Passover 2006–

[Curlz]

... also an upside down apple cake ...

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Is this a tough cake to make? I'm really not a baker (don't have the patience), but it sounds yummy! If it's not too complicated and you're willing to share the recipe, I'd love to see it. Thanks!

[Gifted Gourmet]

If it's not too complicated and you're willing to share the recipe, I'd love to see it.  Thanks!

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Israeli Upside Down Apple Cake recipe

same recipe but easier to read, organize

[Curlz]

WOW, you're fast. Thanks!! Interesting that the apples are kept whole! Have you ever made it before? It sounds yummy--and worth a try. Thanks again!

Curlz

[Gifted Gourmet]

WOW, you're fast.  Thanks!!  Interesting that the apples are kept whole!  Have you ever made it before? 

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Sure, I always recommend only those things which I have tried .. as for fast? depends what the task is ... cooking, yes ... cleaning up? glacially slow ...

[Rebecca263]

My sister is a bit of a control freak when it comes to holidays. I'm 'allowed' to make a dessert. Yippee. I'm thinking of toying with a cookie of some sort, dragged through some dark chocolate and then topped with raspberries or candied orange peel. Any ideas? I really don't care for potato flours. I'm thinking of something moist and rich, not a biscotti.

[Cleo]

Not exactly a cookie, but these Martha Stewart macaroons are very good and so easy. (In the picture they are on the bottom level of the tiered serving tray.)

I make them every year (actually now my husband makes them) and they freeze really well.

You could probably even make them and dip them in chocolate and they would be even better! Maybe next year I'll do that!

[Swisskaese]

I haven't made this yet and I don't know if you can find a ripe mango right now in NJ, but it sounds very interesting:

Coconut Rocher

How about Mustachudos? They have orange zest in them. They are a Passover cookie from Greece and Turkey. You can also substitute almonds instead of hazelnuts.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Rebecca263]

You are all fantastic! I am going to make a version of Mustachudos, I'm going o add a little orange water to the mixture, and coat the bottoms in bittersweet chocolate and drizzle the chocolate on the top, along with small slivers of candied orange peel, which I'll also cover in the dark, bittersweet chocolate. Perfect with wine and ibrik coffee for dessert! I'll have to do a few with glaceed cherries atop, as well, or there is SOMEONE in the family who won't think it's really Passover. The Coconut Rocher sound delicious, but we have a huge no coconut contingent in the family, as I was reminded LAST year. I, on the other hand, eat anything. I must be the family goat. THANK YOU!

[Gifted Gourmet]

I must be the family goat.

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the same goat that my father bought for two zuzim?

Chad gadya, chad gadya.

My father bought for two zuzim.

Chad gadya, chad gadya.

Then came the cat and ate the kid,

My father bought for two zuzim.

[Gifted Gourmet]

NY Times article on the holiday

It's Passover, Lighten Up By JOAN NATHAN

So it will surprise many Jews — it certainly surprised me — that among the profusion of products that most Orthodox certification agencies have approved for Passover are not just baking soda, but also baking powder. Some rabbis are lifting other dietary prohibitions that they say were based on misunderstandings or overly cautious interpretations of biblical sanctions, and because they want to simplify the observance.The Passover table has changed in many ways. More than 21,000 kosher for Passover items are available in the United States, with 500 new ones this year ... With such items as Passover pasta (made from potato starch), quinoa salads, tricolored matzo balls, and ingredients like grape seed oil, kosher organic chickens and matzo breadsticks, a lot of the suffering is being taken out of Passover.

This is a very interesting article on levels of observance ... what do you think about what it contains?

Recipes here include:

Recipe: Moroccan Shad With Fava Beans

Recipe: Sesame Vanilla Passover Cookies

Recipe: Orange-Almond Cake

Recipe: Double Chocolate Mocha Drop Cookies

[Pontormo]

Two things:

I plead terrible ignorance, but as a shiksa invited to a potluck Seder long ago, I was careful and made a nut crust for a pie. Reading about the changing attitudes towards baking powder, pasta made from corn flour above and recalling all that I have had at more recent Seders made from matzah meal instead of flour, I would like to know more about the reasons that flour made from wheat became taboo, and not just leavened bread. Redirect me if this issue has been explained before.

Second:

If anyone prepares Italian food to celebrate, please share here.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Two things: 

I would like to know more about the reasons that flour made from wheat became taboo, and not just leavened bread. 

Second:

If anyone prepares Italian food to celebrate, please share here.

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The first answer can be explained most fully here

The second response is: I did .. check out the post.

[LaurelH]

Help! I have searched through this whole thread and found only 2 passover cake recipes that did not contain nuts.

My uncle has a nut and seed allergy, and I would like to prepare a nice dessert that has no nuts or seeds. Any suggestions of favorites that fit the bill?

I would appreciate any guidance.

