Passover Passing over old traditions
If “Fiddler on the Roof” taught us anything, it is that the practice of Judaism depends heavily on tradition.
Never is that as evident as during Passover, which began Friday. As they have for thousands of years, Jews read the same stories of their ancestral flight from slavery in Egypt and ate the same symbolic foods before beginning their evening meal.
It's tradition. It's eternal. And no one is going to mess with tradition.
But the dinners during Passover are not preordained. There is nothing in the religion that dictates what is served for meals, as long as they do not include the specific foods forbidden during Passover.
Brisket is an entree of choice for Passover. Based on an idea that is not, strictly speaking, my own (thank you, Martha Stewart), I decided to try to combine two Passover dishes, brisket and charoset.
Charoset is the best thing about Passover. It is a delicious combination of apples, spices, walnuts and wine.
But how can you mix it with brisket? Brisket is one of those tough meats that turns sublime when subjected to a long, slow simmer in a flavored liquid.
I added cinnamon and cloves to simmering wine and planned to top the meat with toasted walnuts to bring out the earthier flavors of the beef, but how would the bright taste of apples go with the rest of the dish?
Very well and even better than I'd hoped. They became a welcome counterpoint to the heavy richness of the brisket. And preparing them could not have been simpler. I sautéed the apples in butter until they were just becoming tender and starting to turn brown.
Dessert can be the hardest part of a Passover meal, because all of the good ones involve flour. Most Passover dinners end with macaroons, chewy bites of coconut.
But then I saw a recipe that takes macaroons into the stratosphere. Raspberry Macaroons in Chocolate Shells are utterly delightful and who knew that homemade macaroons could be easy?
You simply use a food processor to mix sweetened, flaked coconut with sugar, salt, raspberries and an egg white. After baking, dip the macaroons in a mixture of chocolate and coconut oil. Then add assorted toppings — I used toasted walnuts left over from the brisket, sanding sugar and fleur de sel, a crunchy, mild salt.
They were spectacular and worth eating even when it is not Passover.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings1 well-trimmed brisket, about 3½ pounds2 tablespoons oil2 cups dry red wine1 onion, sliced2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces2 whole cloves1 cinnamon stick½ tablespoon butter2 apples, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices1 cup walnutsPreheat oven to 325 degrees.Season brisket liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven slightly larger than the meat, heat the oil on medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Sear the meat until well browned on both sides. Remove the meat and pour out the fat.With the pot back on the heat, add the wine and deglaze by scraping up the brown bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula. Allow the wine to reduce by about one-fourth.Add the onions, carrots and celery, and return the meat to the pot; the wine should come only partly up the side of the meat. Place the cloves and cinnamon stick in the liquid, cover and bring to a boil.Place the pot in the oven and cook until the meat is very tender, about 3 hours. When the meat is almost done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the apple slices. Cook, turning occasionally, until the apples are somewhat tender and starting to brown. Meanwhile, scatter the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet.Remove the meat from the oven when it is done but do not turn off the oven. Place the baking sheet in the oven and toast the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until brown and fragrant, about 7 to 12 minutes.Slice the meat against the grain and top with juice, apple slices and walnuts. If making the day before, slice meat and refrigerate with the juice and vegetables; reheat at 300 degrees before serving.Recipe by Daniel Neman
Raspberry macaroons dipped in chocolate are a modern twist on the traditional Passover dessert.Yield: 16 pieces2 cups dried, sweetened, flaked coconut3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 large egg whitePinch of coarse salt½ cup fresh raspberries6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped2 tablespoons coconut oil (or corn syrup if not observing Passover)Toasted walnuts, toasted coconut, sanding sugar, colored sugar, fleur de sel, etc., for garnishPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine coconut, granulated sugar, egg white and salt in a food processor and pulse until just combined, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary.Add raspberries and pulse until just incorporated (do not over-process).Scoop mounds of coconut mixture 1 inch apart onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, using a 1/2-ounce (1¼-inch) ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to form small mounds.Bake until macaroons are lightly golden, 28 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking. Transfer macaroons to a wire rack and let cool.Place chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted. Add coconut oil or corn syrup, stirring until combined, then remove from heat.Dip bottoms of macaroons in chocolate or completely cover with chocolate (a flexible spatula will help with this), transferring as dipped to a wax-paper-lined baking sheet.Garnish as desired while still warm, then refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Serve chilled.Recipe by Martha Stewart
