Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate instead of broccoli to stay healthy?

No, not really. But in a recent study the results indicated that eating chocolate might cut a woman’s risk for stroke. Read about it here.

This is not the first time I’ve heard that chocolate is healthy (it has flavanoids, which have anti-oxidant properties, which in turn help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol).

But this is the one of the only times I’ve heard someone caution women not to over-interpret the results. Like, do not substitute chocolate for broccoli. And a cardiologist who was interviewed said that although chocolate may be good for you, maybe the study results would have been similar if they used apple skins or grapes.

I’ve always wondered about some of these studies. I wonder whether you can prove whatever you want depending on how you go about the study.

Well, I am no scientist, so I don’t know.

But I do remember, many years ago, when the information regarding dietary fat was still in its infancy and Nabisco came out with SnackWells, the so-called “healthy” cookies because they were lower fat. And people started eating SnackWells because they thought it was okay. And judging from the number of people I met (and watched at the supermarket) who ate boxes and boxes of those cookies, most didn’t seem to realize that it’s way too many calories and that it might be more harmful than if you ate a butter cookie or two.

So the broccoli warning makes sense.

But if you want to eat something delicious and chocolate-y — for your health — try these truffles. They are amazingly easy to make and you can give them away as gifts so they’re good for the upcoming holiday season.

But don’t eat the whole batch at once.

Chocolate Truffles

• 1/2 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 teaspoons brandy or rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sprinkles, toasted coconut, ground nuts, etc. (approximately)

Chop the chocolate in a food processor into small bits. Heat the cream over medium heat until it is hot and bubbles form around the edges of the pan. With the processor on, pour in the cream through the feed tube and process  until well blended (you may have to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice). Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes. Add the brandy or rum and the softened butter and blend them in thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour or until the mixture has firmed enough to form a soft “dough.” Take small pieces of the dough and shape into small balls. Place the balls on waxed paper or aluminum foil on cookie sheets. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes. Roll the balls in cocoa, sprinkles, etc.

Makes about 3 dozen. 

Applesauce

My goose is cooked. Or should I say, prepared and ready to cook. I usually roast one during Hanukkah but the holiday was early this year and the days flew by and I never got to it. But — the stores had so many plump, good looking geese for Christmas it reminded me that I don’t need it to be Hanukkah to make one. My children and grandchildren are coming for the weekend because everyone is on the Christmas/New Year break.

So, it’ll be goose for dinner. I ordered a lovely 10-12 pounder from my butcher. Can’t wait for the meat and skin and fat.

Don’t throw out that goose fat. So silky white, smooth, luxurious and nearly tasteless. I strain it and keep it frozen. You just need a little to make a big difference in cooking.

I’ll make my own applesauce with the goose:

Applesauce: peel, core and cut up 6 apples and put it in a saucepan. I add 2-3 peeled, cored and cut up pears and about 12 dried California apricots. No water or sugar. Cover the pot and cook on low, low, low for about 35-40 minutes. That’s it. The extra apricot tang is delish, especially with meat as rich as goose.

I’ll also make some crispy potato pancakes and some sauteed Swiss chard.

Dessert: my famous Grand Finale cookies from my book, Hip Kosher.

Have a good holiday everyone!

Roasted Goose and the Virtues of Goose Fat

Goose fat is silky and sensational. Fabulously rich and velvety. So yes, yes, yes, I know it isn’t the best thing for anyone’s cholesterol, but when I use it for matzo balls for Passover dinner next April, no one will complain. Goose fat is colorless and virtually tasteless, so it’s first choice over heavier, more earthy tasting chicken fat or vegetable oil. Perfect for matzo balls.

It isn’t anywhere near Passover so you might be wondering why I’m even bringing this up now, at the last of Hanukkah.

It’s because roast goose is an old family tradition for Hanukkah. Not my family, exactly, or should I say the family I grew up in. My mother, who was a terrific cook, never made a goose in her entire 84 year life.

I started the roast goose on Hanukkah tradition after I read that it is a tradition for other people.

I have to confess, I didn’t make a goose this holiday and am not going to make one tonight. What with latkes and doughnuts and the earliness of the holiday and the closeness to Thanksgiving, I just couldn’t get it together. I’ll make one next time the family gets together and call it a holiday.

My husband and kids love goose (I even love gnawing the tough wing bones). And besides tasting so wonderful there is a goose’s one enduring benefit: the fat.

There’s so much fat in a goose! To save it, strain the pan juices from the roasting pan and strain them through cheesecloth. Refrigerate the liquid (I use small plastic Snapware containers) and you’ll see that as the fat gets cold it becomes snow white. Pure and luxurious.

You almost feel virtuous using saturated fat because you’re not wasting.

And by the way, goose fat is also sensational for oven roasted potatoes!! (Cook some “new” potatoes, peel them, brush with goose fat and sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until browned and crispy).

And several other yummy dishes.

Roasted Goose

1 9-10 pound goose

gin, vodka or lemon juice

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 apples, cut in half

one peeled onion, cut in half

1-1/2 cups water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the goose and remove excess fat. Rub the goose with gin, vodka or lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the apples and onion inside the cavity. Tie the legs together. Prick the skin all over with the tines of a fork. Place the goose, breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour several the water into the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 325 degrees. Turn the goose breast side down. Roast for 45 minutes. Turn the goose breast side up again and roast for another 30-60 minutes or until the juices run clear when you prick the thickest part of the thigh with the tines of a fork (a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read 165 degrees). Let rest for 15 minutes before carving. 

