We're out for both seders, Friday Night, and Saturday and Sunday lunch so I don't have much by way of menus.

For the first night I am making a carrot and prune tzimmis and a flourless chocolate cake. I've made both before but only done the cake with Ghirardelli chocolate, cream and real butter. This time I've got to make it parev and KFP so I am not sure HOW it will taste.

Second night I am making an apple rhubarb crumble. I have it baking in the oven right now as a trial. I used ground Tapioca instead of cornstarch and potato starch in the recipe as DH is corn and potato free. It tatsed yum unbaked so it can only get better - right? I made two pans, one for us to try and one to go to the soup kitchen tomorrow. I'll see what the guys there think of it.

Friday night I am making Matzoh Crunch - requested every year:

* 4-6 unsalted matzohs
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
* 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment  on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.

Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.

In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan).

Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.

This makes a good gift.

Variation:
You can also use coarsely chopped white chocolate (or a combination of white and dark), and chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets). You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-alone buttercrunch.

Saturday and Sunday I have been asked to bring flowers.

I am making a big batch of Passover Granola to get us through the week. It's made with Matza Farfel, lots of nuts, raisins brown sugar and butter then baked in the oven till browned.

My mom is making grated apply gremslach and also her matzo balls which are made from a recipe handed down from mother to daughter. Her's are light and yummy -...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!

(I'm hosting an Israeli exchange student right now so all my attention is on that!)

May, that brisket of yours is the best ever! My mouth is watering at the thought of it! But brisket would be too much of a challenge for DH, with his ongoing dental problems, so I think I'll make roast chicken or turkey, which he can manage better. And I'll use Sharon canarybird's method of putting orange and onion slices under the skin, which is really delicious. I'll probably try a farfel stuffing (last year, I made it more or less the same way as regular stuffing, just substituting matzoh farfel for the cornbread, but I could use a better recipe, if anyone has a suggestion).

Loves2cook4six, I'm glad you mentioned tzimmes, because that also goes well with poultry. As for the chocolate crunch, I love the stuff, but I'm the only one who eats it, and I'm trying not to go too far off the "straight and narrow" this year.

Sue

Well I took the first step and invited my cousins, so I'm committed! Flourless chocolate cake for sure, Gefilte fish from the jar, brisket, chicken, a potato dish and a green veggie. Not much variation here. Definitely almond macaroons and I usually make the flourless chocolate cake but last year my cousin brought an awesome pavlova with fresh fruit. I hope that she offers the same this year!

Loves2cook- please share that recipe made with tapioca flour. I avoid potato products too and most pesach products have wheat and cornstarch!

loves2cook4six,
Ya! That's the recipe I meant when I said Choco-Brown sugar matzo. I LOVE that stuff!! I prefer using real butter, but I make some with mar-parve for the seder.

Also, I never heard of gremslach, so I googled it and guess what came up? This thread and one other link (which I've noted below). But your mother uses apples? I'd love to see that recipe if you have it.

Jessy,
Yeah, sorry!! I know you react that way every year! LOL. But it's coming, like it or not, and it's coming fast!!!

Sue,
it's actually not MY recipe, I acquired it on the Kitchen forum conversations page years ago. But I make it every year now and it's wonderful.

Compumom,
Pavlova with fresh fruit sounds great! I may have to investigate recipes for that. Light and fruity is my goal so that might be the perfect thing.

OK, three meats. Last night my son emailed and asked, weren't we going to have three meats for passover? I was like, ok, yeah, chicken in the soup, brisket and fish (GF/lox). Well he doesn't consider fish a meat. But that's how my mother always did it, beef, chicken & fish (we usually had something yummy like smoked whitefish).

So... where does this three meat tradition come from anyway? I did a quick search on google but couldn't come up with anything. Do any of you ever serve three meats at your holiday (any holiday) dinners?

Here is a link that might be useful: gremslach

May, would you post your brisket recipe? I love brisket with a good sauce but have no recipe for it. Thanks.

