Tiramisu

 

Ingredients: 

Cake Layers: 

6 eggs (seperated)

3/4 cup white sugar, divided

1 1/2 cups flour 

1/2 t. sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Mascarpone Filling: 

6 egg yolks 

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

16 oz mascarpone cheese

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

Soaking liquid: 

1 ¾ cups coffee strong brewed, or espresso

1/3 cup Baileys (rum is traditional, but we like Baileys)

Topping:

Sprinkle lightly with cocoa powder

Instructions

Make the lady fingers / cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the pan with  with parchment paper. This can be made in a round cake pan, square or rectangle.  The cake can even be cut into pieced and assembled like lady finger cookies.  
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer), whip egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Transfer mixture to a different bowl, scraping the bowl clean. Rinse off the beater.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer), whip egg whites. Once the mixture starts to thicken, add the remaining ½ cup sugar and continue beating. Once stiff peaks form add vanilla and beat to combine.
• Gently stir in egg yolk mixture on low speed.
• Add flour and salt and gently stir or fold in with a spatula. The batter should be thick and pale yellow.
• Pour about 1 cup of batter into the pan.  If you're making cake, you will have about 3 layers.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until set and very lightly browned. Carefully transfer parchment paper to a wire rack to cool.
• Once cooled, carefully remove the cake from the parchment paper, set aside to use in the recipe.

Make the soaking liquid:

• Brew coffee and let it cool. (or use instant coffee or instant espresso and brew 1 ¾ cups).
• Mix the bailey into the coffee, then pour the mixture into a large dish or baking pan that will fit the layers. Set aside. You will soak the cakes in this liquid. 

Make the filling:

• In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, milk and sugar until combined.
• Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture boils. Turn heat to medium- low and boil for 1 minute, remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a container with lid – but don’t put the lid on yet. Leave the lid open and whisk the mixture every few minutes until it’s cooled slightly. Then put the lid on and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. NOTE: this can be done before you bake the cake, if desired, so it has time to cool. It can even be done the day before and chilled overnight. 
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer), Beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form, transfer to a different bowl.
• In the same bowl used to beat whipping cream (but with the cream no longer in it), beat the chilled custard, mascarpone and vanilla with the paddle attachment until combined.
• Gently fold in beaten whipping cream.

Putting it together:

• Soak the cakes in the soaking liquid.  
• Place it in the bottom of the dish you wish to serve this.
• Spread 1/3 of the filling mixture evenly on top of the layer.
• Repeat with the second and third cake layers and remaining custard. Alternating soaked lady finger, custard, soaked lady finger, custard.
• Sprinkle cocoa powder over the top custard layer.
• Chill for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• Cut into square portions and serve.

Khoresh Fesenjoon

 Ingredients: 

2 yellow onion (sliced)

2 tablespoons oil (for frying onions)

4 lbs chicken thigh (bone in) - remove the skin. 

16 oz walnuts 

1/2 cup water 

1 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses 

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon sugar

salt/pepper to taste

Instructions: 

1. Slice onions.  Add onion and oil to pan.  Add salt and sautee until soft.  

2. Remove onion from pan. 

3. Add chicken to pan and brown on both sides.  Remove from pan when browned (about 1/2 way cooked)

4. In a food processor, add walnuts and process to paste.  Add the water to make smooth.  

5. Add walnuts to the pan after chicken is removed.  Mix with pomegranate paste, chicken broth, sugar and onion.  Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.  

6. Remove the sauce from the pan and add to a Blendtec or Vitamix blender to make smooth.  

7. Add smooth sauce and chicken back to the pan and simmer for 1 hour.  

8. Add additional chicken broth or water if it's too thick.  

 

Honey Challah (Round Braid Instructions)

 

Dough Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, divided
• 1/4 oz active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or canola - avocado oil is healthier)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp salt
• 5-7 cups flour
• 3 medium granny smith apples
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp turbinado sugar (optional)

Egg Wash Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 1/2 tsp salt

• Pour ¼ cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 packet of Active Dry Yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the bowl, whisk to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should have activated, meaning it will look expanded and foamy. 
• Once yeast is activated, add remaining 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the egg, egg yolks, honey, canola oil, vanilla and salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the ingredients together. If using a bread maker, add this mixture & flour to bread maker.  Put bread maker on the "dough" setting and skip to #11 when dough is complete.  If not using a bread maker: 
• Begin adding the flour to the bowl by half-cupfuls, stirring with a large spoon each time flour is added. When mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead.
  
