Fancy charoses

Personally, I like my mom’s basic, tried and true charoses – apples, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and sweet red kosher for Passover wine, mixed to taste.  But if you’re feeling you need a little more zip to your seder table, Joan Nathan is always a good bet! Thanks to the New York Times for publishing this!

Provençal Haroseth for Passover

JOAN NATHAN

• YIELDAbout 5 cups
• TIME15 minutes

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Melina Hammer for The New York Times

This is a 13th-century haroseth recipe from Provence, using the Mediterranean fruits and nuts that are still available in the region. Back then, Jewish families would have saved chestnuts from the fall harvest and roasted or boiled them for this springtime Passover recipe — and then laboriously peeled them by hand — but now you can buy cooked, pre-peeled chestnuts any time.

Featured in: A Seder Feast In Provence, With Roots In Ancient Rome. 

Mediterranean, Almond, Apricot, Fig, Nut,Raisin, Vinegar, Wine

 

55 ratings 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup blanched or roasted unsalted almonds
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 cup dried figs
• ½ cup walnut halves
• 1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup peeled roasted chestnuts(available vacuum-packed or canned)
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted if desired
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 to 6 tablespoons sweet wine, kosher for Passover

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PREPARATION

1. Place the almonds, raisins, apricots, figs, walnuts, apple, and chestnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you reach the consistency of your choice.
2. Add the pine nuts and stir in the cinnamon, ginger and wine vinegar. Pulse once more, adding enough sweet wine to bind the ingredients.
3. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

My good friends Chris Lent and Amanda Birk joined me in making this treat, from The Food Network, for our Night of Fire, when every dish we make is flambéed or otherwise involves an open flame. (Except that time we included gefilte fish. But that’s another story.)

This was easier to make than I feared, though I did have to prepare by making my own vanilla sugar, which isn’t sold around here.

Here’s how you do that:

1.      Remove the seeds from a vanilla bean with a sharp knife.

2.      Place them in a food processor, along with a few cups of granulated sugar

3.      Turn on the food processor.

4.      Put it into jars.

RECIPE COURTESY OF ALTON BROWN

Creme Brulee

333 Reviews

• Level: Intermediate
• Total: 3 hr 30 min

• Prep: 15 min
• Inactive: 2 hr 15 min
• Cook: 1 hr

• Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 quart heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 cup vanilla sugar, divided

6 large egg yolks

2 quarts hot water

Directions

WATCH

Watch how to make this recipe.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Place the cream, vanilla bean and its pulp into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and reserve for another use. 
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until well blended and it just starts to lighten in color. Add the cream a little at a time, stirring continually. Pour the liquid into 6 (7 to 8-ounce) ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is set, but still trembling in the center, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. 
4. Remove the ramekins from the roasting pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. Remove the creme brulee from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes prior to browning the sugar on top. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup vanilla sugar equally among the 6 dishes and spread evenly on top. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a crispy top. Allow the creme brulee to sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Propane gas torches are highly flammable and should be kept away from heat, open flame and prolonged exposure to sunlight. They should be used only in well-ventilated areas. Follow torch manufacturer's instructions for use.