Hamentashen for Purim

Purim this year begins the evening of March 15 and ends the evening of March 16.  This celebration commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from the evil plot of destruction from Haman.  He was not successful.  Each year, we mark this holiday by recanting the story (the megillah).  During the storytelling whenever the name of Haman is said out loud, the audience use noise makers to erase the sound of his name while stomping their feet.

Purim was always one of my very favourite holidays; essentially the only time as children we were encouraged to make lots of noise.  The custom is to make hamentashen, a triangular shaped cookie filled with one or many different fillings.  The triangle shape is meant to be symbolic of Haman's ears. We also take time during this holiday to make up small food gifts to share with family and friends, usually some cookies and also to perform acts of kindness for those in need.  That's not to say we don't display acts of kindness regularly but during this holiday it's somehow more purposeful.

The most fun of Purim as children was to dress up (kind of like Halloween costuming) in the images of the time.  You see alot of queen, bad guy, and hero type costumes.

I've always made hamentashen and this year is no different.  The recipe I used for years seemed just a little too cake like so I surfed to find a new one to try.  I think I hit pay dirt  when I checked out The Shiksa.  I was so happy to find two different dough recipes, one with butter and a second without.  She also has a wonderful tutorial on her blog and I actually used her method this year and it worked beautifully.  Once you get a rythym going with the assembly it's a breeze.

A good tip is to make your filling first.  The dough, if left too long can go dry.  I made a batch of prune filling (very typical filling for these cookies)

Prune Filling

1 lb (2 cups) soft dried prunes
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Put ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Dough

2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1.  Whisk eggs, sugar, canola oil, orange zest and vanilla together.    I did everything by hand - you don't need a mixer.

2.  In a second bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3.  Slowly add the flour mixing in a circular motion with a wooden spoon until flour is incorporated.  Hand knead until you get to a smooth and slightly tacky consistency.

4.  Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin and roll out to approximately 1/4".  The thinner the dough, the crispier the cookie.  Using a 3" cutter or glass, cut rounds and put a tsp of filling in the center of each cookie.  Fold over left side towards the center, then the right side to join to the top third of the cookie.  Bring up the bottom part of the dough to pinch the ends.

5.  Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes (my oven was 18 minutes)

** Make sure you visit The Shiksa's blog for an amazing tutorial on how to assemble the hamentashen.  Her method is great and no lost filling.  Yield is about 3 dozen so tomorrow I'm making a double batch with apricot filling and poppy seed filling.

Honey Apple Noodle Kugel

I love Kugel .  I don't really care if it's savory or sweet but I must admit that sweet kugels are my favourite. Sweet kugels are generally made with a base of cooked wide noodles and whatever you chose to add to them as a fruit or cheese. I always make kugel around Jewish holiday time and this one was for the Jewish New Year where apples and honey are symbolic of sweet things and the sharing of them are shared wishes for a sweet year ahead. Tradition is a wonderful thing.

You seriously can't  mess this up and with minimal effort you're rewarded with something so comforting and tasty that all you can say is Life is Good.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 (20 ounce) cans apple pie filling
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray your 13 x 9 baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix everything together.
3. Bake for 1 hour.
   
   

Norma's for Brunch

I was invited to brunch with attitude. I just wasn't sure if it was my attitude, my invitor's attitude or the restaurant's attitude. It also didn't really matter how many times I asked, I was told "you'll see". Okay, it's a surprise. Sometimes it's just easier to go along than to ask too many questions. I trusted my companions and boy oh boy was I in for the experience of a lifetime. We arrived at the Parker Meridien Palm Springs and were ushered to Norma's Restaurant.

Have you heard of it? I'd heard of the one in New York but had never visited and had no concept of what awaited. My companions wanted me to have a life long memory. Nestled in what feels like a forest, the soft latin music and bustling wait staff just make you smile. The energy is completely positive and you feel a sense of fun around you. Our waiter was engaging, helpful and efficient and started our experience off with a shotglass sample of the smoothy of the day Coffee was served in a French press. The menu is diversified and interesting with catchy names such as "Wa-Za" for a waffle that has fruit inside and out and looks so interesting you're just not sure whether or not you should eat it or save it as a piece of art.

