Passover 2006–

[Swisskaese]

What is cake meal?  Does it thicken like a starch?  Will it be gummy, or creepy like corn starch?

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Do not use cake meal. Cake meal is ground matzah.

Potato starch does not work that well in sauces. It tends to get gummy or lumpy. I would not recommend it.

Try thickening by cooking slowly and try to reduce the liquid a bit.

[Alchemist]

What is cake meal?   Does it thicken like a starch?  Will it be gummy, or creepy like corn starch?

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Do not use cake meal. Cake meal is ground matzah.

Potato starch does not work that well in sauces. It tends to get gummy or lumpy. I would not recommend it.

Try thickening by cooking slowly and try to reduce the liquid a bit.

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I have cooked it for about four hours. It's that the liquid an the cherries aren't binding, it's not so much that the liquis isn't thick enough. I'll see how it is when it cools.

[UnConundrum]

I'm trying to thicken a cherry compote, and stay kosher.  Any suggestions?

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Uhhh, I'd say the answer may depend on how kosher... There's very, very little kosher food available to me, so we "bend" some rules... We feel any purely vegetarian product is ok for Passover... so.... if that works for you, how about agar agar? It's seaweed.

[UnConundrum]

I'm trying to thicken a cherry compote, and stay kosher.  Any suggestions?

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Another thought.... how about yucca root? Should be available in any Spanish market. That's what tapioca is made from.

[LaurelH]

I don't know whether it is appropriate to dietary laws but what aqbout Agar or arrowroot? One is a seaweed and the other a root. Are they allowed?

oops! for some reason I didn't have the previous 2 posts on my screen when I wrote this.

Edited April 11, 2006 by LaurelH (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Don't like thickeners during Pesach .. too much trouble given the few kosher l'Pesach alternatives .. I opt for reducing the liquid in a separate pan and then adding it back into the main dish later on ... my own idiosyncracies ...

Gefilte fish made ... will grate the fresh horseradish before the seder begins ...

Chicken soup made with a large pullet smells very traditonal ... matzo balls made with flecks of fresh parsley look lovely bobbing in the pot ...

Farfel cookies made from my husband's grandmother's old country recipe always make him happy .. house smells so sweet ...

Stuffed cabbage is ready ... sister-in-law's insisting upon this actually turned out to be good for all of us ...

Tomorrow the baking of cakes, stewing of dried fruit, stuffing the veal breast with my farfel calico stuffing, salads and homemade dressings ... a few vegetable kugels, port & fresh cranberry sidedish ... yeah, it all gets done somehow ...

Just really tired ...

[Pam R]

Just really tired ...

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I hear ya.

I know I do this commercially - but I think it's incredible what you all do for your friends and families. They are so lucky to have people who care so much about them, about traditions and about sharing these gifts. Your menus all sound wonderful - I hope to see more pictures .

I'm sure i'll be back at some point(s) before tomorrow night - but since we're all in different time-zones, let me wish all of you a Chag Sameach! Have a very happy and healthy one - b'shana haba'ah b'Yerushaliym

[Gifted Gourmet]

about traditions and about sharing these gifts.  Your menus all sound wonderful - I hope to see more pictures  .

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Oh there are always more pictures ...

even my Ispanky porcelain Avraham looks ready to drop from the rigors of Pesach:

[Cleo]

I just sat down and I am so tired! I'm having 12 people for dinner tomorrow.

My menu:

Chopped Liver (bought from Russ & Daughters in NYC)

Baby Carrots

Grape Tomatoes

Passover Crackers

Gefilte Fish -- store bought

Chicken Soup -- my sister is making it

Matzoh Balls

Brisket

Slow Roasted Garlic & Lemon Chicken (a Nigella recipe that I picked up somewhere in this thread!)

Potato Kugelettes

Braised Broccoli with Garlic & Wine

Vegetable Kugel

Homemade Macaroons

Cheesecake with a macaroon crust -- my sister makes it

Some sort of chocolate cake -- my sister makes it

Fruit Salad -- MIL is bringing (I'm sure she bought it at Costco!)

Today I made the matzoh balls, brisket (for the first time), and a vegetable kugel from a Joan Nathan recipe. I also organized all of my serving pieces so I hopefully won't have to scramble around tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have to set the table. I took most things out today, but I can't really do set it in advance because I have an almost 18 month old daughter who is an unbelievable climber and very curious as to everything that goes on the table! She can't be trusted near a set table!

I must go to sleep!