Jim

Jim,
I'm at work now, I'll post it tonight.

Excellent! May, I was going to request the same recipe.

Alexa

I really really really want to make a Passover with foods that can be prepared in 18 minutes. The Hebrews did it, why can't we.

I refuse to step off the soapbox.

This is not Passover related but thought this would be a good place to ask for assistance.
On March 30th I am having a friend come for a visit and lunch.
Can anyone help me with restrictions of food, beverage and should I pick up some new luncheon plates or are my dishes okay? TIA

eandhl, it would be best to ask your friend about her personal requirements. All we know is that she is Jewish and that she has accepted your lunch invitation; that tells me that she isn't extremely strict about keeping kosher (otherwise, she would probably have declined, as your pots, cutlery, and utensils, in addition to your dishes, would have been a problem), so she probably doesn't require kosher meat or other kosher products. As a general rule, it would be wise to avoid pork or shellfish (crab, shrimp, etc) or serving meat and dairy (including milk, cheese, butter, etc) at the same meal. Most beverages will be OK. But the best thing is to ask in advance!

Sue

Thanks for your response. I know they are very strict in their own home. Our cutlery and dishes is what I was concerned about. I want to respect her Religious requirements so I shall ask her. Again, thanks.

If they are very strict at home, then you might want to use paper/plastic plates, cups, and cutlery. But the food prep utensils, etc, could still be a problem. She might be willing to eat tuna, eggs, salads, cheese, or something store-bought from an approved source. I'd stay away from meats.

A long time ago, when I participated in a play group that had some members who kept kosher, I bought a new paring knife (so I could cut up fruit or slice a birthday cake), a new ice cream scoop, some plastic cups, and a lot of paper products. I reserved them for kosher products and kept them in a separate place so they could be used again, the next time.

Sue

Thanks again mtnester, Tuna? how would you mix it?

Well, I guess you would need a new can opener. Then I suppose you could mix the tuna on a paper plate with a plastic fork. Cut celery with a plastic (or new) knife. As for mayo, I'm not sure which brands would meet your friend's requirements, so it would be best to ask her that. And check with her about breads, salad items, fruits, desserts, coffee, etc. The thing is, people who keep kosher have different levels of strictness, and they also follow different authorities, so there's no "one size fits all" answer. And some people are very stringent within their own homes but a bit more relaxed in another home or restaurant. The fact that she accepted your invitation without hesitation makes me think that she is not too demanding, but she could answer your questions much better than I. Also, for full disclosure, note that I am not strict myself, so maybe someone else will chime in here with better suggestions.

Oh, and I forgot to mention: if your lunch date falls between April 8 and April 16, that is Passover, and she would have further restrictions.

Sue

I have hesitated to comment on this before because my response has already been said, but I think it might need repeating at this point.

Ask her.

The thing is, if she were strict enough to require the effort Sue described in her last post, I seriously doubt she would hava accepted your invitation at all.

There are people who keep strict kosher at home but eat anything when out, and there are those who eat nothing when out unless they can verify it as also being strict kosher and there is everything in between.

Before making any plans or going to any extra effort, I'd just check and ask what dietary restrictions she has. In fact, that's a question you might ask of anyone who was invited for a meal in your home, right? Many people have dietary restrictions for reasons of religion, health, etc. I think it can be futile to speculate on what her preferences might be because they can fall anywhere on the spectrum.

Wow, it's that time again? Cool.

My Jewish friends always allow me to participate, in solidarity Dishesdone has adopted me as "honorary" guest virtually, LOL. Elery's DIL, Sorah, is from a Jewish family although she does not keep kosher. So, I'm making matzo ball soup for sure and I have a brisket in the freezer, just waiting. I love Jessica's sweet potato tzimmes, so I'll probably make those too. His Christian son and Jewish DIL have two children and are not raising the kids in either religion (or maybe they're raising them in both?), having decided to wait and let the kids decide for themselves when they are older. They get double the family holidays that way, so I think we're having a special meal at Elery's on April 4 with his kids and mine and all the grands. Not kosher and not during Passover, certainly, but we always learn something, and I actually like gefilte fish. We'll have Easter at my house.