• Continue to add flour and knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and not sticky. The amount of flour you will need to achieve this texture varies—only add flour until the dough feels pliable and “right.” Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and knead a few more times.
  
• Place a saucepan full of water on the stove to boil.
  
• Wash out the mixing bowl that you used to mix the challah dough. Grease the bowl with canola oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.
  
• Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack of your oven. Take the saucepan full of boiling water and place it below the rack where your dough sits. Close the oven, but do not turn it on. The pan of hot water will create a warm, moist environment for your dough to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
  
• Take the dough bowl out and punch it down several times to remove air pockets. Place it back inside the oven and let it rise for 1 hour longer.
  
• During this final rise, fill a mixing bowl with cold water and dissolve ½ tsp of salt in it. Peel the apples and dice them into very small pieces, about ¼ inch large. Place the diced apples into the bowl of lightly salted water. Reserve. When you are ready to begin braiding the dough, drain the apple pieces and pat them dry with paper towels. Toss the apple pieces with 1/4 cup of sugar. If you’d like, you can add ½ tsp of cinnamon to the sugar to give the apples an apple-cinnamon flavor.
  
• Take the dough out of the oven; it should have doubled in size during this final rise. If it has not fully risen, return it to the oven till it's had a chance to properly rise. When the dough is ready, flour a smooth surface like a cutting board. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead the dough a bit, adding flour as needed to keep it from feeling sticky. You will have enough dough for two medium-sized challot (challahs).
  
• Divide the dough into two equal halves. Put one half of the dough on a smooth, lightly floured surface. Leave the other half of the dough in the bowl covered by a moist towel. Cut the dough on the floured surface into four equal portions.
  
• Take one of the four portions and stretch it with your fingers into a rough rectangle, about 1 foot long and 3-4 inches wide. Use a rolling pin to smooth the dough, if it helps. The rectangle doesn’t need to look perfect, and it shouldn't be too thin-- the dough needs to be thick enough to handle an apple filling.
  
• Sprinkle some of the sugared apple pieces across the center of the rectangle. You should use about 1/8 of the apple pieces in each rectangle. Liquid will collect in the apple bowl as you progress—do not transfer the liquid to the dough, or it will weaken and become mushy. Do your best to shake off excess liquid before placing the apples on the dough. Leave at least 1/2 inch border along the outer edge of the dough clean, with no apples.
  
• Gently roll the upper edge of the rectangle down to the lower edge and pinch to seal, creating a snake-like roll of dough stuffed with apples. This is the beginning of your strand.
  
• Gently and carefully roll the stuffed strand till it becomes smooth, using gentle pressure with your hands on the center of the strand, pulling outward as you roll. If any apples begin to poke through the dough, repair the hole with your fingers before you continue. Re-flour the surface as needed to keep your dough from sticking.
  
• Taper the ends of the strand by clasping between both palms and rolling. At the end of the rolling process, your strand should be about 16 to 18 inches long with tapered ends.
  
• Once your apple strand has been rolled, repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough, making sure that they are even in length with the first strand. In the end, you’ll have 4 apple-stuffed strands.
  
• Now your stuffed strands are ready to braid. There are a few different ways to braid 4 strands into a challah. This recipe will guide you through one method for braiding a round four strand challah. For other braiding methods, click here.
  
• Place two strands in the center of a smooth surface, running parallel top to bottom. Place the third strand across the two strands, going under the left strand and over the right. Place the fourth strand directly below the third strand, going over the left strand and under the right. You will have something similar to a tic-tac-toe board pattern, with the center of the board being a very small square and 8 “legs” sticking out from that center. Keep the center as tight as possible… you’ll be braiding from the center. I have numbered the strand ends in the following diagram to make the braiding process easier.
  
• Take strand 1 and cross it over strand 2.
  
• Take strand 3 and cross it over strand 4.
  
• Take strand 5 and cross it over strand 6.
  
• Take strand 7 and cross it over strand 8.
  
• Take strand 2 and cross it back the opposite way, over strand 7.
  
• Take strand 8 and cross it over strand 5.
  
