MOHNBRODT

3 3/4 cup flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut oil

3 eggs

Zest 1 lemon, grated

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2. Cream sugar and oil on high speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, zest, juice, and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Stir in flour mixture and mix well.

4. Lightly oil your hands and then divide dough into four portions.  Lightly handle each portion as you form a loose log that is about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide.  Place 2 logs on each parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Gently shape the soft dough into a uniform log that is now probably 12 inches long.

5. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

6. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown,.

7.Remove the loaves from the oven.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Slice horizontally into 1/2 inch cookies.  Place cut side up and bake for another 5 minutes.  Turn cookies over and bake for another 5 minutes.  Cool and then store in air tight container for 2 weeks or freeze.

This is a very easy recipe, especially because you don’t have to make the dough from scratch.  I have given you detailed steps but in no time all of the cookies can be prepared.

Purchased puff pastry sheets are pareve so this can be served with tea after a meat meal.

EASY PALMIERS

1 17.3 ounce box of puff pastry sheets

Granulated sugar

1. Remove the two frozen sheets of dough from the box and defrost at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

2. Spread about ¾ cup of sugar over a pastry board or countertop and press the sugar into both sides of one sheet.

3.Roll the sheet lengthwise on the sugar surface until the dough is slightly thinner and about 16 inches long.  Do not change the width of the sheet.

4.Find the center of the dough on the long side and make a little mark with a knife.

5. Starting from each short end, tightly roll up the dough so that each side meets in the middle.  Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.  Repeat the procedure with the other sheet of dough.

6.When ready to bake, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil lightly   sprayed with cooking oil.

7.Slice the dough into ½ inch slices.

8.Use a rolling pin to gently roll each slice-cut side down- in the sugar until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick.  Turn the dough over and coat the other cut side with sugar and then place it on a cookie sheet.

9.Repeat the rolling and coating of each slice and place it on the cookie sheet with about 1 ½ inches between pastries.

10. Place in a preheated 400’F oven and bake for 12- 15 minutes or until the bottom and sides of the cookies are caramelized.

11.  Remove sheets from the oven and gently turn the cookies over using two spatulas.

12.  Return to the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes until tops are golden.

13. When thoroughly cool remove from sheets and store in an airtight container for a week or freeze until needed.

MOROCCAN COUSCOUS WITH DRIED FRUITS AND NUTS

8 ounces Israeli couscous
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter or pareve margarine
1/4 -cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 7-ounce package of chopped mixed dried fruit, or 1½ cups assorted dried fruits
1/3 cup whole almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons pine nuts, lightly roasted
1/3-cup water or milk with 1 drop of almond extract added
Cinnamon and medjool date halves for garnish
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1.    Cook couscous according to package directions.  Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.

2.    Melt the butter in a 1 cup bowl.  Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture over the couscous to coat thoroughly.

3.    Add the dried fruit and toasted nuts.

4.    Mix the teaspoon of almond extract into the water or milk and then add just enough to moisten the couscous.  Do not add too much or the mixture will be runny.

5.    Pile the couscous into a pyramid shape on a clean serving platter.  Sprinkle with additional cinnamon and garnish with the medjool date halves.

Serves 10 or more people as part of a holiday buffet.

Tina’s Tidbit:

• An 8 ounce box of couscous contains more than a cup of couscous so add more water to the pot to keep the proportion of liquid to couscous consistent

• If you need to make the couscous in advance, stop after step two and refrigerate the couscous.  When ready to complete bring to room temperature or warm in a microwave for a minute before proceeding to step 3
• If you prefer to serve this pareve, use water or coconut milk for the milk and pareve margarine for the butter

LATKES-POTATO PANCAKES

6-8 large thin skinned potatoes, California long whites or Yukon Gold

3 eggs, beaten well

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2-cup matzo or cracker meal

1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces

Oil for frying

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1.    Grate the raw potatoes using the large grating disk on a processor or the largest holes on a grater if doing it by hand. Place grated potato in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain while you grate onion.

2.    Combine eggs, salt, pepper and matzo meal in a 3 quart bowl.  Mix thoroughly.

3.    Change to the cutting blade on your processor.  Add onions to the work bowl.  Pulse on and off 5 times.  Add ¼ of the grated potatoes to the onion and pulse on and off to make a coarse paste. Add to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

4.    Add the drained potatoes to the bowl and mix thoroughly using a large spoon or your hands.

5.    Heat a large frying pan or large skillet for 20 seconds.  Add enough oil to cover the pan to a depth of 1/4 inch and heat for an additional 20 seconds. Drop mounds of potato mixture into the pan.  Fry on both sides until golden.  Drain fried latkes on a platter covered with crumpled paper towels.  Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Tina’s Tidbits:

•    Grated potatoes turn black when exposed to air.  Rinsing the potatoes under running water washes away excess starch and the discoloring culprit.
•    Always grate your potatoes separately from your onions that way you won’t lose any of the flavorful juice when you drain the potatoes
•    The best way to drain fried foods is on a plate covered with crumpled paper towels.  Crumpling gives more surface area for absorption.

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 Tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
8 ounces cooked sweet potato, preferably with pale flesh
2 teaspoons Harissa, or more to taste
1 egg, separated
Salt to taste
12-15 regular sized (8 inch square) lumpia shells or thin spring roll skins

1 or more cups of vegetable oil for frying briks
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1.    Heat an 8 inch skillet over high heat for 20 seconds; add olive oil and heat for 10 seconds more.  Reduce the heat if oil is smoking and add the onion.

2.    Sauté the onion until golden.  Add the garlic and sauté another minute until mixture is fragrant; do not let garlic get too dark.

3.    Remove the skillet with the onion mixture from the heat and add the parsley and potato.  Mash the potato well to mix all of the ingredients together.  Add the Harissa, egg yolk and salt to taste and stir to combine.

