Pesach Desserts Don’t Have to Taste Like Garbage

If you like sweets during the year, Pesach can be something of a challenge. There is nothing made with cake meal—especially shmura cake meal—that doesn’t taste like exactly what it is. The first few years I made yontif, I was mildly shell-shocked by the depressing desserts I produced, and we ate an awful lot of fruit. From there, I graduated to ices, and then Chaya introduced me to the wonders of potato starch. Her Aunt Marilyn’s brownies (note to self: the best Pesach recipes come from people who don’t eat gebrokts!) disappeared more quickly than I could make them.

Aunt Marilyn’s (a”h)Pesach Brownies

1/2 cup of cocoa
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup potato starch
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine in a mixing bowl and bake in a 9X13″ pan at 350 till done. (Sorry, the original recipe doesn’t say how long, and I just eyeball it.) Figure 35 minutes, but know that they don’t set up like regular brownies do until they cool.

Don’t double the recipe, just make a second (or fifth) batch if you need to. For some reason, this doesn’t seem to take well to doubling.

Several years after the Pesach Brownie Enlightement came the Flourless Chocolate Cookie Revelation. These are idiot-proof, which is always a factor in my recipe selection, and are super quick to make. The recipe calls for 2-4 eggwhites, and I respect that. Being a creature of moderation, however, I staunchly stick with three, and haven’t been disappointed yet.

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Pesach Cookies

3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Combine the dry ingredients thoroughly, then add eggwhites and vanilla and stir until there are no lumps. Add the chocolate chips and deposit on silpat/parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 till glossy and set, about 15 minutes. Bear in mind that these spread like crazy when you’re placing them on the cookie sheet, and spray the silpat/parchment with a little bit of cooking spray, because they’ve been known to stick a little, especially if you’re in a hurry to grab one and it’s not cool.

This next one is an all-year recipe that tolerates a swap from cake flour to potato starch and loses nothing in the translation. Top with strawberry sauce, jam, whipped cream, or whatever you happen to have handy.

Angel Food Cake

1 cup potato starch
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sift the potato starch and sugar together three times.
Set aside. Whip the egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in the rest of the sugar. Add vanilla and salt. Beat just until stiff peaks form.
Fold the potato starch/sugar mixture into the egg whites.
Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until
cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch. Invert to cool. Remove
from pan and serve.

Last one up: meringues. They’re a little bit fussy, and I usually made them overnight as soon as I’d flipped the kitchen. They freeze beautifully, look impressive, and taste just as good on Pesach as they do all year long.

Ridiculously Easy and Equally Delicious Meringues

8 eggwhites
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1 t. flavored extract (vanilla, mint, raspberry, orange…)
nonpariels, colored sugar, melted chocolate, etc. to decorate

Preheat oven to 250. Your eggs should be at room temperature and your mixer bowl should be chilled when you begin. First, use the wire whip attachment at full speed to whip your eggwhites till they form soft peaks. Add the sugar VERY slowly while continuing to beat the mixture. When all of the sugar has been added, the mixture should be glossy, and hard peaks will form when you remove the beater. Don’t do that just yet, though. Add the extract and beat for a half a minute, still at full speed. Now, drop by dollops (or go all fancy like I do and make pretty swirls with a pastry bag or decorator) on a parchment lined cookie sheet. If you’re adding sprinkles or the like, do it now.Bake for 90 minutes in a 250 degree oven. Let cool in the oven, then drizzle with melted chocolate, if desired, and transfer to an airtight container or a Ziploc bag. If you don’t need them right away, freeze them and enjoy later.

I’m too tired to cook, but we’re not having noodles again.

Shani’s newfound ardor for scrambled eggs has become something of a joke around here, but it makes suppertime awfully convenient.

If we need something a little more substantial than eggs and toast/a bagel/a wrap, there are two crowd-pleasing go-to meals that keep us out of the Noodle Zone.

Grilled Cheese and Egg Sandwiches

This is a no-brainer, but it’s super-filling and feels like a treat. If you have two frying pans going it’s a little less tricky, but I usually make everything in one.

First, scramble your eggs in butter with a little salt and pepper. Your heat should be waaaaaaaay low and the eggs should be moving pretty much constantly. I like them slightly moist, but you do you.

Transfer the eggs to a bowl and wipe out the frying pan. Melt enough butter to make the sandwiches and but the bread and cheese in the pan as you would for a regular grilled cheese. Add a layer of scrambled eggs and cook as you normally would.

Egg Bowls

russet potatoes

yellow onions

butter

salt

pepper

granulated garlic

sweet paprika

Make eggs as above.

Dice onions and potatoes. (1.5 per person usually works)

Melt butter and fry diced onions on medium heat until browned. Add potatoes (and more butter, if necessary) and season with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. Cover and cook, stirring as needed, until potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Transfer potatoes to individual bowls and top with eggs.

You’re welcome.

What just happened?

With the three Bigs out in the world—and messaging me at odd hours looking for recipes—I’ve decided to bring The Book of Yum online. This way, you’ll each have 24/7 access to everything you need, neatly tagged and titled for your meal-making convenience. Also, you’ll avoid the ever-present challenge of reading around the spills and water stains that plague my IRL cookbooks. Here’s the plan: unless someone has a specific request, I’m posting things as I cook them. I’ll also throw in adorable pics from the good old days, links to the recipes I’ve already posted over at LGB, and occasional commentary on all manner of kitchen-y goodness.

Beef Vegetable Barley Soup

This is a fairly new recipe in my soup rotation, but I’m a little obsessed. It’s hearty and filling and pretty freaking delicious, and when you pair it with my challah rolls or Marci’s Onion Rolls, it’s the perfect, carb-heavy dinner for a chilly January evening. (Given my personal soup sensibilities, though, it’s also an excellent breakfast on a sweltering July morning. Don’t judge.)

1 pound stew beef

6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ chunks

2 onions, diced and browned

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup pearl barley

1/2 t. celery salt

1 T Montreal Steak Seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Brown your onions (really well) in a little coconut oil. Add carrots and cook until tender. Meanwhile, cut your stew beef into small pieces (stir-fry-size) and add to vegetables.

Once the meat is browned, fill your pot about 3/4 of the way full. (I use a 10 quart pot for this recipe—we really like it.) Add the spices and barley, put everything on a medium flame, and start peeling your potatoes. Rinse and chunk the potatoes and add to the pot. This is a long-simmering soup; I like to put it on in the morning when I have a bunch of things to do in the house and just let it go. If you try to serve it too soon, you’ll be disappointed (and wonder what I’ve been raving about.) You want to let it cook for at least a couple of hours—the meat should be melty, not chewy, and the potatoes will reached a level of done-ness that makes you want to eat them all directly from the pot.

Serve with a salad if you’re fancy, and rolls (duh).