• Take strand 6 and cross it over strand 3.
  
• Take strand 4 and cross it over strand 1.
  
• Take strand 7 and twist it with strand 4.
  
• Tuck the twisted ends under the challah.
  
• Repeat this process with the remaining loose ends—twist and tuck 1 with 6, then 3 and 8, then 5 and 2.
  
• When all of the loose ends are twisted under, gently plump the challah into a nice, even round shape.
  
• After the round has been braided, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or cake pan for that perfectly round challah). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Let the braid rise 30 to 45 minutes longer. You’ll know the dough is ready to bake when you press your finger into the dough and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back. While this challah rises, you can braid the other half of the dough in the same way, or you might choose a different braid for your second challah. No matter which way you braid, you can conceal the apple pieces inside the strands using the same method described above. Your second challah will rise as the first one bakes.
  
• Prepare your egg wash by beating the egg, salt and water till smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the mixture onto the visible surface of your challah. Reserve the leftover egg wash. Sprinkle the top of the challah with 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, if you wish.
  
• Each challah needs to bake for about 45 minutes total, but to get the best result the baking should be done in stages. First, set your timer to 20 minutes and put your challah in the oven.
  
• After 20 minutes, take the challah out of the oven and coat the grooves of the braid with another thin layer of egg wash. These areas tend to expand during baking, exposing dough that will turn white unless they are coated with egg wash. Turn the challah around, so the opposite side faces front, and put it back into the oven. Turning it will help your challah brown evenly—the back of the oven is usually hotter than the front.
  
• The challah will need to bake for about 20 minutes longer. For this last part of the baking process, keep an eye on your challah—it may be browning faster than it's baking. Once the challah is browned to your liking, take it out and tent it with foil, then place it back in the oven. Remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking time.
  
• Take the challah out of the oven. At this point your house should smell delicious. Test the bread for doneness by turning it over and tapping on the bottom of the loaf—if it makes a hollow sound, and it's golden brown all the way across, it’s done. Because of the apples in this challah, it may take a bit longer to bake than your regular challah recipe. Err on the side of letting it cook longer to make sure it's baked all the way through. You can also stick an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the challah-- when it reads 190, it is baked all the way through. Let challah cool completely on a wire cooling rack before serving. Bake the second challah in the same way.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups + 3 T all-purpose flour
3/4 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter - room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1.5 t pure vanilla extract
5 oz milk chocolate chips
5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Charoset

2 cups nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashew or hazelnuts - we like almonds & walnuts)

1 cup raisins 

2 cup dates (pitted)

3 red or gold apples (peeled & cored) 

1 banana

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t powdered ginger

1/2 cup grape juice

1/2 cup grape wine 

Use Grape Wine & Grape Juice to make desired texture

Serve with Matzah at Passover

Cooked Salsa Recipe

8 tomatoes, peel and chop small (best way to peel tomato is to drop them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes and immediately place them in an ice bath for 2 minutes.  The skin should easily peel off)
1 heaping cup of finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped red, orange or yellow peppers
5 T finely chopped jalapenos.  (2 whole jalapenos)
2T minced garlic
1 T cumin
2/3 T black pepper
1 1/2 T salt
2 T sugar
2 T white vinegar
2 T lemon juice
3/4 bunch cilantro - chopped

1. Place all ingredients, except cilantro, in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours. 2. Add cilantro and cook additional 20-30 minutes.
3. Place in jar or container
Makes 1-2 jars salsa

Ash-e Anar

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 onions peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 bunches parsley finely chopped
2 bunches cilantro finely chopped
1 bunch mint finely chopped
2 bunches green onion, finely chopped
2 medium beets, peeled and sliced
1 cup rice
2/3 cup pomegranate paste

1-2 lbs ground beef or gound lamb
1 onion, pureed

Directions:

1. Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pot.  Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, sautee for additional 5 minutes.  Add about 4 cups water, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

2. Add salt, pepper, tumeric, chopped parsley, cilantro, mint, green onions, and beets.  Cook additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the pomegranate paste and rice.  Cook additional 20 minutes, add water if soup is too thick.

4. Mix the ground meat and pureed onion.  Make into meat balls about the size of a chestnut.  Add to the soup.  Cook additional 20-30 minutes.

5. Add salt to taste.

6. Serve with warm pita bread.