Annie

I'll second what lowspark said. I know people who are extremely strict about keeping kosher at home but very lax when eating away from home. The only way to know is to ask. And if she was extremely strict, she wouldn't have accepted or would have made arrangements to bring her own food.

What she will eat at your house is probably somewhere in the range somewhere between eats anything and vegetarian plus fish with scales and fins. Asking here is the way to find out where in that range she is.

Annie, you and Elery can be virtual guests at my table, too! :-)

(But the food would be better at yours, LOL!)

Sue

Thank you, Sue, I'll be well fed, virtually at least. It's a great way to have several holiday meals and not gain an ounce, LOL.

Jessica's DS #1 tried to teach me about keeping kosher and "food rules" while they were here. I always grin when I think about our discussion concerning Spam, in fact, I'm smiling right now.

And no, Spam will NOT be part of either meal!

Annie

loves2cook4six and lowspark,

It's usually spelled chremslach - here's a google link to more recipes.

Helene

Here is a link that might be useful: chremslach recipes

Annie,
I think it's great that you participate by cooking some traditional foods. I love that!

blubird,
Thanks for posting that! I might make one of those recipes this year. I've never heard of that before. Love to learn something new!

Here is the brisket recipe:

BRISKET Posted by: MOM23cali (My Page) on Mon, Apr 11, 05 at 7:41

Ok- I make this from memory- It was my Mom's recipe year after year all my life.She did not cook with exact measurements:
1 3-5lb thin cut brisket
1 or 2 spanish onions
1 bottle heinz ketchup
1 cup Heavy Malaga Kosher Wine
1 box granulated brown sugar

coat the brisket in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder and brown in skillet with olive oil

slice onions and lay MOST of them in glass baking pan
combine the ketchup, wine and brown sugar -stirring well
pour small amount over onions
place brisket ontop of onions and sprinkle remaining onions over top
pour remaining sauce to cover entire brisket
cover TIGHTLY with aluminum foil and bake at 325 degree oven for 5-6 hours
uncover for last 30-40 minutes
let cool about 15-20 mins. and slice
serve sliced with sauce and onions on top!

And, while I'm at it... I'm going to post my haroset recipe. This is my father's mother's recipe from Egypt, which my mother learned from her and passed down to me. It really looks like mortar, and I'm telling you, this stuff COULD hold bricks together. But it is DELICIOUS!

HAROSET

1 lb dates
1 lb raisins
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup kosher for Passover red wine
chopped walnuts
cinnamon

Soak dates and raisins in water for 15 minutes. Drain. Rinse. Put in pot, cover with water (barely covered). Heat to boiling. Simmer on medium 20 minutes. Drain. Put in food processor. Add ½ cup water & sugar. Heat on low 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Add wine and nuts. Simmer another 15-20 minutes. Put in bowls and top with nuts and cinnamon. Refrigerate.

(Annie can you please post my tzimmes recipe because....I forgot what it was....)

Well, sure, but what'll you give me for it? (grin)

Jessica's Sweet Potato Tzimmes

3 or 4 medium size sweet potatoes
1 cup of pitted prunes
1/4 cup Orange juice
Cinnamon
1/3 cup honey

Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Chop into chunks.

Spray a pan with cooking spray and spread the sweet potatoes in the pan.
Pour orange juice over the dish to moisten the vegetables, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Spoon some glaze over while you're checking.

My notes say that these could be made with carrots instead and I have parsnips too, with a question mark, so I don't know if that was a "to try" or if you had tried them that way. It was for another holiday, I think you first gave me the recipe at Christmas a couple of years ago because I mentioned hating the marshmallow covered sweet potato casserole and "rescued" some sweet potatoes from the dish before sweetening everything into oblivion.

So, if you've forgotten them, you should try them again, they're really good in spite of the prunes. I just don't tell the kids they're prunes....