[Gifted Gourmet]

A sponge cake is a traditional Passover favorite and contains no nuts usually ... as for making a cake nut-free? Make any cake and just skip adding nuts or seeds .. should be simple.... plain fudgey brownies ... my mother can't eat nuts either so I just don't use them .. no one even mentions the "loss" ... even the charoses I make for Mom is nut-free!

Do remember that young children and those with nut allergies must avoid nut based desserts. Refer to some nut-free recipes to give these sort of Seder guests a choice or replace the nuts with matzoh meal.

Kosher Cooking

many of these will be fine without nuts ...

[LaurelH]

A sponge cake is a traditional Passover favorite and contains no nuts usually ... as for making a cake nut-free? Make any cake and just skip adding nuts or seeds .. should be simple.... plain fudgey brownies ... my mother can't eat nuts either so I just don't use them .. no one even mentions the "loss" ...    even the charoses I make for Mom is nut-free!

Do remember that young children and those with nut allergies must avoid nut based desserts. Refer to some nut-free recipes to give these sort of Seder guests a choice or replace the nuts with matzoh meal.

Kosher Cooking

many of these will be fine without nuts ...

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Thanks for the quick response.

Many of these desserts work so well because of the nuts (dacquoise, etc.). I would like to find out if anyone has a favorite nut free recipe to escape the old sponge cake routine.

I suppose I am looking for some inspiration. Sigh.

[Swisskaese]

This recipe is good. It is still a sponge cake, but it tastes great:

Chocolate, Orange and Honey Cake

You could also make a pavlova and fill it with lime, lemon or mango curd and garnish with fresh fruit.

Edited April 7, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Pam R]

Many of these desserts work so well because of the nuts (dacquoise, etc.). I would like to find out if anyone has a favorite nut free recipe to escape the old sponge cake routine.

You can do something similar to a dacquoise by substituting coconut or even grated chocolate. Or, of course, the pavlova.

Flourless/nutless chocolate cake...

Plum (or other fruit) kuchen..

or last year's discovery - if you're doing dairy - cream puffs/eclairs.

[jaynesb]

Help! I have searched through this whole thread and found only 2 passover cake recipes that did not contain nuts.

My uncle has a nut and seed allergy, and I would like to prepare a nice dessert that has no nuts or seeds. Any suggestions of favorites that fit the bill?

I would appreciate any guidance.

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I had wonderful success substituting matzoh meal for whole wheat pastry flour in this James Ormsby's Whole-Wheat carrot cake . The recipe calls for some nuts but I think you could easily leave them out. I haven't played around very much with a zucchini version but everybody at our seder really liked this one. (Works fine as a single recipe in a standard cake pan but if you try to double it, I'd recommend a tube or bundt pan so it cooks through.)

I do use Passover baking powder and baking soda for this recipe.

Jayne

edited to add remark about baking powder/soda

Edited April 7, 2006 by jaynesb (log)

[Swisskaese]

I made the Orange and Ginger cake as a trial run for Passover and it is fantastic. It is moist, orangey with just enough of a ginger kick.

I am definitely serving this next week.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I made the Orange and Ginger cake as a trial run for Passover and it is fantastic. It is moist, orangey with just enough of a ginger kick.

I am definitely serving this next week.

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and the recipe is where, Michelle? Is that the one with the chocolate in this thread?

[Swisskaese]

Here is the link:

Orange and Ginger Gateau

It is dead easy to make. I would suggest making it the day before and keeping it in the refrigerator.

Edited April 7, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Thanks for this, Michelle!

[Miraklegirl]

This chocolate espresso torte is a really outstanding dessert for Pesach. I make it year-round and it always meets with rave reviews. In place of the espresso, I just use really strong brewed coffee.

Edited April 7, 2006 by Miraklegirl (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

SF Gate takes on Passover in two foods

Passover gets to the root of the matter

A long root with coarse tan skin and white flesh, horseradish stems from the mustard family and exudes a sharp heat that hits you in the nasal passage as opposed to the palate. Whole, the root is benign.... At Firefly in San Francisco, Brad Levy and his staff grate about 25 pounds of horseradish for its weeklong Passover menu. Levy adds horseradish prepared with distilled white vinegar, salt and sugar to mashed potatoes. He also mixes gold and red beets with the prepared root for a vibrant bicolor garnish for gefilte fish.  The sweetness of the beets tames horseradish's heat, rendering it safe for consumption, even for the uninitiated

Recipe for Firefly Bicolor Horseradish ...

Waldman, says artichokes are part of the Passover festival, which celebrates the coming of the spring harvest as well as freedom. She scents an easy saute of artichokes and lamb or chicken with cinnamon. "There is a bitterness to it," she says.

Recipe for Cinnamon-Scented Artichoke Chicken Saute ...

working link to Recipezaar: Chocolate Expresso Torte... see Miraklegirl's post above now this looks like a real "find"! Thanks!!

[EliseMF]

Happy Passover everyone!

I need a recipe for a chicken main course using boneless chicken cutlets-- I have like 45 people, and it will just be easier to serve...

what about using the apricot and currant recipe with just breasts? any thoughts? has anyone tried it?

l'chaim

elise