Teiglach

G'mar tov!

I hope you all had a sweet Rosh Hashanah.  Ours was filled with family, friends, and food.  Lots and lots of food.  Especially being eaten by my one year old.  This kid packs it away and I have no idea where he puts it all since he's so small!  But now we know he likes matzah balls, gefilte fish and kasha.  He hasn't voiced his opinion on my gefilte fish vs my grandmother's, though.  He seems to enjoy them both equally.

As I was preparing for the holiday I knew I wanted to bring something to my grandparents'.  I have brought honey cake in the past but wanted to do something a little different this year.  So I turned to my trusty Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking for ideas.  Everything in their Rosh Hashanah section looked better then the last but the one that jumped out at me was teiglach.  I'd heard of teiglach before but had never had it.  It is basically hard dough balls covered in a honey mixture.  What's not to like about that?!  And this recipe calls for ground ginger which adds a nice kick.

The end result tasted great and was a hit with my family.  In the future I may try to make the dough balls a little bigger but I like that it's a bite size dessert that easy to share.  I didn't get fancy with my plating this time since I had to be able to transport it.  Next time I would try to put the balls in more of a shaped tower.

I wish all a happy new year and may you have an easy fast.

Teiglach (from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking)

Ingredients
Dough:
3 eggs
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting

Honey Syrup:
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly smear with vegetable oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar and salt.
- Blend in the flour to make a very soft dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, adding just enough flour, if necessary, to make it easy to roll.
- With your hands, roll the dough into long ropes, about 1/2 inch wide.
- Pinch or cut off 1/2 inch pieces (I used my pizza cutter for quick and easy cutting).  Place all the little pieces on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake, shaking the sheet occasionally, until the dough pieces puff and are golden brown (15-20 min).

- Once the dough is baked, make the syrup: In a saucepan, heat the honey and sugar together and boil very gently for 3-5 min until just amber colored.
- Lower the heat, then stir in the ginger, walnuts, and the baked puffs, tossing to coat them.
- Spread the mixture out onto a lightly greased baking sheet (using wet hands or a spatula) or arrange the teiglach in a tower formation.
- Sprinkle with coconut.
- Allow it to cool and harden (leave out or you could put it in the freezer for 30 min).
- This is a sticky dessert, so either pull off pieces to eat or you can use 2 spoons to take a section.

Getting Ready for Rosh Hashanah

We are a week away from Rosh Hashanah and I'm sure everyone is planning their new year menus.  I have placed my order for whitefish, carp and pike so I can make my gefilte fish on Tuesday.  I may also whip up some noodle kugel.

If you are in search of some new ideas on how to ring in a sweet 5775, I asked some blogging buddies for dishes that use honey and here are a few other recipes I'd like to share:

***All pictures belong to the blog I link the recipe to***


Start your day off with these delicious breakfast ideas:

Honey Butter Croissants from Eva Bakes



Honey Almond Granola from Books & Cooks




Grapefruit Honey Cereal Muffins from Adventures in My Kitchen




Grapefruit Honey Yogurt Scones from The Way the Cookie Crumbles



And end your meal with some of these sweet treats:



Honey Cake that I posted in September 2012



 Karidopita (Greek Walnut Cake) from Elly Says Opa



Baklava from Elly Says Opa



Honey Ice Cream from The Way the Cookie Crumbles


I hope these recipes help you have a sweet new year!

Honey Cake

This month's What's Baking theme was Quickbreads.  Of course, as soon as I saw this I thought to myself "what the heck is a quickbread???" but then I found out it's just any type of bread (or cake or muffin, etc) that uses something other than yeast to make it rise (ie baking powder, baking soda, etc).  It just so happened that when this assignment went out, I had begun thinking of what to bake for Rosh Hashanah to bring to my grandparents'.  As soon as I saw what a quickbread was, I immediately told my grandma that I'd be bringing a honey cake.  Hey, if you can kill two birds with one stone....

I looked in my cookbooks and online until I found one that sounded just a bit unusual but not too tricky.  And came upon this one from Epicurious.  It has a chocolate glaze for the cake in the original recipe, but since my cousin was already making a chocolate challah (YUM!) I didn't want to overload my family with chocolate.  In the end, it was sweet enough that it didn't need the glaze.