Annie

We're out for both seders, Friday Night, and Saturday and Sunday lunch so I don't have much by way of menus.

For the first night I am making a carrot and prune tzimmis and a flourless chocolate cake. I've made both before but only done the cake with Ghirardelli chocolate, cream and real butter. This time I've got to make it parev and KFP so I am not sure HOW it will taste.

Second night I am making an apple rhubarb crumble. I have it baking in the oven right now as a trial. I used ground Tapioca instead of cornstarch and potato starch in the recipe as DH is corn and potato free. It tatsed yum unbaked so it can only get better - right? I made two pans, one for us to try and one to go to the soup kitchen tomorrow. I'll see what the guys there think of it.

Friday night I am making Matzoh Crunch - requested every year:

* 4-6 unsalted matzohs
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
* 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment  on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.

Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.

In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan).

Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.

This makes a good gift.

Variation:
You can also use coarsely chopped white chocolate (or a combination of white and dark), and chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets). You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-alone buttercrunch.

Saturday and Sunday I have been asked to bring flowers.

I am making a big batch of Passover Granola to get us through the week. It's made with Matza Farfel, lots of nuts, raisins brown sugar and butter then baked in the oven till browned.

My mom is making grated apply gremslach and also her matzo balls which are made from a recipe handed down from mother to daughter. Her's are light and yummy -...

HUH! How'd that happen. Sorry about the duplicate post. What I meant to say was

Jessyf, that is the funniest comment I've read on here in ages. Thanks for the grin :)

Lowspark here's Mom's Gremslach recipe (Thanks bb for the correct spelling. My mom is German and I guess this is close to the spelling she grew up with.)

Apple Gremslach

Soften 6 matzoh in hot water (this step makes the items NOT KFP for some people who keep strictly to the principle of not allowing flour to come into contact with water for more than 18 minutes TOTAL - you know who you are :) )

Drain and mash the matzohs.

Grate 2 apples into the Matzoh, Add 4 eggs and a handful of raisins. Add enough Matzoh meal to bind (+- 6 TBsp possibly more)

Mix well and season with salt and SUGAR.

Fry in oil, drain on paper towels and serve hot

ENJOY

(The recipe is written by my son when he was 9. He liked the finished product and my Mom who never uses a recipe couldn't tell him how to make them. So he watched her do it and wrote it all down so now we have it forever.)

lowspark, I've never heard of having three meats. Due to our vegetarian son we often do one seder with no meat.

loves2cook, I like your son's recipe writing. He did a good job.

For a parve chocolate cake, the following recipe is my favorite Pesach chocolate cake. I try to avoid converting recipes by substituting parve margarine for butter because it just doesn't have the right flavor. This recipe just uses a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and doesn't use any matzah products. It has a more cake-like texture than typical flourless cakes.

--------------------------------
Low-Fat Chocolate Nut Torte
adapted from Classic Home Deserts by Richard Sax
added ingredients marked with *

1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp dark rum or cognac (optional - I omit)
*1/2 lemon - juice and zest
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1 tsp grated ginger (or ground ginger)
*1 tsp nutmeg
*1/4 tsp cloves
8 large egg whites
pinch salt
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling (I sometimes omit)

9-inch springform pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put the nuts on a baking sheet and toast about 10 minutes stirring twice - they
should be fragrant but not burnt. Let the nuts cool.
Coat the springform pan with oil lightly. Sprinkle with sugar and shake out excess.

Combine the cocoa, 3/4 cup of sugar and oil.

Put the nuts and 1/4 cup of sugar in a food processor and process until powdery but no t oily. It helps to pulse.
(My food processor instructions say to use the blade blunt side first for grinding nuts and they do come out
more powdery that way.)

Add nuts, lemon juice and zest, and spices to the cocoa mixture and stir until smooth - the batter will be quite
stiff at this point.

Beat egg whites with salt until nearly stiff.

Fold a quarter of the egg whites into the batter. Then fold in the rest being careful not to overmix.

Put the batter into the pan.

