Wolfgang Puck's Passover Friendly Apricot Macaroons

These macaroons are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They are the perfect 4:00 pm pick me up during this long week of Passover, when you are craving something light and sweet.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
4 egg whites
4 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

In a small saucepan, combine apricots, water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cook apricots over medium heat until tender and about 1 tablespoon water remains. Cool slightly and transfer to a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add remaining sugar, egg whites and 1/2 cup coconut. Process by first using on-off spurts, and then allow machine to run until apricots are pureed. Transfer to large bowl of electric mixer. Add remaining coconut. Beat on medium speed until coconut is well blended. Stop machine and check the texture. Mixture should hold together when pinched. Conitnue to mix, if necessary.

Using your hands, shape mixture into pointed cone shapes. Arrange 1 inch apart on parchment paper on cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are well browned. Cool on rack. Store in airtight container.

Makes 24-32 macaroons.

Vegetable Matzah Pudding

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound mushrooms
2 medium onions
1 medium green pepper
1 medium red pepper
2 stalks celery
3 carrots
10 matzot
boiling water
8 eggs
3 teaspoons salt
frshly grated pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 carrot

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a 9x13 pyrex pan and heat in the oven.
3. In a food processor fitted with slicing disc, slice mushrooms and sauté in 2 batches cooking on high heat until all the liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. Change to steel knife, and coarsely chop the onion. Sauté in a little hot oil. Add to mushrooms.
5. In 2 or 3 batches, using on and off turns, coarsely chop the peppers, celery and carrots together. Sauté in a little hot oil adding more oil if necessary. When soft, transfer to bowl containing the mushrooms and onions.
6. Break the matzot into small pieces. Place in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the matzot to cover. Soak for 1 minute to soften. Drainin a colander. Add to vegetables.
7. To the work bowl add the eggs, salt, pepper and oregano. Process 10 seconds to beat. Add to vegetable-matzo mixture. Mix well.

8. Pour into heated pan.
9. Chop carrot. Sprinkle over pudding.
10. Bake for 45 miutes or until done.

NOTE: The vegetables can be prepared the day ahead. The completed pudding can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Bake for only 35 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chicken soup and reheat uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes or until warm.
4. This pudding freezes well.

Yield: 12 to 16

To reheat: Sprinkle with 1/4 cup

Passover Butterscotch Crunch Bars

These kosher for passover treats are so good, you might want to make them all year round!

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Matzo boards
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cups dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F
Melt the butter or margarine and brown sugar in a pot over medium heat, whisking until the mixture is melted and smooth.
Cover a jelly-roll baking pan with aluminum foil. Line the pan with a single layer of matzah, breaking it as necessary to fit. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the matzhot, spreading evenly with an offset spatula to make sure every surface is covered. Bake for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss the pecans, chocolate chips, coconut and cranberries.
When you remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle an even layer of the coconut mixture over the top. Cut into squares while warm.

Passover Komish/Mandel Broit (Biscotti)

Whatever you call it, Komish Broit, Mandel Broit, Mandel Bread or Biscotti, there is nothing more satisfying than one of the above with a cup of tea. During Passover, the ingredients are specifically designed to exclude flour, baking powder or other ingredients which are not Kosher for Passover.  Here is my mother's tried and true recipe for what we call Komish Broit. 

Ingredients:

3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated ssugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp potato starch
3/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup cake meal
1/4 cup matzo meal
 Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

1). Chop almonds.

I chop mine in the cuisinart!

2). Beat eggs, sugar and oil. Add remaining ingredients and allow to set a while (10-15 minutes).
3). Moisten hands slightly with oil and shape mixture into 3-4 long rolls on a baking sheet, leaving space between each, as they will spread. 

I use oil on my hands to shape the dough into logs.

4). Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes. Cool slightly and slice. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar mixture on top and return to oven at 150° to dry out until crisp and light brown.

Carrot Soufflé

This is the perfect side dish no matter the occasion. If you are making this at any time of the year other than Passover, substitute flour for matzoh meal. 

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, separated
2 cups finely grated carrots, about 5-6 large carrots
1 cup sugar
¾ cup matzo meal
½ cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 20oz. can crushed pineapple with heavy syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs whites until they are stiff. Using a spatula, fold in the carrots, sugar, and matzoh meal. Fold in the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, orange juice, and pineapple with the syrup.

Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake 40-45 minutes or until top is golden. Scoop or spoon out. 

Coffee Meringues

I first came across this recipe during Passover, when Amy Kritzer featured it on her blog "What Jew Wanna Eat". These light and airy, gluten free, dairy free cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and highly addictive!