I did run into a few snafus while making this.  Things I found out while making this:  1) even if you find online that you can use vegetable shorting instead of vegetable oil, the consistency is totally screwy so it's better to just run to the store for more oil.  2) you should read the ingredient list thoroughly first so you don't realize you need brewed coffee after you've started mixing everything.  3) while the coffee may not have been as strong, steeping coffee grinds into hot water using a tea ball then pouring the "coffee" through a filter to get rid of the stray grounds seems to do the trick.  4) when you don't have a bundt pan, you can use a tube pan and it'll still come out nice.  5) I have an amazing husband who will run to the store a 11:30 at night as I have a meltdown that I don't have enough oil and just used up all the honey in the botched mixture that I tried to use shortening as the oil substitute (ok, I knew he was amazing before, but this was a nice reminder).

As it turned out, the cake was so big that we barely finished half at my grandparents', so I brought the other have to my in-laws' the next night.  But it received good reviews at both dinners!  I think this recipe is a keeper!

Honey Cake (from Epicurious)


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 cup pure honey
3/4 cup lukewarm coffee (brewed, or instant dissolved in water)
1 1/2 teaspoons packed grated orange zest


Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

- Generously spray pan, including center tube, with baking spray.

- Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.

- Whisk eggs well in another large bowl and whisk in sugar, oil, honey, coffee, and zest until well combined.

- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth.

- Pour batter into pan (it’s liquid enough to level itself in the pan), and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

- Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes.

- Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack and cool completely.

Noodle Kugel

Noodle Kugel is one of those things that every Jewish family has a recipe for, and although they're most likely similar, there are so many different variations. In general, it's a dish made by baking noodles with some sort of dairy mixture. Some recipes add fruits (like raisins or apples), others are just the noodle. When we were talking with my mother-in-law about Rosh Hashanah dinner, I knew I wanted to make something, so I offered to make a noodle kugel, remembering that I had a recipe for it given to me at my bridal shower (in addition to the regular gifts, guests were asked to fill out recipe cards which were then sorted and the cookbook was presented to me at the end of the day). In my head I thought 'I think I remember it was given to me by my Auntie Barbara". Well, I got home and looked in the book, and it wasn't from my Auntie Barbara, but my husband's Aunt Barbara, who was going to be at Rosh Hashanah dinner! I'm sure there are people out there who will make whatever recipe they have and not care if the originator is there, but I always feel awkward about serving someone their own recipe. Thankfully, I pulled out my copy of The Kosher Palette and found a similar-but-not-too-similar recipe to use.

It wasn't hard to make, just make sure you give yourself a day's notice, as it needs to set overnight (or at least 8 hours, so you could also just make it in the morning).  The original recipe called for 2 sticks of butter PLUS 2 more tablespoons for the topping.  That just sounded crazy, so I used a bit less.  Not that this sounds very heart healthy to begin with, but saving that extra bit of butter made my arteries feel a little better...

Noodle Kugel (slightly adapted from The Kosher Palatte)

Ingredients
8oz medium noodles
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
6oz 1/3 les fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup corn flake crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted


Directions
- Prepare noodles according to teh package directions; drain.
- Beat egg whites and sour cream at medium speed with an electric mixer.  Add sugar, butter, and cream cheese; beat until smooth.  Add egg yolks; beat until blended.  Fold in noodles.
- Pour noodle mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish.
- Combine crumbs, sugar, and butter; sprinkle on noodles.  Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove from refrigerator and let stand 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Bake for 75 minutes.

Gefilte Fish

When you hear "gefilte fish" you probably think "ugh, that stuff's disgusting!".  And why?  Because you probably bought a jar of it at the store and that's what you think it's supposed to taste like, and therefore is disgusting.  It's also because you haven't had a piece of gefilte fish made by my grandmother.

Every year for Passover and the High Holidays my grandmother makes her gefilte fish, sometimes making almost 100 pieces at one time!  She has to make this much, because not only does everyone eat it at that meal, but then we all want to take some extra home to eat later.  Those few family members who don't eat the fish are secretly told to accept their piece at the meal so whoever is sitting next to them can have seconds without anyone else knowing (you have to strategically figure out your seating to do this).