Bake until the cake is puffed and mostly set. You can test with a toothpick which should be not quite clean
when you pull it out. About 30 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle
top with confectioners' sugar. You can sprinkle a bit more before serving. Best served at room temperature.

You can make a Passover Confectioners' sugar substitute by whirring 1 cup sugar and 1 tbsp potato starch in a
blender or food processor to get a fine powder.

This was good with the original recipe but the extra ingredients make the flavor a bit more interesting - kind of
like the difference between regular hot chocolate and Mexican hot chocolate.

-------------------------

I haven't decided what I'm making. Definitely will make some sponge cakes as well as the chocolate nut torte and some nut cookies. Maybe some lemon curd. One year I made an orange juice based parve flan with the yolks left over after making...

Thanks for posting the brisket recipe, May. I'm eager to taste it.

Jim

I am at a loss for a poultry recipe for the holidays...I am sick and tired of turkey....I may do a lemon chicken...still not sure. Here are two of my favorite holiday recipes:

brisket
5-6 lb brisket (costco has great ones)
2 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c white vinegar
1 c ketchup
1 tbsp salt
pepper to taste
Place onions and garlic in large baking dish and place the brisket on top. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over brisket. cover and bake at 350 for one hour. Turn brisket over and bake another hour. Turn over one more time and bake 1/2 hour. Take out and slice on bias thinly. put back in sauce and bake for 1/2 hour. Either refrig or freeze.

Tzimmes

2 lbs. Carrots peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
5 large sweet potatoes or yams peeled and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
8 oz pitted prunes
½ cup orange juice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg to taste
¼ teaspoon cinnamon to taste
1 stick butter melted
2 capfuls of lemon juice
1 small bottle of honey (about 8-10 oz.)
1/2 cup of brown sugar

Parboil carrots and potatoes until partially tender. Drain and mix everything together in large baking bowl. Bake 1 ½ hours at 350 degrees. Baste twice during this time.
It is always better if you make it a day or two before.

Jim,
Let me know what you think. The sauce it creates is really good even though the ingredients don't sound that great. But I think the long slow cooking really melds the flavors together well. I try to scoop out every bit of the sauce but inevitably there is some stuck on (I always cover the bottom of the pan in foil for easy cleaning). The stuck on stuff is the best -- I try to scrape up as much as I can. I think the more cooked it is, the better that sauce tastes.

lowspark-- charoset recipe..

My Mom is originally from Egypt and we use the same recipe but without the cinnamon.

I'm making matzo balls right now that are going into the freezer when they're done. Then next on my list are salmon/tilapia fishcakes- first time I've tried this recipe. Then two desserts- one chocolate torte and a trifle (nondairy) that I've made before to big wows..

Lisa (who used to post regularly in kitchens and occassionally in cooking, but hasnt' in at least a year..)

Just because this came back to the top I wanted again to say Thank you. I did ask the friend and as was mentioned above, they are very strict at home but more flexible when they are out and we did enjoy a visit and lunch. I did have some meat, and all the fixings for sandwiches, 2 salads and cake for desert.

Well plans changed... so today we made the desserts and I ended up with the Mock Chestnut torte from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking instead of the flourless chocolate cake. I am KNOWN for that cake, have even sold it and had one auctioned off at a fundraiser and I just couldn't put my name on the pareve version made with manaschevitz chocolate - I just couldn't do it LOL.

Then I was paging through the latest Gourmet magazine and decided to make the pavlova with lemon curd and berries so we did that as well. I used my own T&T Pavlova recipe without cornstarch ( I would have subbed potato starch but dh can't eat it so just left it out all together) I used Sol's lemon curd recipe as I had all the left over yolks from the meringue so it seemed like a great way to use them up. And we'll top with the berries when we assemble the whole shebang.

And in the same magazine - Haroseth with dates and apricots and pistachios - so we made that as well - yummmm!

Lisa I'd love your nondairy trifle recipe if you don't mind sharing the recipe. And how do the matzoh balls turn out if you freeze them? Are they still light and fluffy? Are you freezing before cooking or after?

