Time for another diary on holiday cookery!
Spring in the Jewish calendar isn't quite as densely packed with holidays as autumn, but last month we had Pesach (aka Passover), and next month we'll be having the slightly less well-known holiday of Shavuot (aka Pentecost, not to be confused with either the Christian holiday or the character played by Idris Elba in Pacific Rim). Each has its own food traditions, and I'm gonna share a little bit about both.
Follow me below the orange cheese biscuit for religious law, tradition, dietary constraints, and delicious, delicious foods.
Pesach
As I've already talked about the logistical difficulties of holiday cooking, I'll spare you the general recap -- but Pesach has its own completely unique constraints*. As many of you probably know, on Pesach we don't eat any chametz (which in strict practice means we basically don't eat any grain product except matzah), and those of us who are of Ashkenazi descent have the further restriction of not eating kitniyot. And because cross-contamination is always a worry, this means we don't eat any packaged food at all that isn't specifically supervised and marked as kosher for Pesach.
* As before: Restrictions and prohibitions in Judaism vary according to denomination. The ones I describe here are according to Orthodox tradition.
All of which means that Pesach is an exercise in constrained cooking even before you factor in individual dietary restrictions. However, the recent popularity of grain-free diets has opened up an amazing variety of options -- and a whole big lot of them are adaptable for Pesach. Which means, contrariwise, that a lot of Pesach recipes are tremendously useful to people who need a gluten-free or grain-free diet year-round.
So here's a selection of savory and sweet pastries made without even a hint of grain (and, because of my own individual restrictions, also with little or no sugar). Gluten-free, low-carb, and deliciously non-chametz. :D
Cheesy Bread (Pictured above the fold)
(Recipe from the Grain-Free Gourmet cookbook.)
2½ cups almond flour
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350°. Line loaf pan with parchment paper.
Combine almond flour, parmesan, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together melted butter, yogurt, and eggs in another bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix well. Pour into batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until top of loaf is golden brown and firm to the touch.
(Optional: sprinkle fresh rosemary or thyme over the top before baking, or mix into batter.)
Onion Bread
(based off this Breakfast Bread recipe)
½ cup creamy roasted almond butter
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
about ½ to ¾ cup chopped onion
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder or minced garlic
pepper to taste
optional: 1 teaspoon thyme, rosemary, parsley, or mixed herbs
Over a low flame, sautee chopped onion in olive oil until thoroughly caramelized. Using a stick blender, puree the caramelized onion to a thick paste and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat almond butter until creamy (a handheld electric mixer works well for this). Mix in eggs and onion puree; add salt, baking soda and seasonings. Mix well until all ingredients are combined.
Transfer batter into a well-greased (or parchment-paper-lined) 8x8 inch Pyrex baking dish, and bake at 325° for 12 to 15 minutes.
Bonus! To turn either of these breads into crackers: chill the finished bread for about an hour, slice as thinly as possible, lay out in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and bake at 170° until crisp.
Clementine Cake
(from this recipe for Flourless Whole Tangerine Cake - the only real difference is choice of fruit)
3-4 clementines (to make about a cup of puree)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar or granulated xylitol
3 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking powder
Wash clementines and put them in a saucepan covered with cold water. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain the pan, refill with cold water, and boil again for 15 minutes. This boiling removes the bitterness in the citrus skin. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Roughly chop the fruit and remove any seeds; do this on a plate so you don't lose any juice. Put it all in a food processor and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Set aside, or refrigerate until the next day if you're doing this in 2 stages.
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat the eggs and sweetener until light and creamy. Fold in the almond flour, clementine pulp, and baking powder, mixing until combined. Pour into a greased 9" springform pan, or into cupcake cups.
Bake for 50-60 minutes (less for cupcakes), until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to finish cooling. If desired, decorate with powdered sugar/xylitol. Serve alone or topped with whipped cream.
Rosemary Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
(from Elana Amsterdam's Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook)
2½ cups almond flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup hazelnuts*, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup grapeseed oil
5 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* Hazelnuts are sometimes sold as "filberts".
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, hazelnuts, and rosemary. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, agave, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until thoroughly combined.
Roll the dough into a large log, about 2½ inches in diameter, and wrap in parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 1 hour or more, until firm.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the log of dough from the freezer, unwrap it, and cut it into ¼-inch-thick slices with a wet knife. Transfer the slices into the prepared baking sheets, leaving about an inch between cookies.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until brown around the edges. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 30 minutes, then serve.
Better Pie Crust
(from The LowCarbist)
2 cups almond flour
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp. softened butter or margarine
2 tbsp. heavy cream (or almond milk)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly incorporated. Press into pie dish starting from the middle and working out towards the sides. Bake for twenty minutes or until golden brown.
(Here's an excellent blackberry tart filling recipe from the same source; I have made it with strawberries as well, and plan to try it with raspberries later this year. Also, since this crust is unsweetened, it will work beautifully for savory dishes such as quiche or chicken pot pie.)
Shavuot
It's traditional on this holiday (though not required) to serve dairy dishes, usually involving cheese, and to decorate one's home with flowers and other greenery. I was recently involved in a discussion that opened with the question: if you're lactose-intolerant, what kind of food should you serve in honor of Shavuot? A good few people suggested using non-dairy milk (soy, nut, rice) and/or vegan cheese to approximate typical dairy dishes, but somebody had the marvelous idea: why not serve dishes made with edible flowers?
