1,000 Jewish Recipes (283 page)

BOOK: 1,000 Jewish Recipes
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2 tablespoons honey

1
⁄
2
cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

3 large eggs

Grated rind of 1 orange

1
⁄
4
cup apricot preserves (optional)

1.
Put chopped fruits and raisins in a container, add rum, and mix well. Cover tightly and let stand 1 hour; or refrigerate up to overnight.

2.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8
1
⁄
2
× 4
1
⁄
2
-inch loaf pan, line with parchment paper or wax paper, and grease liner.

3.
Drain fruits, reserving rum in a covered container. Pat fruits dry with paper towels. Toss fruits with
1
⁄
4
cup of flour with your fingers, carefully coating each piece. Sift remaining 1
1
⁄
2
cups flour with baking powder.

4.
Beat oil, honey, and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in flour mixture. Stir in the grated rind, then fruit mixture. Stir until no trace of flour remains.

5.
Transfer to pan and bake about 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan about 15 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely. If not serving immediately, wrap cake in foil and keep it at room temperature.

6.
To finish with preserves, if using, heat with 2 tablespoons of reserved rum until warm. Strain, pressing on mixture. Brush it over top and sides of cakes. Serve at room temperature.

Fruitcake for the Tree-Planting Holiday
 
or
 
Makes 10 to 12 servings

Tu Bishvat is a wonderful holiday that celebrates planting trees. It occurs in late winter, when traditionally there wasn't much fresh fruit, and so is honored by cooks who include dried fruit in their meals. Good-quality dried fruit makes a scrumptious fruitcake, which is perfect for the holiday.

1
⁄
2
cup chopped dried dark figs

1
⁄
2
cup chopped dried apples

1
⁄
2
cup golden raisins

1
⁄
4
cup orange juice

1
3
⁄
4
cups all-purpose flour

1
⁄
2
teaspoon baking powder

1
⁄
2
cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, softened

3
⁄
4
cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

Grated rind 1 lemon

1
⁄
2
cup chopped pecans (optional)

1.
Put chopped figs, apples, and raisins in a container, add orange juice, and mix well. Cover tightly and let stand 30 minutes.

2.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8
1
⁄
2
× 4
1
⁄
2
-inch loaf pan, line with parchment paper or wax paper, and grease paper.

3.
Drain fruits, reserving juice. Pat fruits dry with paper towels. Toss fruits with
1
⁄
4
cup of flour with your fingers, carefully coating each piece. Sift remaining 1
1
⁄
2
cups flour with baking powder.

4.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in half of flour mixture. Stir in 2 tablespoons orange juice and the lemon rind. Stir in remaining flour. Stir in the fruit mixture and pecans, if using. Stir until no trace of flour remains.

5.
Transfer to pan and bake about 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan about 15 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Wrap cake in foil and keep it at room temperature.

CAKES WITH FROSTING

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Makes 8 to 10 servings

The filling of this cheesecake is delicately flavored with lemon and beautifully complements the light meringue topping. Crowning cheesecakes with meringue is a trick that Ashkenazic bakers brought from Eastern Europe to Israel, where it has been adopted by home cooks. Serve this cake for Shavuot or for brunch, with strawberry or raspberry sauce.

Sweet Sour Cream Pastry

1 pound (1 pint) whole-milk cottage cheese

1 pound cream cheese, softened

3
⁄
4
cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4 large eggs, separated, plus 1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons strained fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue Topping

1.
Prepare pastry. Then, lightly butter a 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Pat pastry into pan to line it 2 inches up side. Prick base and sides lightly. Freeze 20 minutes.

2.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake pastry shell 15 minutes, until very light golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Let pastry cool while making filling.

3.
Push cottage cheese through a strainer. Beat cream cheese with
3
⁄
4
cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in 5 egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in cottage cheese, lemon juice, lemon rind, and vanilla. Whip 4 egg whites in a large, dry bowl with mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 2 tablespoons sugar, and whip until stiff but not dry. Fold into cheese mixture. Transfer to pastry shell. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until top is light brown, set, and beginning to crack. Remove from oven, set pan on rack, and let cool 30 minutes. Leave oven at 350°F.

4.
Prepare meringue topping. Then, spread it over filling with a metal spatula. Use spatula to decorate it in waves. Return cake to oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until meringue is light beige.

5.
Cool completely on a rack. Stick a toothpick in center of cake and 5 or 6 at edges, then cover loosely with paper towel. (Toothpicks keep towel from sticking to meringue.) Refrigerate about 2 hours before serving. Serve cake cold, in slices.

Sweet Sour Cream Pastry
Makes enough for a 9- to 10-inch pan

Make this dough for a delectable pastry base for cheesecakes, dessert tarts, and single-crust pies. It's easy to make in a food processor and easy to use as well—you simply pat it in the pan. You can use a springform, tart, or pie pan.

2 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1
1
⁄
3
cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1
⁄
3
cup sugar

Pinch of salt

7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Beat egg yolks with sour cream and lemon rind in a small bowl with a whisk. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly to blend. Scatter butter pieces over mixture. Process with brief pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour sour cream mixture evenly over mixture in processor. Process with brief pulses, scraping down occasionally, until dough forms sticky crumbs that can easily be pressed together and dough just begins to come together in a ball. If mixture is dry, add
1
⁄
2
teaspoon water and process briefly again.

Meringue Topping
Makes enough for a 9- to 10-inch cheesecake or pie

Prepare this topping just before you're ready to spread it. It's great on cheesecakes and sweet pies. Whipping it over hot water helps to slightly stabilize it and makes it smoother.

3 large egg whites

1
⁄
4
teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Set bowl in a pan of hot water over very low heat and stir whites with whisk about 3 minutes or until mixture is slightly warm and sugar dissolves. Remove from pan of water and whip at high speed of mixer until whites are stiff.

My Mother's Orange Chiffon Cake
 
or
 

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