2011 April | Passover Recipes - Gourmet Kosher Cooking

April, 2011

Macadamia (or any nut) and Coconut Clusters

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

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photo: nowheyyousay.com

Makes 4 dozen

10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups salted roasted macadamia nuts, chopped (or any nut lightly salted, roasted and chopped)
1 ½ cups sweetened shredded coconut

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil.

Place both chocolates in the top pan of a double boiler. Set over hot water. Heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth (alternatively, melt the chocolate in a microwave, heating in 30-second intervals and stirring in between. Do not burn chocolate).

Let the chocolate cool down and thicken, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the nuts and coconut. Scoop out slightly rounded teaspoonfuls of the mixture and drop onto the prepared sheet, spacing evenly. Refrigerate uncovered until set, about 2 hours.

Tags: Chocolate, Desserts, kosher for passover recipes, nut, Passover Dessert, Passover food, Passover Recipes, recipes for passover
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New Kosher Wines for Your Passover Seder – Part II

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

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Finding new wines for the wine lover is challenge number one. Finding new wines that taste great and are priced for every-day consumption is an even greater challenge. The Yogev line of Israeli wines has been providing wine lovers with quality wines that are priced for weeknight meals and not only special occasions. New from Yogev is their first single varietal wine – the Yogev Cabernet Sauvignon. The Yogev Cab is a medium bodied wine that is versatile enough to go well with pizza, a burger or even just for every day sipping.

An exciting development in Israeli wine is the introduction of a Reserve line for Gamla wines. Gamla wines have long stood for quality and the addition of a new Reserve line, under the supervision of Israeli wine pioneer Peter Stern is sure to put a smile on Israeli wine lover’s faces. The first two wines to be released from the Gamla Reserve series are the Gamla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon & Gamla Reserve Merlot. Each of these wines is full-bodied and fruity, with the Cabernet showing slightly more black fruit characteristics while the merlot is a bit softer, showing red fruit characteristics.

Not to be left out of the New Wine Party, California wineries are also constantly looking to keep Cali wine lovers happy with new and exciting products. A recently released special is the Herzog Reserve “Oak Knoll” Cabernet Sauvignon, another in the line of single vineyard wines from Herzog Wine Cellars. This small batch wine was tasted and positively reviewed by Daniel Rogov in an online video – a great endorsement!

Whatever the country and no matter the grape, this Yom Tov season make sure to take advantage of the bounty of new wines available on the market. Your taste buds won’t be disappointed!

Gary Landsman, AKA the “Wine Tasting Guy”, makes, sells, writes about and of course tastes wine. Presently doing PR/Marketing work for Royal Wines, you can contact Gary with any wine related questions at gary@winetastingguy.com.

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Balsamic Berry Strawberry Shortcake for Passover

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

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1 sponge cake or store bought Passover cake or other prepared Passover cake made from the mix
3 cups fresh berries, assorted, or all strawberries
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups pareve whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

In a bowl, pour the balsamic vinegar and the sugar on top of the berries. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes.

To serve as a layered cake:

Slice the cake in half horizontally. Spread half of the whipped pareve cream on the first cake layer. Top with 1/3 of the berry mixture and some juice. Gently place the second cake layer on top of the berries. Smooth the rest of the whipped topping on top of the cake and let some drip down the sides. Place the rest of the berries and liquid on top of the whipped topping. Slice and serve.

To serve plated:

Slice a piece of sponge cake and place on the plate. Generously top with some berries and their juice. Top with a large dollop of whipped topping and drizzle a little more juice on top of the whipped topping. Serve.

Tags: berries, cakes, Desserts, Kosher for Passover, Passover cakes, Passover Dessert, Passover food, Passover Recipes, recipes for passover, strawberry
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Passover Tiramisu

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

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photo: examiner.com

If you use a chocolate cake for this I recommend using the vanilla pudding and if you use a white/vanilla cake, then use the chocolate pudding. It’s a combination tiramisu/trifle but has a lot of the traditional tiramisu flavors.

1 store bought cake or cake mix or 1 homemade sponge cake (enough to slice in half horizontally and fill a 9 x 13 pan in two layers). You can use chocolate or vanilla style cake for this.
2 packages pareve instant chocolate or vanilla pudding mix, prepared (with pareve milk) according to package instructions, except OMIT 2 tablespoons of pareve milk when cooking the pudding and at the end of cooking, add 2 tablespoons of brewed or instant coffee to give it a mocha flavor
2 cups rich whip, whipped
2 cups strong coffee, or espresso (divided)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
5 ounces chocolate, shaved or grated

Slice cake into sheets, 1 inch high and the width of a 9 x 13 pan (you can use a few pieces that are not connected and just place them side by side in the pan). With a pastry brush, generously brush about ½ of the coffee (maybe a little less if getting too wet), over the cake so that the coffee seeps into the cake. Top with the pudding. Then cover with ½ of the whipped pareve cream. Generously sprinkle the pareve whipping cream with ½ of the cinnamon and ½ of the grated chocolate. Repeat, starting with the cake on top of the shaved chocolate, brushed with coffee, top with pudding mixture, whipped topping, and ending with cinnamon and shaved chocolate. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Tags: Desserts, kosher for passover recipes, Passover cakes, Passover Dessert, Passover food, Passover Recipes
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Traditional Sponge Cake

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

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photo:easybakeoven

7 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup potato starch
2/3 cup matzah cake meal

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease 10-inch Bundt pan.