4.    Combine the remaining egg white with 1 teaspoon of water.

5.    Lay one lumpia skin on a board.  Place 1 heaping Tablespoon potato mixture in the center.  Using your finger, rub some egg white on the bottom and top edge of the shell.

6.    Fold the bottom edge over the filling and lightly press down along the edge.  Do the same with the top edge.

7.    Rub some egg white on the left and right edge of the formed rectangle.  Fold the right edge over the filled section and gently press down to seal the edge.  Repeat with the left edge creating a packet that looks almost square. Place seam side down on a plate while you form the other packets.

8.    Pour the oil into a flat bottomed wok or a small saucepan so that the oil is 1 inch deep.

9.    Heat oil until hot, but not smoking and registers 350F on a frying thermometer.

10.    Place the packets, 2 or 3 at a time into the hot oil seam side down.  Fry until lightly golden and the tops begin to puff up a little. Turn briks over and fry just until lightly browned.  Immediately remove from oil with a wire spatula or slotted spoon.

11.    Drain on paper towel and serve immediately. Additional Harissa may be used for a dip, if desired.

1. Combine the apples with the lemon juice, zest, scallions, celery and raisins in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, almond butter and syrup.
3. Toss this mixture together with the apple mixture and chill until serving.
4. When ready to serve, toss the apple mixture with the spinach and garnish with toasted slivered almonds.

MANDELBRODT

2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons oil
Juice of 1/2 orange
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon grated zest of orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Cinnamon and sugar mixture for topping
1.    Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

2.    Cream sugar and oil until light and well combined.  add juice, eggs, zest and vanilla and beat well.

3.    Stir in the flour mixture and almonds and mix well.

4.    On a greased cookie sheet form 2 loaves of dough about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long.  Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar and bake for 45 minutes at 350F.

5.    Remove the loaves from the oven.  Cut the loaves on a diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.  Place cut side down on the cookie sheet and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden.  Turn each slice over and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.  Cool and serve.

Ingredients

8-10 sweet apples, Fuji, Gala, Honey Crisp or Jonagold
8-10 ounces pecans, toasted
1 Tablespoon cinnamon, or to taste
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup Concord grape wine

Preparation Instructions

1. Peel, core and cut the apples into 8 pieces.

2. Place ½ of the apples in a processor work bowl and pulse until pieces are about ¼ inch. Remove to a large glass bowl and repeat with the remaining apples.

3. Toast the pecans at 350F for 5 minutes. Cool slightly and then add them to the work bowl. Pulse machine on and off until the pecans are finely chopped. Add pecans to the apples.

4. Add the cinnamon and sugar to the apple mixture and stir to combine.

5. Add the wine and mix well.

6. Cover and refrigerate overnight but preferably 1-2 days.

7. If mixture is watery, drain off excess liquid and then adjust cinnamon, sugar and wine as desired.

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients

4 ounces dried figs
4 ounces raisins
4 ounces prunes
4 ounces pitted dates
1 ½ cups peanut butter, or almond butter (peanuts are often excluded for Pesach)
2-3 cups brown sugar –according to taste
½ cup sweet kosher wine-as needed
Cinnamon-enough to cover balls of Charoset (approx 1 ½ ounce)

Preparation Instructions

1. Place the dried fruits in a processor work bowl and process the dried fruits until a relatively smooth paste is formed.

2. Add the peanut butter and brown sugar to the processor work bowl and pulse on and off a few times to begin to combine the ingredients. The machine will only begin the process as mixture will be thick.

3. Remove mixture to a bowl and continue to combine the ingredients kneading with your hands.

4. Little by little add the wine to the mixture until you obtain a firm ball of fruit. This mixture will be quite sticky. If necessary, refrigerate for ½ hour until mixture firms up a little.

5. Wet your hands periodically with cold water and form small balls of Charoset about the size of a small walnut.

6. Place balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer until frozen.

7. Once the balls are hard you can remove them to a freezer bag until needed.

8. Just before serving, defrost and roll each ball in cinnamon. Serve.

Yield 2 or more dozen balls depending on size.

Tina’s Tidbits:

• Do not double this recipe unless you have a very large food processor or the mixture will be too difficult to combine thoroughly.

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds small grape tomatoes
¼ plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
8 ounces whole almonds
¼ cup honey
Zest of ¼ medium orange
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (325F for convection oven).

2. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and place cut side up on a cookie sheet.

3. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of the sugar over the tomatoes and place in oven for 15 minutes.

4. Remove tomatoes from the oven and sprinkle them with another 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes or until tomatoes are beginning to brown and sugar is caramelizing. Do not let the sugar burn.

5. Remove from oven when done and allow tomatoes to cool.

6. Meanwhile toast the whole almonds in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until fragrant. Do not let almonds get too dark. Cool almonds and then finely ground in a nut mill or food processor using short pulses so that the nuts are ground fine without forming a butter. Place nuts in a 1 quart bowl and set aside.

7. Place tomato mixture in the processor work bowl and process until coarsely chopped. Add the honey, orange zest, and spices and the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Process to a smooth paste.

8. Add 1 ½ cup of the ground almonds to the tomato mixture and then pulse on and off until mixture is well blended. Transfer to a storage container and place in the refrigerator for 3 days.

9. When ready to serve, either serve in a dish with a spoon or shape into ¾ inch balls and roll in the remaining ground almonds. Serve cold.

Tina’s Tidbits

• Roasting the tomatoes serves two purposes. One the flavor is enhanced by the caramelized sugar and juices and two, it helps the tomato dry out so that the mixture won’t be too thin and wet

• A Tablespoon of sugar and some cinnamon may be added to the remaining nuts for the coating.