Lekvar

Take a pound of dried fruit, either apricots or prunes, and put them in a sauce pan cover the fruit with water and set them on the stove to cook. Do not let all the water evaporate or the lekvar will burn. You can add a little water as needed to prevent this.

Once the fruit is soft add one cup of sugar and further cook until thick. Remove from pot and puree with a food mill or a cuisinart. The puree will should be thick, not runny. If it is runny, cook till it is thick. Ladle the puree into pint sized freezer bags. These bags can be frozen until you need them or used right away. By cutting off a small corner, the bag now becomes a pastry bag which can be used to squeeze the puree into pastries such as a kipfel before it is rolled or folded up. This saves a lot of time and mess.

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Use a spoon to make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the lightly beaten eggs, orange juice, shortening, vanilla and orange peel (if desired). Stir together with a large spoon or by hand, until a dough is formed. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Divide the dough into three pieces. Roll one piece of dough into a rectangular shape, about 1/8th-inch thick. Spread with 1/3 of the prune or apricot lekvar. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and 1/3 each of the chopped walnuts, raisins and grated orange rind (optional).

Roll the dough into a loose log from long side, pressing the log together slightly and lightly pinching the ends together. Place the log on the prepared baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes or until browned. Let cool completely before slicing into rounds, as thick as desired.