Leaf, told The Journal. “There’s something special about shaping each boureka together, filling the kitchen with laughter and anticipation … it’s more than just cooking, it’s creating memories rooted in tradition.”

Cheese Bourekas

By Debbie Kornberg

1 package of Puff Pastry Dough (2 sheets or a stack of squares) Make sure it is thawed and not frozen

7 oz feta or Bulgarian cheese (crumbled or block)

8 oz cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Eggs

1 Tbsp white sesame seeds

1 Tbsp black sesame seeds

Optional: SPICE + LEAF Nigella Seeds. These seeds are heart healthy and have a wonderful earthy flavor to them.

Also, have 1 Tbsp cornstarch on hand in case the mixture is too wet

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix together all of the cheeses with 1 egg. Make sure the egg is incorporated into the cheese mixture fully. If cheese seems too wet and loose, add 1/2 Tbsp. of cornstarch and mix. Add more as needed. Set aside. 

Using a clean countertop or cutting board, take puff pastry dough and cut into squares or use precut squares. 

Next take a small spoon, gently place cheese filling into the center of the square and fold over into a triangle. Pinch all sides together to ensure a good seal. Fold each edge underneath the triangle and using a fork, press small indentations into each side to ensure the cheese does not ooze out during the cooking process. Place bourekas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat you have either run out of puff pastry dough or filling. 

In a small bowl, beat the second egg for an egg wash. Using a basting brush, coat the top of each boureka with the egg wash. Sprinkle white sesame seeds and/or nigella seeds on top of each boureka. Place it in the oven and cook for 20 – 25 minutes. The top of bourekas should be a nice golden brown when done. (Your instinct may be to try one immediately out of the oven because they smell so good but let cool a few minutes, so you don’t burn your mouth!)

Note: To make these in advance, you can fill the puff pastry with the cheese mixture and freeze them. When ready to bake, remove from the freezer, follow the directions from the previous paragraph and serve.

Dr. Chad Walding enjoys a creamy Greek yogurt parfait with honey, fresh fruit and granola to celebrate Shavuot. “This dish is simple and uplifting: sweet, tangy, and crunchy all at once,” Walding, Chief Culture Officer and co-founder at NativePath, told The Journal. “Each layer of the parfait works together: Greek yogurt is thick and creamy, and the tartness of the yogurt really complements the sweet honey as a part of the Shavuot celebration.”

Start with Greek yogurt as the base. It’s a complete protein with a great amino acid makeup. 

Add fresh fruit, whether berries, peaches or mango, for color, nutrition, vitamins and antioxidants. 

Put granola on top to add a crunchy texture that completes the dish; it feels like a treat, but is not overly indulgent.

Alternatives:

For a lower sugar version, use a sugar-free sweetener instead of honey or use a yogurt that is sweetened naturally so the parfait is still sweet and tasty. 

Instead of using granola, use a nut/seed mix to accommodate different tastes and textures. 

Also: To make the parfait ahead of time, prepare single servings in mason jars or small containers.

Walding believes this treat is especially appropriate for Shavuot.

“Dairy symbolizes a time of renewal and abundance,” he said. “And, because of the mix of wholesome and fresh ingredients, this dish embodies the spirit of the holiday: simple, nourishing and full of goodness.”

He added, “This dish is versatile, delicious and health conscious… and it can really [make] Shavuot feel special.”