I went looking and found a few websites where you can order edible flowers online and have them delivered. This one looks the most promising.
I've never done this before, so for the two days of the holiday I'm going to try to find a balance between tried-and-true recipes and new experimental ones, or new experimental variations on old favorites. I don't know if I'll get a chance to try all of these. Wish me luck!
Corn Chowder
4 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 24-oz. can corn
½ tsp sugar (or other sweetener)
2 tbsp. flour
3 cups milk
salt
black pepper
dried thyme
Sautee onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add corn and sugar, mix well, and cook for about five minutes.
Add the flour and stir for two minutes, then add the milk and simmer until it begins to thicken. Season to taste (I like it peppery, but you may prefer a milder flavor).
Set aside about one-third of the corn mixture and puree the rest. Recombine, warm through, and serve at once.
The experimental part: garnish with fried zucchini blossoms, or else with garlic flowers, rosemary flowers, or nasturtium petals.
Sallet of Herbs
(I got this recipe from a medieval cookbook ages ago, for purposes of bringing to an SCA feast that friends of mine were hosting -- sallet is an older form of the word salad. It's an excellent accompaniment to a simple meal of cheeses and freshly made omelettes, which is almost always one of our Shavuot lunches.)
Start with a base of baby spinach and/or green leaf lettuce. Add fresh basil, fresh parsley, and fresh mint. (Proportions are up to you, but I usually wind up with something like: 2½ parts base greens, 1 part basil, 1 part parsley, ½ part mint.)
Add to this your choice of:
sliced raw mushrooms
sliced cucumber
shredded or thin-shaved carrot
chopped walnuts
pine nuts
peeled sliced orange
peeled sliced lemon
For the dressing, combine to taste: olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard, dry red wine, vinegar, and honey. Apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar is best; try not to use balsamic unless you've got no other options.
I plan to add borage flowers and/or marigold petals, both of which were used in medieval cookery, and possibly mustard and/or chive flowers as well. (I'd be very tempted by pea and radish blossoms, except that nobody in my family is terribly fond of peas or radishes. They're so pretty though.)
Boston Cream Pie
(adapted from Carolyn Ketchum's recipe here)
(No experiments with this one; I've made it before, it's too good to mess with, and it's going to be the backup dessert in case the major experiment fails. I might garnish the top with some mint leaves and candied rose petals or violets. And maybe some sliced strawberries. Stop me before I talk myself into anything more complicated.)
Pastry Cream (make this first and let it chill while making the other parts!):
1¼ cups whipping cream
3 egg yolks
¼ cup granulated erythritol or xylitol
pinch salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces
1½ tsp vanilla extract
16 drops stevia extract
Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with erythritol and salt, then whisk in cornstarch until mixture becomes pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
Slowly whisk about half of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, then return the yolk/cream mixture back to the saucepan and cook until thick and glossy, about 1 1/2 minutes, whisking continuously. It thickens up suddenly and quickly, so watch carefully!
Remove from heat and whisk in butter, vanilla and stevia. Transfer to a small bowl and press plastic wrap flush to the surface. Chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours.
Cake:
2 cups almond flour
¼ cup granulated erythritol or xylitol
¼ cup whey protein powder or powdered egg white
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
6 oz Greek yogurt
¼ cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
10 drops stevia extract
¼ cup almond milk
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, erythritol, xanthan gum, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, breaking up any clumps with the back of a fork. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and stevia and beat until just combined. Add half of almond flour mixture and beat until combined, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spread batter in prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until edges are golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes and then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cake is completely cool, cut in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
Chocolate Glaze:
5 tbsp butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp powdered erythritol or xylitol
¼ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Melt butter, chocolate and powdered erythritol together in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla and stevia and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, while assembling cake, until glaze is thicker but still pourable.
To assemble, separate the two halves of the cake. Place the bottom half cut-side up on serving dish and spread with pastry cream. Gently top with the second half, cut-side down and lining the edges up carefully. Pour chocolate glaze over the top of the cake and spread with a knife or offset spatula, pushing to the edges and letting it drip down over the sides.
Let glaze set 1 hour before serving.
And okay, the seriously experimental dessert I want to try ... is "Persian Love Cake." It's an almond cake flavored with lemon and cardamom, layered and frosted with saffron-and-rose-water whipped cream (boosted, in some recipes, by Greek yogurt or mascarpone cheese), topped with dried and/or candied rose petals and chopped pistachios. Less elaborate versions skip the layering and frosting and just incorporate the yogurt into the cake; more elaborate versions call for crushed meringues to add to the layering, and fresh figs as an additional topping.
I will almost certainly chicken out and go with something much simpler (like maybe a candied-rose variant on these cookies), especially since there are so many different versions of the cake out there and I haven't picked a recipe yet. But ... guys. Guys. Seriously, look at this cake. Look at this gorgeous cake that is covered in cream and roses. How do I pass that up?
6:11 PM PT: ... It turns out, sadly, that the way I can pass that up is that my mom-in-law is allergic to roses. :( OH WELL. Persian Love Cake will have to wait for some other occasion.