Mango-Papaya Brown Cinnamon Crepes



Normalita's Huevos Rancheros




Fish Tacos



We're getting ready to go home from our vacation. We're all ready. It's been a great couple of months but reality becons and soon enough we'll have more great things.

Holiday Memories

This year's holiday celebration was one of the most memorable on record. The only thing that creates a hold back on perfection is that Psychgrad and "R" were out west with "R"'s family. We were a collection of family and friends who shared the non commercial joys of the season.

We were at my brother's home and I love that he's a foodie and also pays attention to detail.









We decided to not go with the traditional North American dinner and opted to have a cultural celebration. Everyone had a contribution to bring so you could say it was a pot luck dinner.

I was excited to learn about traditional Venezuelan Christmas foods. The first is call Pan de Jamon, a ham, raisin and olive bread. A sweet, soft dough is rolled up around savory ham, sweet raisins and pimento-stuffed olives.




The dough is deliciate and soft and the filling, as unusual as it sounded to me initially just works. The Pan de Jamon is something that I'll definitely try. I was lucky enough to have it made for us by our friend Carlos of Empanada fame. Not only is he a great cook, he also shares his knowledge enthusiastically.



If you're in the Toronto area you could also do this the easy way and give Jose of Pimenton a call.

Jose is also known in our circle for his boozy gluten free Christmas cakes, great food and fun cooking classes.

My next fascination is with the Christmas Hallacas, kind of a tamale; served either as an appetizer or a main dish. To say tamale really minimizes the effort it takes to make this dish. Some make it at family gathering that takes a full day with all involved or for Carlos who didn't have alot of help, it was a 4 day ordeal. A Masa corn dough filled with a stew and wrapped in either corn husks or banana leaves, the finale is in placing them in a pot of boiling water for an hour to marry all the flavours together.












and of course a vegetarian one for "A"



I've included a recipe in the links below. I suspect that each region has it's own version with variations in the spice mixture. The one thing that's for sure, the hallaca is a labour of pure love and I savoured every mouthful.

There was a fully stuffed Tofurkey complete with vegetarian gravy. I had no idea vegetarian gravy could be so good.


For the poultry lovers, we had Chicken Scallopini stuffed with Fontina Cheese (one of Giada's recipes - see below)



and a Quinoa Everything Salad



Of course, by this time you're on overload already but somehow just have to find a little more room for desserts.







We generally finish off with a round of table musicians - oops...we forgot all about it.



Suki was on guard through the whole thing just to make sure that if anything dropped, it didn't hit the floor.



Disclaimer: I just couldn't include EVERYTHING - this post would have been 3 days long :)

Links:
Pan de Jamon
Chicken Scallopini

Vegetarian Tourtiere

The family and friends are getting together this weekend for the BIG celebration. Our family is both multi ethnic with a variety of religious affiliations. As my SIL "R" says, we celebrate Chrismakkah in a non denominational way. Everybody brings a little bit of where they come from and who they are to the table and it's a wonderful celebration. That's not to say that it's stress free. Hell no!

Our newest member of the family as I've mentioned before, is a vegetarian so it's always a challenge for me to create something that's vegetarian worthy while still being tasty. Since I'm not a vegetarian it presents a greater challenge for me only because it's unfamiliar. This year, I made traditional French Canadian tourtieres but also wanted our veggie being to have some too. I found a recipe for vegetarian tourtieres on Canadian Living . So happy!!!! I was particularly happy since our vegetarian is from Venezuela and having something so distinctly Canadian was important for me.