Ingredients

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment (make sure both are very clean and dry), beat egg whites on low at first and then gradually up to high speed until thick and soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add sugar in gradually (1 tablespoon at a time) and beat until batter is shiny and holds very stiff peaks and sugar is dissolved. You can test to see if the sugar is dissolved by taking a bit of the meringue between your fingers. It shouldn’t be very gritty. Meringue should be so stiff that you can hold the bowl upside down and it won’t drip. Fold in vanilla and espresso powder.

3. Drop 1 ½ - inch dollops of mixture onto sheets 1-inch apart or pipe onto sheets using a piping bag or a pastry tip in a zip lock bag.

4. Bake for about 1 ½ hours or until crisp, switching pan positions halfway through baking. Turn oven off and let meringues finish cooling in oven for a few hours or overnight. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Roasted Garlic Chicken Stuffed with Dried Fruits and Nuts

This recipe tastes as good as it looks on paper. There are a few intricate steps involved, but believe me, it is worth it.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 head garlic

• extra virgin olive oil

• fine sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 10-12 dried apricots

• 5 dried Mission figs

• half a cup shelled raw pistachio nuts unsalted

• 1 whole 3-5 pound chicken, washed and patted dry

• half orange unpeeled, sliced

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

• kitchen twine

• 3 tbsp margarine melted

Directions:

You can prepare this dish with chicken parts as well. Lay orange slices and sprigs of rosemary in your baking pan. Place the stuffed chicken pieces on top. Bake as directed below.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Holding the head of garlic on its side, cut 1-2 inches off the top of the bulb to expose the cloves. Place the head into the center of a square of foil on a small baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Close the foil packet. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour till soft, golden and fragrant.

Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, chop the apricots, dried figs and pistachios into very small pieces. With your finger, loosen the skin of the chicken, going under the skin of the breast thighs and legs.

Massage the fruit mixture under the skin, getting into cavities where the skin was loosened.

Stuff orange slices and rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs closed with kitchen twine. Place the chicken in a 9x12” pyrex dish. When the garlic is softened and caramelized, remove it from the oven and squeeze the roasted garlic form the skin onto a cutting board. Mash the garlic with the back of a knife to make a smooth paste. Rub it all over the outside of the chicken. Drizzle the margarine over the top of the chicken letting it run down the sides. Tent with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 1 hour 15 minutes basting 2-3 times with the pan juices. Uncover and roast until the skin is brown, watching to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. 

Mini Asparagus and Gruyere Frittatas

Healthy, gluten free and Passover friendly, these frittatas are winners! Best of all, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. However, you will want to pop one into your mouth soon after they come out of the oven. Luckily, they are made in a muffin tin so they are portion controlled.

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs

• 2 large egg whites

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup 1% milk

• ½ cup shredded Gruyere cheese

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 shallot, minced

• ¾ bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces, or 2 cups other green vegetables

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray

2.     In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Stir in the salt, pepper, milk, cheese, and thyme. Set aside.

3.     In a small sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and sauté for 5 minutes more, until the asparagus is bright green. Allow to cool slightly, then add the shallot-asparagus mixture to the bowl with the egg mixture.

4.     Evenly pour the egg mixture into the wells of the prepared pan and place it in the middle of the oven. Bake for 23 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the frittatas to cool slightly, then pop them out of the pan and serve. Or let them cool completely, remove them from the pan, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat the frozen frittatas in a 325F degree oven for 20 minutes. 

Spicy Carrot Sticks

Easy to prepare, kid friendly, holiday friendly... what more can I say? This recipe for spicy carrot sticks is a winner. 

Ingredients

• 12 medium or 1 bag of carrots, peeled, ends trimmed

• 2 egg whites from a large egg

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. Cut each carrot in half to make 2 (3-4 inch) pieces.

3. Cut each carrot half in half lengthwise. With the cut-side-down on your cutting board, cut each half into 3 equal strips to make carrot sticks.

4. Place the egg white into a large shallow bowl or container and whip with a fork or whisk till foamy.

5. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, water, garlic powder, cumin, sugar, paprika, and white pepper.

6. Place the carrot sticks into the beaten egg; turning to coat the carrots in the egg white.

7. Remove the carrots from the egg white and stir into the spice mixture. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt.

8. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

9. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl. 

Chocolate Mousse Torte

I got a lot of my traits from my mother. My voice, my love of the arts, fashion, and cooking, all originate from her.  She is the best cook and baker known to mankind. She has taught me everything I know about cooking and baking, and to watch her in action is to watch a master work her art. My mother also has the God given talent to create recipes from scratch. This has been a blessing to all who are fortunate to eat or taste one of her delectable delights. This recipe, which can be used during Passover, is a crowd pleaser at any time of the year. It is relatively easy to prepare but the end result looks as if you studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu! This is a little bit of an “Ungapatchka” to prepare, but it is worth it.

