Flourless Chocolate Cake with Macaroon Crust

Are you tired of the same dry sponge cake with berries and non-dairy whipping cream for your Passover dessert? Try this quick and delicious Flourless Chocolate Cake; your guests will be thrilled they stayed for dessert!

This Flourless Chocolate Cake can be served for Passover or any occasion. Since it's extremely rich, one cake makes 16 servings. Be sure to bring to room temperature before serving!.......

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Macaroon Pecan Crust

serves 16

Ingredients:

1 cup pecans (your favorite or a blend)

24 small coconut macaroons (I used Manischewitz)

8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter or Pareve margarine

16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 cup *Sabra Chocolate Orange liqueur

8 whole eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees

In a food processor, blend nuts and macaroons until finely chopped. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press mixture onto entire bottom of pan to insure crust is firmly in place.

In a saucepan, melt butter, when hot, add chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, stir continuously until chocolate is smooth, add liqueur and blend.

In a large bowl, whip the eggs and sugar until doubled in volume. 

When chocolate mixture is fully melted, incorporate it slowly to egg mixture and blend well. 

Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until center no longer wiggles. Remove from oven and let cook at room temperature. Place cake in refrigerator. Thirty (30) minutes prior to serving remove from refrigerator and allow to get to room temperature.

*Note: You could also use a coffee liqueur and if not keeping Passover - Kahlua will work as well.

Serve with berries and Raspberry Coulis.

Raspberry Coulis

makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh raspberries, or 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen, thawed and drained

1/4 cup fine sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Sabra Chocolate Orange Liqueur

Directions:

Place berries, sugar, orange and lemon juice in a blender - puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a glass bowl, discarding the seeds. Stir in the liqueur, taste, and adjust sugar if necessary.

Place in a squirt bottle and decorate plate and cake as desired.

Enjoy!!!

Passover Macaroons!

Wednesday I posted a video for making cute little bunny cupcakes, so today I wanted to post a recipe for the jewish holiday Passover.

Tonight marks the beginning of Passover one of the most important holidays of the Jewish faith, an eight-day commemoration that overlaps in date with Easter.

Passover or Pesach is the holiday which celebrates the Exodus from Egypt and the next stage in the unfolding biblical story of the Children of Israel.

After centuries of slavery, Passover celebrates the passage into freedom for an entire people. The specific "passing over" for which the holiday is named refers to the way in which God passed over, or protected, the homes of the Israelites during the night they prepared to leave Egypt, as the last of the Ten Plagues was being visited upon the Egyptians.

When the Pharaoh freed the Israelites, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread dough to rise (leaven). In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread".  Matzo (flat unleavened bread) is a symbol of the holiday.

The Macaroons that I have made contain no flour but also no corn syrup, which is against the dietary laws for  Ashkenazi tradition but are allowed in the Sephardic communities for Passover.  They can be made with or without corn syrup depending on what you believe.  I made these without the corn syup but left that ingredient in the recipe below.

This recipe is from Sarabeth Levine who owns and operates her own bakery in New York, Sarabeth's Bakery.  These little coconut cookies are heavenly and you don't have to be jewish to like them!  In fact, I'm sure you'll love them! 

Orange-Coconut Macaroons

Makes 2 dozen macaroons

Passover macaroons are made without flour (which is not used at Passover time). They are crunchy on the outside and have a softer texture on the inside. I add orange zest to tame the signature sweetness of these traditional holiday cookies. I love the toasty pieces that fall to the sheet tray while scooping them into their shape. When the trays come out of the oven, we fight for them at the bakery, and believe me, so will you. Don't reserve these plump and easy cookies for Passover, they are excellent any time of the year. Sarabeth Levine

BAKERS NOTE: Macaroons are nothing if not chewy and moist, so I make mine with a syrup that ensures the desired texture. For the best flavor, use desiccated coconut, available at natural food stores, and not the standard sweetened coconut flakes.

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup water

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Pinch fine sea salt

Seeds from ½ vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Grated zest of ½ orange

5 cups (1 pound) unsweetened desiccated coconut

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Combine the sugar, 1/3 cup water, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Pour into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the vanilla seeds and orange zest and stir to combine.

3. Attach the bowl to the mixer and affix the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the coconut. Then, gradually pour in the egg whites and mix into a dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.

4. Using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the coconut mixture. With your other hand, lightly compress the mixture into the scoop so it will hold its shape better when released onto the half-sheet pan. Release the coconut mixture onto the pan. Repeat with the remaining mixture, spacing the mounds about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake until the macaroons are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool completely on the pan. (The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.)

Enjoy!

Tri-Color Gefilte Fish for Passover!

I have a recipe to share for those of you that will be celebrating Passover which begins at sundown this coming Monday, April 18th, and runs for 8 days. I realize not everyone may love Gefilte Fish even if you've grown up with it, however, this simple to prepare dish makes for a delightful and stunning appetizer if you are a fan.  It was created by Susie Fishbein and can be found in her book, Kosher by Design

Tri-Color Gefilte Fish
serves 10-12

This easy spin on traditional gefilte fish has three different colored layers for a sophisticated look. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare. The recipe uses a 9-inch springform pan with a removable bottom. If you are using a larger springform pan you may need to use 1-2 loaves per layer. Playing with the amounts won't affect the cooking method, but you may need to increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.


Ingredients:

2 (22-ounce) loaves plain gefilte fish, defrosted in wrapper
1 (22-ounce) loaf salmon gefilte fish, defrosted in wrapper
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 lemon
6 cucumbers for horseradish wells, plus one extra long cucumber for top garnish (optional)
prepared red horseradish (optional)
mayonnaise (optional)
yellow pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick vegetable spray. Give it a heavy even coat. Open each of the 3 gefilte fish wrappers.

Add the dill and juice from lemon into one of the plain gefilte fish loaves. Mix thoroughly so the dill is dispersed evenly. Set aside.

Using a thin spatula, spread the plain gefilte fish into an even layer in the bottom of the springform pan. Top with an even layer of the salmon. On top of the salmon, spread an even layer of the lemon dill fish mixture.

Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 1 hour. If the fish does not look set in the center, remove the foil and bake 5 minutes longer.

Let cool and refrigerate overnight. Can be made a few days in advance. As an optional garnish, slice a long unpeeled cucumber by hand or by mandoline into paper thin slices. Lay the slices in concentric circles around the top of the fish.

Release the sides of the springform pan. To serve as individual servings, cut into wedges, like a pie. Trim any brown edges.

Cut the cucumbers into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Hollow out the center. Mix a few tablespoons of the prepared horseradish with a little mayonnaise to make a pretty pink sauce. Fill the cucumber wells.

Serve a slice of fish on a piece of leafy lettuce with a cucumber well. You can decorate each plate with tiny squares of yellow pepper.

Enjoy and Happy Passover!

Unorthodox Passover Dish!

Nowadays mixed marriages are very common.  So when I read this article I thought how perfect for those marriages celebrating Passover this coming April.  It's a great way to please both sides. Although I'm sure not everyone at the Passvoer table would agree with a Bacon Wrapped Matzo Ball!  I'm sure most would say," Oy Vey, a Bacon Wrapped Matzo Ball!  What are you Meshuga?  No treif at my table!"

I love both Matzo Balls and Bacon and think it sounds rather intriquing.  So I thought I'd share this article with you and the recipe for Bacon Wrapped Matzo Balls. 

Whether you're Jewish, Christian or another denomination you may want to try this!

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/12/134458738/matzo-balls-meet-bacon-at-top-chefs-restaurant?ps=cprs