It took the better part of a day (start to finish) to create the tourtiere. I also decided to go with a vegetable shortening premade pie crust (although I'm listing Canadian Living's recipe for the crust). Everything went amazingly UNTIL I took the tourtiere out of the oven. I won't repeat what came out of my mouth - I'll just show you. Don't you just hate when this happens?



I couldn't believe it. I should have put a pan underneath it prior to putting it in the oven. I didn't. I will next time. The filling, by the way, is really and truly tasty and inspite of the crack I'm sure it'll be well received for the effort.

Ingredients

2 cups (500 mL) TVP* (Textured Vegetable Protein)
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
3 ribs celery, (with leaves)diced
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups (500 mL) cubed peeled potatoes
2 tsp (10 mL) tamari or sodium-reduced soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) dried savory
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground allspice
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cups (500 mL) vegetable broth


Pepper Thyme Pastry:

3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cracked black peppercorns
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) shortening
2 tsp (10 mL) vinegar
2/3 cup (150 mL) Ice water

Pepper Thyme Pastry: In bowl, whisk together flour, salt, thyme and pepper. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter and shortening until in fine crumbs with a few larger pieces. In liquid measure, whisk vinegar with enough ice water to make 2/3 cup (150 mL). Drizzle over flour mixture, tossing with fork to form ragged dough.

Divide in half; press into 2 discs. Wrap each and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

In large bowl, pour 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water over TVP; cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook celery, onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.

Stir in potatoes, tamari, savory, salt, pepper, allspice, cloves, bay leaves and TVP; cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Stir in broth and 1 cup (250 mL) water; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

Break up most of the potatoes with back of spoon; simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours.)

On lightly floured surface, roll out 1 of the pastry discs to generous 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Fit into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Trim to rim of plate. Spoon in filling.

Roll out remaining pastry. Brush rim with water. Place pastry over filling; trim to leave 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang. Fold overhang under pastry rim; flute to seal.

Roll out pastry scraps; cut out holiday shapes. Brush top of pie with water; arrange cutouts on top. Cut steam vents in top. Bake in bottom third of 400°F (200°C) oven until bubbly and golden, about 1 hour.



Links:

** More about TVP
Arguments for and against the use of TVP

President's Choice Holidays and Tips 2011

Here we are on the biggest shopping weekend before the holidays and you're probably thinking that you don't need any reminders; that you're already stressed to the max and still have a gazillion things left to do.

In addition to some last minute things you may need, did you know that President's Choice also has a wealth of tips and how to videos to help you get through the season. Are you making a turkey for the first time or haven't had total success with ones you've made in the past? Spend a couple of minutes with Chef Tom PC - Videos who will help you perfect your turkey skills.

I have family coming to celebrate this weekend and one of the plates I'll serve is a cheese platter. I always feel a little challenged in deciding what goes with what and how to create a beautiful looking platter. Want some tips? How to create a great cheese platter or plate - PC -helps take the uncertainty out of preparation.

The focus on great desserts is one that everyone looks forward to. Personally, I've been making some of my own regular desserts but I'm also picking up a few others that will make my life so much easier.







One of our group loves molten lava cakes. I made them last year - a total and dismal failure. I'm not letting that happen again.


The kids will be so happy. Between the ice cream and whoopie pies, it'll be a memorable time for them too. I'll be in the running for "cool aunt" award. I'll give them their grape juice in wine glasses too.


After each group gathering there's always the one dreaded event none of us is excited about; the dreaded clean up. Of course you know that PC is going to have some tips about this too. Check out the Clever ideas for your post-holiday clean up - PC -

Magic in the Middle Cookies

I know - I'm on a blogging marathon these days. I'm so far behind and so many good things to share before the holidays hit us. This Magic in the Middle Cookie from King Arthur Flour is one of the "must do" cookies for the holidays. Although it's probably been around forever, it's a new addition to my cookie list for this year.




CHOCOLATE DOUGH

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened baking cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then
4. stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.
5. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
6. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
7. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.
8. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center;
9. roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
10. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
11. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass, and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.
12. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.