Not Jewish here, but bless you all on your special holidays! Christians and Jews alike have reasons to celebrate with treasured traditions, food, family and religious ceremonies.
Annie1971

here's the trifle recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Individual-Raspberry-and-Banana-Trifles-1687

I made it two years ago- I didn't do individual ones- just layered it all in a large trifle bowl and I got RAVE reviews.

I am nervous about the matzo balls as this is the first time I've frozen them. Most of the recommendations on the web about this called for them to be frozen after cooking... and just cooking them in boiling water rather than in broth. So, I cooked them in boiling water, layed them out on trays, put them in the freezer and then once they were frozen (about an hour or two later) I put them into a plastic bag.

Lisa

Lisa,
About the haroset reciep, cool! I'm always on the lookout for a published haroset recipe which matches ours, and although I've seen some similarities, none have every really come close.

Also, although I've never frozen matzo balls, I'm sure yours will be fine. Lots of people do freeze them, including my MIL who, until recently, always hosted Passover. (She has spent it with her sister in FL the last few years.) She made EVERYTHING for the seder at least a month in advance and froze it all. She's a master with the microwave and reheats everything just before we eat, and it all tastes delish!

I made my brisket, chicken soup (broth), potato dish and haroset over the weekend. I hope to make my matzo crunch tonight. That way on Wednesday, I won't have to kill myself getting everything done all at once.

You know, the hardest part for me is getting all the dishes hot & ready to serve at the same time while the seder is in progress. I like to participate in the seder with questions and jokes and such, and I admit I have a sip or two (or three) of wine as the evening progresses, and popping up to tend to the food is not only distracting, but I often forget to get up & check often enough! How do you do it?

I'm just back from Israel, so I really had to hit the ground cooking. We'll have about 20 Weds. night.

I make SUCH a traditional menu. When my kidz were little, I wanted each holiday to taste and smell the same, year after year. Now that they are grown, I suppose I could get creative. But it's so easy just to stick with my routine!

During the first part of the seder:
strawberries to munch on - my friend Jill brings these

Wine - ONLY "square wine" -- it doesn't taste good, but it tastes RIGHT. By the time we start the meal, I relent and open the good (at least as good as KP wine gets) stuff people bring.

charoset -- your basic Ashkenazi apples/walnuts/square wine/cinnamon

hard boiled eggs (my friend Susan is doing these) and boiled potatoes (a tradition in my husband's family)

gefilte fish (from the jar; we haven't mastered homemade yet) and horseradish

chicken soup & matzo balls (of course)

turkey & gravy
tzimmes
asparagus (Susan brings this, too)
a Moroccan meat casserole another guest is bringing

frozen strawberry mousse (REALLY fun and easy to make)
chocolate mousse torte
frozen pineapple-coconut truffles (a Susie Fishbein recipe that was in the NYT last year; it wasn't hard)
fruit salad (another guest brings this)
chocolate matzo crunch candy

I make the matzo candy a little differently. I use white sugar, not brown, and I put almonds on top of some of them. Also, I freeze the whole pans and THEN break them up -- it's MUCH easier and less messy -- and then store the pieces in bags in the freezer.

Dayenu!!

Hi all, hope all is well!

gellchom, if you have a moment, would love the recipes for the strawberry mousse and your gravy.

Gellcom - you really should try the frozen gefilte fish. I freeze my hands in the process but I unwrap the fish and put the loaf of fish in a loaf pan. Sometimes I'll even put two on top of one another. Then I bake at 350 for about an hour. YUMMMM - much better than jarred which I personally cannot eat.

Chag Sameach everyone

Wow, gell! You make a LOT of desserts! I quit making dessert other than the matzo crunch (can't live without that!) and someone is bringing a fruit compote, because by the time they eat all the other stuff, people just don't want dessert! I almost skipped making anything other than matzo crunch this year but when a guest offered to bring fruit compote I said ok.

However, like Pauline, I'd love to se your strawberry mousse recipe!

