passover 2015 | Your matzah sandwich just got better.

Charoset.

Every Jewish community of the world has their own version of this symbolic Passover food. A quick look online on the topic of Charoset and as with all ‘jewish food’ you are left baffled. The common thread between them all is the use of fruit and nuts.

 As tasty as Charoset is, and it is! (what can be wrong with a combo of dried fruit, nuts, spices, wine, juice or whatever your charoset may include??)
It could use, however, a slight upgrade on the presentation front. Rolling the mixture into ‘charoset truffles’ coated with chopped walnuts worked as a charm for me.

Our Tanzeya is the base for this super simple (only 5 ingredients!) dried fruit & nut spread. The slivovitz helps balance the sweetness but feel free to replace it with another brandy you might have on hand.

Treat your host this Passover with a jar or two of our Tanzeya. Order today and we guarantee delivery in time for your holiday table.

Chag sameach,

Ron & Leetal

xo

Charoset Truffles

250g Tanzeya

½ Granny smith apple, grated

½ cup chopped walnuts

¼ tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. slivovitz (plum brandy)

more chopped walnuts for rolling

 

1.    Finely chop the Tanzeya and mix well with the rest of the ingredients.                 
2.    Refrigerate for about 1 hour, so it will be easier to roll.
3.    Remove the mixture from the refrigerator and shape into balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. (Shape the mixture into a little less then one-inch balls.)
4.    Then place the balls into a dish with the rest of the chopped walnuts. Move the charoset truffles in order to coat all around with nuts. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

SHANAH TOVAH, A RECIPE AND HARISSA 101

Before we get to the recipe we promised to deliver...

We piled together everything you ever wanted to know about our Harissa.  So c'mon over to our brand new Harissa 101 page, have a read or just have a look at the pictures for now : )

Also, a reminder that our offer for a free Tanzeya with any purchase ends tonight (September 15, 2014 at 11:59 EST). So if you are still looking to splurge yourself, your kids or in need of a hostess gift for Rosh Hashanah- well, just head over to our shop.

Wherever you find yourself this holiday,
here’s wishing you a peaceful, joyful and a sweet sweet year,

Ron and Leetal

Dovshaniut

Now, as promised here is the recipe for our favorite honey cookies, "Duvshaniut". They are moist, full of spices and sweet. Everything you need to start your year on the perfect note.

Give them to friends as presents to wish them a Happy New Year, or serve them with a glass of mint tea at the end of your Rosh Hashanah dinner. Either way, you are sure to please friends and family.

Ingredients (for 18 cookies):

90g Honey

60g Muscovado sugar

1/8 tsp. ground clove

3/4 tsp. ground mahlab*

1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

¼ tsp. ground all spice

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 large egg, room temp (55g)

210g AP flour

10g baking powder

Frosting:

100g powder sugar

2 tbsp. milk

In a small bowl mix the spices. Feel free to use more or less of those spices you like best, for me this mixture is the perfect balance of  ‘fall spices’.

preheat oven to 365.
In a small pot place the honey, sugar and the spice mixture, using a whisk mix well. Once boiled, add the baking soda and whisk until the mixture is light and frothy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool for 5 minutes then whisk the egg into the mixture.  Mix the flour and baking powder and then using a wooden spoon stir the flour into the mixture. With wet hands, form balls.
Bake for 10 minutes (turn the tray after 5 for even coloring). Place on a cooling rack.

Frosting:

Whisk the powdered sugar with the milk until you get a smooth mixture.
Dip each cookie into the sugar coating and let drip onto the cooling rack.
The cookies will form a crackly sugar exterior that is fun to bite into and will also help keep the cookies moist inside.

Place cookies in an airtight container.

* Mahlab is the inner seed inside a cherry pit and has the flavor and aroma that resembles bitter almond.  It is used in small quantities and sharpens the sweet flavors in baked goods. A spice that is very common in Middle Eastern baking and I like using it in many recipes whether Middle Eastern or not.

** You might have noticed that the recipe doesn’t have any oil or butter in it (!!!). My initial recipe did call for some oil, fortunately, I forgot to add and the results were very surprising (surprising in a really GOOD way) so I decided to omit the oil from the recipe.