Mix together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat until they are pale yellow and make a thick ribbon, about 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and the lemon zest.

Stir the potato starch with the matzah cake meal in a bowl, and then gently fold it into the egg yolk mixture.

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks in a clean bowl with clean beaters. Mix a third of the egg whites into the egg yolk batter, and then gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites.

Pour the batter into he greased pan, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out dry and clean. Unmold the cake immediately onto a rack and allow to cool completely. Serve with Passover confectioners’ sugar, fruit, whipped cream, or ice cream.

Tags: Desserts, Kosher for Passover, Passover cakes, Passover Dessert, Passover food, Passover Recipes
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Torta Caprese

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

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This recipe is also from our friend Minda, a fabulous cook who lived in Italy for many years while her daughter was young and her husband was in medical school. She became friendly with the restaurant owners and got this one from one of her favorites in Capri, Italy. Its elegant and not too heavy but good enough to serve to company. It even appeared in Gourmet magazine from her in 1998.

1-3/4 sticks (7/8 cup) unsalted margarine (the original recipe calls for butter but margarine works to make it pareve)
7 ounces (1-1/4 cups) blanched whole almonds
6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
Pareve confectioners’ sugar for garnish
Pareve whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350° F. and grease a 10-inch cake pan. Line bottom of pan with a round of wax paper and grease paper.

Melt margarine and cool. In a food processor finely grind together almonds and chocolate. Separate eggs.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks with granulated sugar until very thick and pale and beat in almond mixture and butter.

In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites with a pinch salt until they just hold stiff peaks and whisk one fourth into almond mixture. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly and spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake torte in middle of oven 50 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out with moist crumbs adhering. Cool torte on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto another rack. Discard wax paper and cool torte completely. Invert torte onto a plate. Torte may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Dust torte with confectioners’ sugar and serve with pareve whipped cream.

Tags: Passover Dessert, Passover recipe
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Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Matzah Toasts

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

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Recipe adapted from cookbook, Bite Me

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons potato starch
3 cups pareve chicken stock or vegetables stock
1 dried bay leaf
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Grilled cheese matzah toasts
8 square matzos
2 tablespoons margarine
16 pieces of cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Strain tomatoes, reserving their juices in a medium bowl. Spread strained tomatoes on prepared baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, in a large soup pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic, cooking until softened, about 8 minutes. Add potato starch and stir to coat. Over high heat, add the roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, pareve chicken broth, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and puree the soup with a hand held blender until smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter and chopped basil.

For the grilled cheese matzo toasts: place the cheese between the matzo squares, using 4 pieces of cheese for every two matzo squares. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Break into pieces and sprinkle a handful into each bowl of soup.

Tags: Dairy, Kosher for Passover, kosher for passover recipes, Passover food, recipes for passover
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Russian Salad

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

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1 large beet
2 large Yukon or other good potatoes
2 large carrots
½ small red onion
3 Osem pickles
1 small bunch dill
2 ribs celery, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice all the vegetables 1/2 inch. Cook the beets separately (so as not to turn the whole dish an unpleasant red) in a wide-bottom pot or a large skillet, with water just to cover, until tender and the water cooks out. Cook the turnip and carrots the exact same way in another pot. Transfer all the vegetables to a bowl. Cut the onion, pickle, dill, and celery in large chunks and place in the food processor. Pulse the mixture until minced. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper and pulse 2 to 3 more times, until just combined. While the vegetable mixture is still warm, pour the ground mixture over them and mix thoroughly. Store refrigerated in glass jars. Makes about 8 cups. Serve at room temperature.

Tags: Kosher for Passover, kosher for passover recipes, Passover food, Passover Recipes, recipes for passover, Salads, vegetarian Passover recipes
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Mixed Salad with Vanilla Pear Vinaigrette

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

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½ cup red onion, sliced
6 cups mixed lettuce
¼ cup honey glazed nuts
1 (15 ounce) can pear halves in juice, undrained
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ black pepper
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

In food processor with metal blade or in a blender combine pears in their juice, white wine vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and vanilla extract. Process until smooth.

Combine salad, red onions, nuts and toss with dressing. Serve.

Tags: Kosher for Passover, kosher for passover recipes, Passover Recipes, SALAD, Salads, vegetarian Passover recipes
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