Tips from the King Arthur Flour Bakers:

The most reliable way to make sure you have equal amounts of filling and chocolate dough is to use a cookie scoop. Our teaspoon scoop yields exactly 26 fillings when scooped with the dough level across the top. Our tablespoon scoop when filled level will yield exactly 26 chocolate blobs of dough to match.
If you're doubling this recipe, add an extra egg to the chocolate dough.
If you're making this dough ahead of time, add an 2 tablespoons of milk to the chocolate dough. It tends to dry out as it sits, and the extra moisture will keep the outside dough from cracking as you form the cookies.

President's Choice Holiday 2011

I recently received the holiday package of samples from the Holiday Insider's Report . How beautiful is the container the PC products came in? Kudos to the marketing team that put together this campaign - it's brilliant!


It made me think about those timeless memories that we all have about the anticipation of holidays. Sit back and think about what those are for you. Do you remember your growing up years and the etched in stone traditions of the holidays? Do you have young children that you're creating new memories with? Wouldn't you love to just be able to put time in a bottle?



The rituals of the holidays include family, friends and equally as important is the food we enjoy and share. I don't know about you but for some reason, this year feels like it was a total blur and I can't figure out how it's getting to be Cbanukkah and Christmas again. Every year I make myself entirely crazy over prepping for the holidays. Not doing it this year. Well, at least I'm going to enlist some help. I'm thankful to be able to have a large variety of food products available at reasonable prices that are either ready to go or require minimal preparation.

So many delicious looking new and tested ideas for entertaining. When I'm going through new products to review I generally like to take everything out, check each item individually firstly for how appealing it is to me and would be to my family and secondly (and equally important) I check the ingredients. While I was doing that I came upon one item that it been the only product I'd received, I would have had a smiling girl for the whole day. For those who don't know me, I have a wierd and wonderful connection to all things peanut butter. I'm wierd and the peanut butter is wonderful.


Peanut butter pretzels with white candy topping - oh my gawd!!!! In my opinion, this is a treat that should be available to everyone during the holidays and beyond. I know it will be in my home.
The second thing that immediately caught my attention was a bottle of Memories of Morocco.
I like to buy chicken when it's on sale. I marinate and freeze it in zip lock bags and defrost it in the fridge with the marinade day before. Memories of Morocco is an ideal marinade for this. The combination of sweet and spicy with the fragrance of Moroccan spices is hypnotic. I shared the bottle with a neighbour who is from the Middle East and her evaluation was the same as mine. Her comment to me was "why bother making it at home; this is terrific". That's the whole message with the new PC products; if you've got a product that's not hard on the wallet and fills a need while saving you your precious time I can't find an argument to not buy it. See how easy it is to put together a great meal in minutes.

I'm happy to share some of the newer branded PC products with you;
Do you enjoy a dark roast cup of coffee?

or a decandent Dulche de Leche decaf

or try something you might never have even thought of ...

Looking for some quick and easy appetizer ideas? How about Blue Cheese with Walnut Canapes?




Timeless melba toast that works with so many toppings:

with Goat Cheese and Cranberry (my personal favourite)

or just plain Goat Cheese

While you're busy in the kitchen and wrapping gifts, don't forget to keep yummies on hand for the kids;

Give yourself some munchie treats while you're at it.

You're not going to stop creating old family favourites but instead of slaving over so many different varieties, give yourself a break with some of these ageless treats AND get the kids to chip in - isn't this what memories are made of?







Who says you can't add chocolate chips :)

Now if I could find an elf that would wrap everything for me, life would be complete. There are the gifts for the concierge, the mailman, newspaper boy/girl, friends down the hall, teachers and hairdressers to name just a few. Who wouldn't enjoy some of these'




(I love that the biscotti has a COR that makes it kosher/dairy. A fabulous Hanukkah gift.








I can see this post is getting very long but I still have much to share. Stay tuned for further posts on making memories with President's Choice.