[KatieLoeb]

I was so exhausted today when I came home from work I took a long nap. Hence I'm up at ridiculously late hours but all is finally finished. Thought I'd share a quick snapshot or two of the Magnum Opi for this Passover season:

One of several containers of the Sephardic Charoset

The horseradish. Too bad we don't have Smell-o-vision or you'd all have watering eyes right now. I test drove this on some gefilte fish and it's all it should be. You shouldn't eat horseradish if you don't want to cry...

Off to bed so I can go to work and then bolt home tomorrow, change into something more appropriate and go enjoy the first seder.

Happy Holiday everyone!

[Swisskaese]

Tapenade and I have finished all of the things we are bringing to my cousin's seder tonight.

I also made the chicken soup for the two of us. I will show you a demo of matzah ball making on Thursday or Friday.

A chocolate covered variation of Chufi's Weesper Moppen

Orange and Ginger Cake

Tapenade's world famous Venetian Haroset

Pesach Kasher v' Sameach everyone.

Next Year in Jerusalem.

We will be in Jerusalem tonight.

Edited April 12, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

I cover my kitchen counters with lucite for Passover ... in this way, no chametz can touch the Passover foods ...

Pullet in the soup .. waiting for matzo balls no doubt ..

Stuffed cabbage for my sister-in-law who loves the stuff ...

Seder plate ready to be filled for the seder ... Tablecloth is covered with plastic over my tablecloth ... more rules for this unique holiday ...

"faux oatmeal" cookies: made originally by my husband's beloved grandmother Chaya Sarah Goodman in the "old country" .. she never measured .. I demanded accuracy ... she was aghast .. I got the recipe after a bout of tears ...

[Luckylies]

that stuffed cabbage looks divine!

[UnConundrum]

Figure I'll do pictures from time to time, instead of all at once.... so... here's the tzimmes I FINALLY decided on...

And my wife thinks I'm nuts, but with 17 coming for the Seder, I ALWAYS like to have a back-up plan. So, last night, like I had nothing else to do, I smoked a whole chuck, about 20 pounds....

If you're interested in smoking, I did a graph of this "cook" and posted some info in the BigGreenEgg forum. You can see the graph HERE, and my explaination HERE.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Seder plate with symbolic foods (see below for the symbols)

Veal breast with confetti stuffing

Sliced stuffed breast of veal:

Port wine with apples and cranberries, orange zest

Cranberries completed

Green salad with peppers and olives

Farfel stuffing casserole: sausage, veg, peppers

Charoset ...

The seder plate symbols stand for:

Mortar or Charoset (in Hebrew): A mixture of apples, nuts, spices, and wine or grape juice. It symbolizes the mortar that the Jewish people used to build and keep the bricks together when they were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt. During the Passover Seder, the Charoset is eaten with Matzah, Karpas, and the Bitter Herbs.

Roasted Egg or Beitzah (in Hebrew): The egg symbolizes a few things. The roundness of the egg resembles the earth and life which constantly is moving in a circle. An egg is the traditional food for mourners and was brought to Jerusalem after the destruction of the temple. Since Passover is celebrated during the spring season, the egg represents spring time.

Bitter Herbs or Maror (in Hebrew): The bitter herbs symbolize and helps us to remember the bitter times the Jews had to experience while slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt. The common food used on a Seder plate is horseradish. Some people use the horseradish in the jar while others will use fresh, and slice pieces from the horseradish root.

Shankbone or Zeroa (in Hebrew): This is considered the Passover offering. The Pashcal lamb was sacrificed as the Passover offering the night the Jewish people were fleeing Egypt from Pharaoh.

A Green Vegetable or Karpas (in Hebrew): Karpas symbolizes the spring time. It also symbolizes the bitter times the Jews had to endure in slavery. It is believed the stem of the lettuce is bitter and as it grows up from the ground, the leafy part begins to taste less bitter. The Karpas is also used to dip into the salt water at the beginning of the Seder.

Salt Water: The salt water is placed on the table as part of the Passover Seder. This symbolizes the slaves sweat and tears while they were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt.

The seder concludes with the words:

L'Shanah HaBa'ah B'Yerushalayim, Next year may we be in Jerusalem!

[UnConundrum]

While I'm working away in the kitchen, Jan's setting the table:

Some of you may know that I'm one of the Sous-Vide fans. The equipment I use has become a tremendous help with prep for today. Here's a picture of my set-up.

The circulator is currently set for about 140 to get things warmed up. You're looking at:

2 Qt. Tomato Cream Soup

6 Qt. Chicken Soup

1 bag picked chicken for the soup

2 bags mushrooms for the veggies

1 bag matzoh stuffing

4 half chickens

The chickens were cooked sous-vide over the weekend, and left in the bags.