As my generation gets older we realize that we should start to learn the traditions of our family so that they can live on well into our own grandchildren's lives and beyond.  A few years ago I let my grandmother know of my intent to learn this skill of gefilte fish making, so we tried to find a good time to get together.  About a week before the set date my grandmother had to call me with the bad news - the fish markets only carry carp and pike during Passover and the High Holidays.  She tried several fish markets in our area and none sold it regularly during the year.  So, we had to put our plans on hold until last Passover when I spent a lovely day being instructed step-by-step by my grandmother.

Of course, the first step is probably the most disgusting - rinsing off the fish heads, skins and bones before putting them in the soup sock.  At least the folks at the fish market took the fishes' eyes out before packaging the heads up for us (ick!).

I slightly revised my grandmother's recipe below to include the tricks and tips she passed along - like grinding everything twice so that it is finely ground and any leftover bones are ground properly.  When I set out last week to make my own batch in my kitchen without my grandmother standing next to me I remembered almost everything she taught me.  But the one thing that I'd change is that when shaping the balls, they shouldn't be actual balls, they should be a little flatter, more like the shape of Reece's Peanut Butter Eggs.  This way they stay better on the plate and you can easily put the horseradish and carrot on top without them rolling off.  I personally like to have mine with just horseradish, no carrot, but most people do like the carrot.  My grandparents (and most people of their generation) like the jelled stock with theirs as well.  And please note the official recipe name - my grandmother came up with that herself.

In this day and age when most people serve the jarred fish or at most buy the loaf that you recook with a few seasonings then slice and serve, it's nice to keep this "old country" tradition alive.  I think the best compliment I received was from my husband's grandparents.  I had sent a few pieces home with them so they could try it and they said that it tastes just like what their mothers used to make.  Now if that isn't flattering, I don't know what is!

Marilyn’s Super Duper Gefilte Fish (my grandmother's recipe)

Ingredients

1 lb white fish

1 lb carp

1 lb pike

1 medium sized onion

1 small carrot

3 eggs, well beaten

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp white pepper

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp matzo meal

fish heads, skin and bones

1tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Pinch of sugar

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

Directions

- Have the fish market filet the fish, saving the heads, skins and bones.
- Put the fish heads, skin and bones in a large pot (use a soup sock for easy removal).
- Add 2 qts cold water, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
- Bring to a boil and boil for at least an hour – while you are preparing the rest of the fish.

-Using the fine blade, put the carrot through the grinder and set aside.  Do the same with the onion.
- Put all fish through the grinder (it is best to slice the fish before grinding it into one inch strips to easily go into the grinder).
- When everything has been ground once, put it all back through the grinder a second time, alternating between handfuls of fish, onion and carrot (always end with the carrot so you know when everything has gone through).  It should be very finely ground.
- Place in a large mixing bowl (you could “catch” it in the bowl from the grinder the second time through).
- Stir in eggs, 2 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper and 1 tsp sugar.
- Gradually add about 1/3 cup water to make a soft mixture.
- Stir in matzo meal.  Mix thoroughly.

-Take the pot of fish heads, etc from the stove and remove the contents, retaining the fish broth and strain all the bones, etc thoroughly (if you used a soup sock, just remove it from the pot).
- Carefully bring the broth to a boil.
- With wet hands, make balls out of the fix mixture and place in the boiling broth.  Try not to allow the broth to stop boiling as you place the fill balls in it.
- Add the sliced carrot .  There should be enough liquid to cover the fish, if necessary add more boiling water.
- Cover the pot and bring to a rapid boil.
- Uncover and reduce heat.  Simmer for about 2 ½ hours.
- Shake the pot every 15 minutes or so so that the fish will coko evenly and not stick.
- Carefully remove the fish to a serving platter.
-Strain the stock and place in a glass bowl or glass jar.
- Arrange carrot slices around the fish.
- Cool and refrigerate until the stock jells (sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t).
- Serve with horseradish.

***This recipe should make 8 or 9 pieces of fish.

You can double & triple this recipe.  My grandmother has gone as far as 10 times (30lbs of fish) and ended up with 90 pieces of fish.  No adjustment is necessary in any o the ingredients – except maybe with the carrots in the fish mixture – you could subtract one with an order of over 18 pounds of fish.