Holidays: Passover Courses: Appetizers / Side Dishes Cuisines: Breakfast & Brunch / Grain-Free/Gluten-Free My friend (and colleague) Rabbi Cory Weiss loves to cook as much as I do. Several years ago, we decided to co-host a pre-Passover program at his synagogue, Temple Har Zion (Thornhill, Ontario): Iron Chef Rabbi. We decided rather than make this an actual competition, we would each present our favorite Passover dishes. One of the dishes Cory cooked was this beautiful Sephardic Marbled Eggs. It is visually stunning! His version takes hours and hours to cook, and is imbued with the subtle flavor of onions. I adapted his recipe to suit my own taste. I decided that I am only interested in the "visual appeal" of the egg, and wasn't concerned with the slight onion taste. Because his eggs cooked for so long, the yolks became a deep gray color. I wanted to see if I could achieve the marble-affect while maintaining the yolk's yellow integrity. (My usual method of cooking hard-boiled eggs provides smooth and creamy yellow yolks always: cover a pot of eggs with cold water and cover the pot with a lid. Bring the pot to a boil and boil for exactly 2 minutes. Remove the covered pot from the heat source, keep covered and let the eggs sit for exactly 12 minutes. Then immediately shock them in cold water and ice cubes. Voila! Perfectly yellow creamy yolks every time!) With this recipe, however, the whites of the egg need to become dyed and colored. The color needs to permeate the membrane that lies underneath the shell. The eggs need to cook for a longer time than I would normally cook a hard-boiled egg. So it is impossible to get perfectly yellow yolks, but I was able to keep the layer of gray to only the outer edges. I usually make 1 egg per person, plus extras to have on hand during the week. You can either choose to serve with lemon wedges and salt (as is the traditional method) or I like it serve it as an appetizer with homemade guacamole (I make my guac by just mashing ripe avocados with lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper to taste) and crudites. Enjoy!
Holidays: Rosh HaShanah / Shabbat Courses: Desserts & Baked Goods Cuisines: Baked Goods / Holiday Cooking
My mother’s challah with the addition of apples and raisins for the High Holy Days.
Holidays: Passover / Rosh HaShanah Courses: Desserts & Baked Goods Cuisines: Baked Goods / Fruit / Grain-Free/Gluten-Free
Last night, some friends came for dinner and brought these delicious mini "cupcakes" (I'm calling them "bites".)
As she handed them to me, Mona said, "I've observed that you hardly ever eat any bread, cake, or things like that, so I thought these would be perfect for you." (I'm on an anti-inflammatory grain-free diet for a neurological condition and follow it about 95% of the time).
These yummy treats are absolutely divine! They are perfect for everyone (except for those who are allergic to nuts or eggs). They contain no added sugars, no flours of any kind, no added fats. The only ingredients are dried fruits, nuts and eggs!
And they look gorgeous! Perfect for any occasion! I'm going to serve them for Rosh Hashanah and Passover!
(from the Kitchen of Mona Saidens: Bella is Mona's mother)
Courses: Desserts & Baked Goods Cuisines: Grain-Free/Gluten-Free
This is a delicious and healthy alternative for those people who are on gluten-free and/or grain-free diets.
You can whip it up quickly and it bakes in less than a half-hour. While they are not as dense as regular blondies, they are a nice substitute.
And, if you don't tell anyone they are "grain-free" or "gluten-free" - they won't notice!
An added bonus: since the main ingredient is almond butter, these would make a great post-workout snack!
There are many versions of this recipe on all the "grain-free" websites online, but this one seems the simplest.
Holidays: Passover Courses: Desserts & Baked Goods Cuisines: Baked Goods / Holiday Cooking
When I lived in Toronto, Sue Devor, the owner of "Sweet Sue's" pastry shop was my congregant. She often led a "baking for Passover" cooking demo at my congregation. Passover baked goods shouldn't taste like "Passover". She introduced me to this rich and gooey chocolate torte.
This recipe has become one of my most requested YEAR-ROUND favourites. My brother (the Culinary Institute of America trained chef) declared: "Wow! This cake is better than one of mine!"
I've modified Sue's original recipe to make it serve a larger group and added a chocolate glaze.
You can flavour it with mint extract (if you like mint), or use a strong espresso (in place of water) if you like a mocha flavour. This is sure to be a show-stopper and a big hit! Here is my version of Sue's fabulous recipe. Thank you, Sue!
Holidays: Passover Courses: Side Dishes Cuisines: Vegetables / Vegetarian
These taste like the most delicious carrot muffins, but not too sweet. They are a fabulous side dish with a roast beef, or chicken or fish. Kids gobble them up.
It can be made in a 9" X 13" pan and cut in squares, or in muffin tins. I love making them in my Nordicware Rose muffin tin, because they just look so beautiful!
They also freeze very well.
Holidays: Passover Courses: Soups & Salads Cuisines: Holiday Cooking / Vegetables / Vegetarian
Susie Fishbein creates dishes that are both delicious and beautiful to look at! These matzah balls are gorgeous, easy to make and you can make them ahead of time, store them in the fridge until you are ready to heat them and serve them in your soup. They make an unusual and special presentation for Pesach (Passover). If you are gluten-free, use gluten-free matzah-ball mix.