Here is the recipe:

You can make this several days in advance.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a  9 inch round spring form pan

Prepare a Brownie base (we use a Brownie mix straight from the box).

Pour the batter onto the spring form pan

Bake as directed.

Remove from oven and let cool

Chocolate Mousse

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 tablespoons hot instant coffee

7 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.

Once melted, add the hot coffee.

Beat the 7 egg yolks and with a rubber spatula,  stir into the chocolate mixture.

With an electric mixer set on high, and using the wire whisk attachment, beat the 7 egg whites while slowly adding the 3 tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until light and fluffy, almost stiff.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Pour onto the brownie base and freeze.

Once the mousse is frozen, prepare the meringue topping. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat 8 egg whites with 3 tablespoons

of sugar until they form stiff peaks.

Spoon the meringue onto the chocolate mousse and bake at 450 degrees until the meringue becomes light brown in color. Remove from oven and re freeze.  A half hour before serving, remove from freezer.  Remove spring form sides and serve on a decorative plate lined with a doily so that the bottom of the pan does not slide when you are slicing.

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Mousse Torte: A Passover Story

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I acquired many of my best traits from my mother, Irene. My voice, my love of the arts, fashion, and cooking, all originate from her. My mother’s culinary skills are superb, and according to my taste buds, truly unmatched by others. She has taught me everything I know about cooking and baking, and to watch her in action is to watch a master work her art. My mother also has the God given talent to create recipes from scratch. This has been a blessing to all who are fortunate to eat or taste one of her delectable delights. This recipe, for Chocolate Mousse Torte,  which can be used during Passover, is a crowd pleaser at any time of the year. Although there is s bit of “ungapatchka,” (Yiddish, for “a lot of fuss”), involved in its preparation, as it requires many steps, it is relatively easy.  When you enter the dining room carrying the “grande finale,”  it will appear as if you studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu! Of utmost importance is that when you present the torte, you must ensure that you have secured it to the plate with a rubber trivet or non sliding surface such as a doily. I did NOT do this the first time I served it 21 years ago at our very first Seder in New York. As I write this, I am laughing about it. Jeff and I had been residing in New York for about a year, and decided to invite 15 new acquaintances for our very first Seder there. All of those invited, coincidentally, hailed from the British Commonwealth, countries including Canada, Australia and South Africa. I was 6 months pregnant with Yale, and my natural klutz-like tendencies were extremely enhanced. It was time for dessert, and I couldn’t wait to bring out the mousse torte, which I had forgotten to secure to the glass cake pedestal onto which I had so proudly placed it. Unable to contain my excitement, I bolted out of the kitchen and headed straight for the dining room to show my new friends my culinary work of art. On the way there, the cake slipped off the pedestal, flew into the air, turned upside down, and landed with a “splat” onto the parquet wood floor, spraying my new friend, Ida’s, new suede shoes, with meringue. I was horrified and embarrassed, but Ida began to laugh, and then her husband, Ken, and then everyone else followed suit. I was  was laughing so hard, that I forgot that I was holding another cake,(also on a springform pan), and it, too, slid off of the pedestal and headed straight for the floor with another splat! By now, we were all hysterical, and Ida announced that we would certainly NOT dispose of these two cakes. She proceeded to take a large spoon, and scoop them up off the floor and into a beautiful glass bowl. I was stunned, but relieved; not only because my efforts would be enjoyed by everyone, but because I made such a wonderful friend!

Here is the recipe:
You can make this several days in advance.

Brownie Base

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Grease a  9 inch round spring form pan
Prepare a Brownie base (we use a Brownie mix straight from the box).
Pour the batter onto the spring form pan
Bake as directed
Remove from oven and let cool

Chocolate Mousse

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons hot instant coffee
7 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.
Once melted, add the hot coffee.
Beat the 7 egg yolks and with a rubber spatula,  stir into the chocolate mixture.
With an electric mixer set on high, and using the wire whisk attachment, beat the 7 egg whites while slowly adding the 3 tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until light and fluffy, almost stiff.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
Pour onto the brownie base and freeze.

Once the mousse is frozen, prepare the meringue topping. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat 8 egg whites with 3 tablespoons of sugar until they form stiff peaks.

Spoon the meringue onto the chocolate mousse and bake at 450 degrees until the meringue becomes light brown in color. Remove from oven and re freeze.  A half hour before serving, remove from freezer.  Remove spring form sides and serve on a decorative plate lined with a rubber trivet or a paper doily, so that the bottom of the pan does not slide when you are slicing.

Enjoy!!!

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