Sweets

Source: "Chocolate Holidays" by Alice Medrich
Yield: 6 (3-blintz) servings

For crepes:
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter

For frying: Butter or oil

For sauce:
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup milk, plus extra if needed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For assembly: 3 large ripe bananas
For frying: Butter
Optional for serving: Sour cream

Procedure:
1. Prepare crepes: Combine eggs, flour, salt, milk and melted butter in blender or food processor. Pulse just until blended. Chill 1 hour or up to 1 day.

2. Heat 6-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush lightly with butter. Pour in 2 tablespoons crepe batter and tilt pan immediately to coat entire surface evenly. When crepe is uniformly translucent and surface no longer looks wet, 45 seconds to 1 minute, loosen edges with spatula and invert pan over piece of wax paper. Repeat with remaining batter, buttering pan as necessary. Use crepes immediately, or stack between sheets of wax paper, cover airtight, and refrigerate up to 2 days.

3.Prepare sauce: Mix chocolate, milk, sugar and vanilla in top of double boiler over barely simmering water. Or microwave on medium (50 percent) power, about 2 minutes. Stir frequently until smooth, adding milk as necessary. Use warm sauce immediately or set aside and use cool. Sauce keeps several days in refrigerator. Warm gently before use.

from "The Foods of Israel Today" by Joan Nathan
as seen in The Orange County Register, 9-14-01

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1 cup sugar, divided use
Grated zest (colored peel) of 1 lemon
6 medium (about 3 pounds) Granny Smith or other flavorful apples, peeled and cored
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preliminaries: Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1. Put flour, baking powder, salt, egg, butter or margarine, 3/4 cup sugar and zest in food processor fitted with metal blade. Process until soft dough forms. Remove, roll in flour and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, coarsely grate apples in food processor fitted with grating blade or use large holes on hand grater. Toss with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and set aside in colander to drain 30 minutes. Add cinnamon and toss.
3. Take 2/3 of dough and with floured fingertips, press it lightly into bottom and 2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Spoon apple mixture evenly into dough shell.
4. Roll out remaining dough on lightly floured surface into 9-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Place on top of apples, crimping edges of dough together to seal them. Make a few holes in top with tines of fork. Bake on middle rack of preheated oven 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 additional minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 8-10 servings

From Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor
Preorder on amazon

Rosh HashanahMy mother got this recipe from her friend Corinne in Nova Scotia. I remember visiting with them the summer before I turned fourteen, when I absolutely refused to go to sleep-away camp anymore. I traveled with my parents as they sang their way through the Catskills and Berkshires and then ferried up to Nova Scotia. The most memorable part of the trip for me was the arrival of Princess Margaret, who almost killed herself stepping out of her shoe as she exited the helicopter. For my mother, the most impressive moment was when Corinne sent her mother out into the yard to dig up potatoes for our dinner.

from "The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking" by Phyllis Glazer and Miriyam Glazer"

Makes one 12-inch loaf or two 9-inch loaves

If there is one food on everyone’s Rosh Hashanah menu, it’s honey cake. One of the Seven Species of the Bible, honey symbolizes the wish for a sweet New Year. “Inspired by the Romanian-Jewish honey cake – which is light rather than dark – this version is light as a feather and really delicious. It’s certainly the best honey cake we’ve ever tasted,” write Phyllis and Miriyam Glazer.

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups honey
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of ground cardamom
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-inch loaf pan or two 9-inch loaf pans. Line bottom and sides with parchment paper to facilitate removal after baking. Set aside.

Place chopped nuts in a baking pan and roast in oven for 10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool.

Lower heat to 300°F.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat oil, honey, egg yolks, and spices. Sift flour and baking powder and blend into honey mixture until smooth.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, continuing to beat until egg whites are stiff. Fold a small amount of egg whites into honey mixture, then fold in the rest gradually, mixing gently each time until incorporated Stir in nuts.

From “Jewish Holiday Feasts” by Louis Fiszer and Jeannette Ferrary

4 cups cored and coarsely chopped ripe pears (5-6 pears)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped blanched almonds
Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan.

Combine pears and sugar in medium bowl and let stand 15 minutes.

Combine oil with eggs and add to pears.

In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, baking soda and salt. Stir into pear mixture. Add vanilla and almonds.

Pour into prepared pan and bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack about 20 minutes before turning out. Invert onto a serving platter and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Serves 12

from Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey: The Mediterranean Flavors of Sardinia
(Rizzoli International) by Efisio Farris with Jim Eber.

Makes 12 to 16 pastries

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks, divided
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups fresh sheep's milk ricotta cheese (or other creamy ricotta cheese, about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup sugar
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
1/2 cup bitter honey
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting

On a clean workspace, mound the flour with a well in the center. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the flour. Add the whole egg and 3/4 cup warm water into the well and gradually mix into the flour with your Hands. When the mixture begins to come together, add the olive oil and knead to fully incorporate. Cover dough with a cloth and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, sugar, egg yolks, and zests.

On a lightly floured workspace, roll out the dough to a rectable about 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp paring knife or a large cookie cutter, cut into 3-inch-diamter rounds. Reroll the scraps and cut again as necessary. You should end up with between 24 and 32 rounds.

Set aside half of the rounds. With the remaining rounds, lightly mound about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture into the center of each. Top with the other dough rounds and lightly press edgees together, crimping edges with a fork to seal. Lightly dust the ravioli with flour to prevent sticking and set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, warm the bitter honey.

from "A Feast from the Mideast" by Faye Levy
as seen in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
story by Judy Bart Kancigor

Makes 4 servings.

1 to 2 tablespoons honey
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1 banana
2 peaches or ripe pears
2 cups halved or quartered fresh figs
1 cup plump, good quality dates, such as Medjool or very soft, fresh Barhi
1 to 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

1. Mix 1 tablespoon honey with 1 tablespoon lime juice and water in serving bowl. Peel and slice bananas; add to bowl.
2. Cut peaches or pears in wedges and add them. Add figs and dates. Mix gently. Add remaining honey and lime juice if you like. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Serve topped with almonds.

1 pkg. yellow cake mix, pareve (nondairy) for meat meals
1/2 C. water or apple juice
1/4 C. vegetable oil or applesauce
1/4 C. honey
4 eggs
1/2 C. chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt pan. Beat together all ingredients except nuts in large bowl at low speed for 30 seconds, then at medium for two minutes. Fold in nuts.
3. Pour into pan and bake according to package directions.

Golden Sauce For Honey Cake

1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. honey
1/2 C. orange juice
2 T. margarine

Simmer all ingredients in saucepan for five minutes or until sugar dissolves.

Source: Laura Milhander

from "A Fistful of Lentils" by Jennifer Abadi
as seen in the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles

story by Judy Bart Kancigor

4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
2/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze:

2/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon tahini
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

from Divine Kosher Cuisine by Risé Routenberg and Barbara Wasser
Pareve
Yield: 12 slices

9-inch unbaked pie shell
Flour for dusting
1/4 cup honey
1 cup applesauce
2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup ground nuts
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400*F. Grease cookie sheet or pizza pan.
2. Remove pie crust from foil pan, dust lightly with flour and roll into 12-inch circle directly on sheet or pan.
3. Crimp edge of dough to form rim, prick with fork and brush with honey.
4. Cover with applesauce to rim. Top with apple slices in concentric circles.
5. Sprinkle with nuts and raisins. Combine sugar and cinnamon and
   sprinkle over top. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is firm and golden
   brown. Cut into wedges.

Hint: Add chocolate minichips, nuts or finely chopped maraschino cherries.