I never used to make so many desserts, either -- I hardly ever make dessert all year, so why do it when they aren't even very good? But I could do the candy and frozen bonbons before I went to Israel, so I did them just for fun. Also, my kidz will be home for a few days, and when my daughter is home, the house fills up with her friends, so it's good to have some stuff around.

lovestocookfor6, I don't have much experience with the frozen gefilte fish. My friend recently made a terrific dish with two frozen gefilte fishes, one salmon and one "regular," spread in layers in a spring form pan. She said it was really easy. I liked it so much I took home half the leftovers! I thought about it, but I have too many people for that. Anyway, I happen to like the stuff in the jar. My friend and I are not giving up on our quest to learn to make really good homemade gefilte fish. We need a lesson from someone with experience; recipes are fine, but we need to know the correct pre-cooking textures and tastes.

The frozen strawberry mousse is really fun to make. I made it this morning. Be sure to use your very biggest bowl -- it is amazing how much this small amount of ingredients grows. The recipe perfectly fills my big glass trifle bowl.

2 egg whites
3/4 c sugar
1 pint (small basket) strawberries, hulled, sliced, and lightly sprinkled with sugar
1 T lemon juice
pinch of salt
3 T "square wine" (kosher concord grape wine)

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add sugar and beat again to stiff peaks (that's what the recipe says, but think more like "marshmallow fluff"). With mixer on low, add the remaining ingredients and start beating slowly, then bring up speed. Beat for 15 (yes, 15) minutes.

Cover and freeze overnight. It doesn't freeze very hard, and it melts pretty fast, but it refreezes pretty well. Garnish with strawberries or nuts. (Chocolate curls would probably look spectacular, but I can't stand chocolate with fruit.)

Enjoy! I hope you find the afikomen --

Thanks gellcom. I will definitely try the Mousse if I can find pasteurized eggs. So the strawberries get mushed into the egg whites or do you fold them in at the end. Do you puree them if they get mushed in or does the mixer do that?

Shoot, if it's the mixer I may have to mush them manually before adding them as I only have a KFP hand mixer not my big strong DLX or even a KA to use on Passover.

I'm WAAAAAAAY to old to go looking for the afikomen but I will sit back and watch the kids - so much fun.

I'm hosting a sedar here tonight (we're not Jewish) because my DD's college roommate is too far from home to be with her family. I called on my dear friend and her husband to help. She's making the soup.

I'm making a brisket which sounds similar to ones posted above. Am also serving broccoli and another side dish.

For dessert I found this recipe for a flourless chocolate torte and made it last night:

www.allrecpies.com
Passover chocolate torte.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/2 cup pareve margarine
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 eggs, separated
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup ground almonds
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What to Drink?
Port
Coffee

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan with foil. Grease foil.
Melt margarine and chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth and let cool.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat whites until stiff; about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat together yolks and sugar until thick and pale; about 1 minute. Blend in chocolate mixture and stir in almonds. Fold in beaten whites, 1/3 at a time, into chocolate until no streaks of white remain. Scrape into prepared pan.
Place an 8 inch baking pan with 1 inch of water in it on the bottom rack of the oven (to make the torte more moist).
Bake torte on center rack at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from pan and top is set in center. Cover the torte loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. Note: Don't worry if the cake cracks because the top will be on the bottom later.
Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove sides of pan. Invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.
It came out SOOOO good!

I bought the lamb shank, made a hard boiled egg and will make a sedar plate. Wish me luck.

Our Jewish friends will join us on Sunday for our traditional Easter meal. Isn't it great to share?

Wishing you luck BonnieAnn!

Thank you gellchom!

lovestocookfor6, sorry it took me so long to answer. In case it's not too late:

I don't even know what pasteurized eggs are, so they certainly aren't necessary. I even used egg whites I had frozen and thawed, and they were fine.

Yes, the mixer does crush up the berries. But if you only have a hand-held mixer to use, maybe reconsider the whole project -- do you really want to stand there for 15 minutes?