The rib roast is in the oven.

The smoked chuck in the insulated container.

Sorbet in the freezer.

Matzoh ball mix in the fridge.

Fish in the fridge ready for Sous-Vide when soup goes out.

Tzimmes ready to be warmed up...

I want to make a potato kugel yet, but Jan says it's too much !!! I feel guilty sitting around. I think I'm ready to rock and roll when the Seder starts

Gonna go out and straighten things up, put the plates where I can reach them easily, and then relax a bit.

[Rebecca263]

Happy Passover everyone! I'm off to the airport to pickl up my kiddle, then going to my sister's for an amazing evening, and an amazing meal. (I was there this morning and snuck a few yebra, yum!) Yes, the food is important, and we are eGulletereers here, but even more 2wonderful is the fact that we all have friends and family around us, and are sharing our traditions. Next year in Jerusalem!

edited by me to say: 'pickl up my kiddle' heehee!

Edited April 12, 2006 by Rebecca263 (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Woof! I just got home from the first seder and I'm stuffed! Dinner was lovely:

Gefilte fish

Matzoh ball soup

Salad

Brisket with Prunes

Turkey meatballs

Steamed broccoli and carrots

Tropical Fruit kugel

Savory vegetable kugel

Fruit salad

Assorted macaroons, mandelbrot, etc. & coffee

How 'bout everyone else?

[Gifted Gourmet]

How 'bout everyone else?

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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ..... yep, stuffed like a turkey before Thanksgiving ... burp!

[creativeingredients]

Here's our menu from this evening:

Matzoh Ball Soup

Devilled Eggs

Steamed Potatoes

Roasted Beets with Mustard Sauce

Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce

Osso bucco with Asian Ingredients

Rice noodles vegetable salad

Honey cake in soaking syrup (from epicurious.com)

Caramel Matzoh Crunch (epicurious.com)

Candied Walnut Charoset (epicurious.com)

Coconut macaroons (Simple Food, by Jill Dupleix)

I had A LOT of help and everything was delicious. Wish I woulda taken pictures.

[Pan]

[...]Osso bucco with Asian Ingredients[...]

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This piques my curiosity. Which Asian ingredients?

[Fresser]

Manischewitz just introduced a kosher-for-Passover laxative.

It's called...

Let My People Go!

[Swisskaese]

Since Gifted Gourmet showed off her beautiful seder plate, I thought I would show mine.

It is from a local Israeli Artist:

You are going to think I am nuts, but I dreamt about this seder plate before I bought it. I always wanted a seder plate, but I could never find one that I liked and I had an idea that it would be nice if I could find one that had green or blue glass vessels, for some reason that appealed to me. On my first visit to Israel, I went to a museum in Jerusalem and there was my seder plate in the gift shop. I bought it on the spot.

Edited April 13, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[BeeZee]

Michelle, that's a beautiful plate!

We had dinner at Mom and Dad's last night, this year only one Seder (which is OK by me...). I contributed a farfel stuffing/casserole with leeks and mushrooms. Mom made stellar chicken/matzoh ball soup with lots of veg (spinach, carrot, parsnip) - had two bowls. Entrees were brisket (cause she knows my hubby loves it) and chicken (baked in a light tomato-ey sauce). Carrots, lightly sweetened sauce.

Dessert was a Passover Sacher torte (surprisingly good) - bought from a bakery and the Charoses which we forgot to serve earlier!

[Miriam Kresh]

My husband brought home some currants, prunes, and apricots, so I tucked the fruit under the marinated lamb, splashed more wine on, and baked that thang. Towards the end, I glazed the meat with wine and honey, and added steamed carrots to the general rich decadent sweet/pungent, fruit-thickened gravy at the bottom of the pan. It was good . For Shabbat I think I'll trim the leftover meat off the bones, dice it, add a modicum of mashed potatoes and gravy, and stuff potato starch blintzes with it.

The American gefulte fish actually was pretty good in the end, having sat overnight so the flavors mellowed; the matzah balls were light and the Swiss-chard shepherd's pie a success. Did it all myself, darnit, although I spent the day wondering if I shouldn't have invited my 84-year-old Mom to participate in the preparation. Couldn't decide if she would have liked it, or would be happier not having to cook.

Pan, what you said about how we do all this for family and friends sort of went past me when I first read it, and then last night when the remains of the Seder were finally cleared away and all made tidy again and I lay my head down on the pillow full of gratitude (and lamb)...it came back to me and put a warm feeling in my heart.

Miriam