I have been trying to nail down some Passover menus, but my mind has been scattered. Because of my lack of organization, I feel as though I have bought the entire Pesach section at the grocery store. Ketchup, spices, oils, vinegars, chocolate, sugars, etc.
Lacking a particular food item could get in the way of my cooking, I would hate that. Now you understand why I went on a shopping spree in the passover aisles.
The worst part will be when Passover is over, and I'm sure I'll have a ton leftover. Yuck!
For my seder, I am planning on making charoset, tomato baked gefilte fish (recipe below), some kind of salad that I haven't decided yet, matzah ball soup, brisket (recipe below), potato kugel, a veggie, and an assortment of desserts (recipes below).
Tomato Baked Gefilte Fish
The first time I had this, was at my friend Michal's house. It is as easy as it gets. After having this, you will NEVER go back to the jarred type. People who swear they hate gefilte fish, try this, and then can't get enough.
1/2 C. marinara, or canned tomato sauce
1 frozen gefilte fish log or loaf
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the loaf from the plastic packaging.
Run the frozen loaf under water to loosen and remove the parchment wrapping. Discard the wrapping.
Place the log onto a greased baking dish.
Pour the tomato sauce over the gefilte fish, covering the entire thing.
Bake for 1.5 hours, uncovered.
Remove from the oven and cool on the couter a bit before placing into the refrigerator.
Chill completely before serving.
Slice into thin slices, and arrange on serving platter.
Serve with an assortment of horseradish and spicy sauces, I usually do horseradish with beets, schug, and creamy horseradish sauce. Wasabi mayo is also good with it.
Passover Brisket
1 brisket any size
ketchup- kosher for passover
brown sugar- C&H brand is K for P
1 onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
garlic powder
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line a greased baking dish large enough to fit the brisket with the sliced onions. Place the brisket in the baking dish ontop of the onions.
Spread ketchup to cover the top.
Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Cover the top of the baking dish with heavy duty foil, sealing it. I usually wrap mine 3 times, to ensure a good seal.
Place in the oven for at least 4 hours, the longer the better.
After 4 hours, and when the aroma is apparent, remove from the oven. Let stand 30 minutes.
Remove brisket to a cutting board and thinly slice AGAINST THE GRAIN, and reserve the pan juices.
Place the slices of brisket back into the baking dish with the pan juices, and serve immediately or place into a warm oven until ready to serve. Or-
Cover and place into fridge until you are ready to warm it to serve.
Reheat in the oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour.
Chocolate Toffee Matzah
I can't survive Passover without this, it's my favorite! King Hock complains that this treat always sticks to his teeth. Who cares when it's that good?!
Pavlova
I will probably make this for our seder because my mom loves this. If you are not big on using non dairy whipping cream, you could use a jam or jelly in it's place.
This is a beautiful dessert, and has a bit of fanciness to it.
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, kosher for passover imitation
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons potato starch
1 pint non dairy whipped cream, kosher for passover
fresh fruit, such as sliced strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, blueberries, etc.
In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and potato starch.
Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center. Imagine a boat.
Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream (or a thin layer of jam), top with fresh fruit.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
I'm not the biggest chocolate lover, but King Hock is. This cake is as rich as it gets, but any chocolate lover will go nuts to eat this. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
18 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine for meat meals
6 eggs
In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
Either in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the bittersweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.
Cut the butter or margarine into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.
Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries
This is always sure to impress your guests.
strawberries, with stems on, washed and dried
chocolate chips
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate is completely melted. Holding onto the stem, dip the strawberries into the chocolate, leaving a small amount of red peaking out at the top. Place onto a plate. Put plate into the refrigerator, until chocolate has hardened and until ready to serve.
For children, after dipping into the chocolate and placing onto the plate, sprinkle with kosher for passover sprinkles.
Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies
Super easy and always a winner.
2 egg whites
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
With an electric beater, beat egg whites until peaks form. Add sugar into the egg whites 1 teaspoon at a time. Gently stir in vanilla and salt, beat until the egg white are stiff and shiny. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop mixture by teaspoon onto the sheets. Turn off the oven, place the cookies inside the oven and leave them for a few hours or overnight.
Apricot Torte
I got this recipe from my cousin Robin. I am dying to try it because I love anything apricot, but sadly, I don't have a kosher for passover cuisinart bowl. Maybe next year I will.
Also, it's gluten free!
8 oz. Almonds, plus ¼ c. sliced almonds used for garnish
1 c. sugar, plus a tiny bit for the pan
8 oz. Dried apricots
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg, (not sure if you can find this kosher for passover, if not, omit it)
¼ tsp. cloves, (not sure if you can find this kosher for passover, if not, omit it)
8 large eggs, separated
½ tsp. salt
¼ c. apricot preserves
Preheat oven to 325. Place nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and sliced nuts in a single layer on another sheet. Toast until golden and aromatic, 8-10 min. Shake the pans halfway through toasting to make sure they brown evenly. Set aside to cool.
Grease a 10” spring form pan and sprinkle with sugar. Set aside. Place 1/4 c. sugar, whole almonds, and apricot in the bowl of a food processor, process until finely chopped, 1-2 mins.
Transfer to a medium bowl, add lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and stir to combine; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and ½ c. sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4 min. Transfer batter to large bowl, set aside.
Clean and dry beaters, then beat the egg whites with salt and lemon juice until frothy, Slowly add ¼ c. sugar, and continue on medium speed until peaks form and are stiff but not dry. Gently fold beaten whites into beaten yolks. Add the apricot and almond mixture, and fold in just til combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until torte is golden brown and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, 50-60 min. It may be necessary to cover the torte lightly with foil to stop the top from burning. Transfer to wire rack to cool for 10 min.
Run a knife around the edge of the torte, and release from the pan. Allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Place the apricot preserves in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain. Brush glaze onto cooled torte. Sprinkle with made for Passover powdered sugar and top with sliced almonds.
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I hope you got some ideas from the recipes above. If all else fails, you could always use a Manishewitz cake or brownie mix. I have made them before, and been happy with the results. I actually bought a few out of curiosity, and will be giving them a try. I'm laughing at myself now, because I have to remind myself, Passover only last 8 days. I think I have enough dessert options now to last a month!
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