noodle kugel with cardamom and apples

preheat oven to 350ºf. grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish or similar (pictured is a deep 9” x 9” casserole) and set aside.bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles to al dente, about 4-5 minutes. drain and toss with 4 tablespoons of butter.in a large bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, milk, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, lemon zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. in a small bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. fold the noodles and apples into the cottage cheese mixture and then transfer to the casserole dish. in a small bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add the pecans, brown sugar, remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, and a good pinch of salt. sprinkle it all over the top of the noodles. bake until set, about 1 hour. let cool slightly and serve.to prep it the day before, do everything up until the step where you top it with the nuts. cover and refrigerate. when ready to bake, top it with the nuts and bake as directed, but tack on another few minutes to the baking time.