Cake doughnuts

Some easy doughnuts for Hanukkah or whenever — not as time consuming as the raised-yeast kind.
 

Cake doughnuts

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, approximately
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 cup milk 
• vegetable oil for deep fat frying
• cinnamon sugar, confectioner’s sugar, etc., optional

Sift 4 cups of the flour together with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the lemon peel and set aside. Beat the sugar and shortening together using an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well blended. Set aside. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, beating after each addition until a soft smooth dough has formed. Use more flour if the mixture seems too sticky. Roll the dough to a 1/2-inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out doughnut shapes with a doughnut cutter. Place the cutouts on a cake rack for 20-30 minutes to air dry. Heat 2-1/2-inches of vegetable oil in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat to about 365 degrees (a crumb will sizzle gently). Immerse 2-3 doughnuts at a time and cook them for about 2-3 minutes, turning them occasionally, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or confectioner’s sugar.

Makes about 2-1/2 dozen

Baked Goat Cheese with Honey Sauce and Cranberries

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On Hanukkah let’s not forget that a woman played a major role in the victory of the Maccabees in that battle, over 2000 years ago, that saved the Jewish people from complete annihilation. That woman was Judith, who visited Holofernes, a general in the enemy camp, and he fell in love with her so he asked her to dine with him.

During the meal Judith gave him great quantities of cheese, which made him very thirsty, so he kept drinking wine. He drank so much that he got drunk and fell asleep and Judith cut off his head with his own sword. And so she was able to get word to the Maccabees about the best time to strike.

Since that fateful victory we have been making merry every year with an 8 day Hanukkah celebration. 

Can there be a celebration without food? 

Absolutely not!

Everyone knows about Hanukkah latkes. Some know about the doughnuts. These fried foods memorialize the oil the Maccabees found when they went to rededicate the Temple. There was supposed to be enough for one day but miraculously, it lasted for 8 days.

But not a lot of people know that cheese has been an important Hanukkah food since way back. In fact, cheese was the first “traditional” Hanukkah ingredient. Jewish cooks used them for Cheese Latkes, which became really popular. Unfortunately not everyone could afford cheese so they substituted potato. 

The rest is culinary history.

But for those who can afford and love to eat cheese, how about something to remember the brave, intrepid Judith?

Like this fast, easy and simple dessert:

Baked Goat Cheese with Honey Sauce and Cranberries

• 4 round crackers, preferably sweet
• 4 ounces soft fresh goat cheese
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted almonds
• mint leaves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the crackers on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Slice the cheese into 4 equal rounds and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has softened and the edges begin to brown. While the cheese is baking, combine the honey and cranberries in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until warm. Place the cheese on dessert plates. Pour the honey/cranberry sauce on top. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds. Garnish each with a mint leaf.

Make 4 servings

Lemony Doughnut Holes

When I lost my mother’s famous doughnut recipe I knew things were not going to be happy in our household. She made those doughnuts every year and they were the most fabulous, light, un-greasy puffy pastries you ever ate. Which is why I took the  recipe from her collection one day when I was about 15 in order to make them on my own.

I guess I threw the recipe out when I was cleaning up because we never saw it again. I have no idea whether my doughnuts were good or not because the recipe thing took over that day (with reminders every year at Hanukkah time) and the fact that I was careless and so on and so on.

I tried mightily to find a new recipe, but never found “THE” one and, you know, memories of food have a life of their own. No recipe would ever measure up.

So, life went on. My mother never made doughnuts again but I did, always trying to reconstruct that perfect one. 

I haven’t made raised doughnuts in years though. Sometimes I make the cake kind, that doesn’t need yeast — I’ll post a recipe here for that.

But my favorite Hanukkah doughnut is a very easy recipe that is actually a variation on profiteroles (choux pastry). Only instead of baking the dough, I fry it. I also add lemon peel to give it a refreshing edge. They come out more like doughnut holes.

When you eat them still warm, the cinnamon-sugar clinging to the surface and almost melting into it, it’s a delicious reminder of of the fact that on Hanukkah, we are celebrating.

And while I wish I hadn’t lost my Mom’s raised doughnut recipe, these Lemony Doughnut Holes are sensational. 

Lemony Doughnut Holes

• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 pound unsalted butter cut into chunks
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, measure, then sift
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel
• 4 large eggs
• vegetable oil for deep frying
• cinnamon sugar

Cook the water and butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour and salt all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture is blended and comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat. Let it cool for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the lemon peel. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition and blending ingredients throughly. The dough will be slightly sticky. Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep pan or fryer. When the oil reaches about 365 degrees (a small crumb of dough will sizzle immediately) drop small blobs of dough by the tablespoonful into the hot oil, leaving ample space between each. Cook the dough blobs, turning the pieces occasionally, for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until browned. Drain on paper towels. repeat with remaining dough until all is used. Roll the puffs in cinnamon sugar.

Makes about 60

Kichels

Fried is one of my favorite foods. Fried anything, but especially potatoes, onion rings, chicken wings and doughnuts.

So on Hanukkah, when “fried” is fashionable, I’m not going to be the person who makes the healthy alternative. We eat relatively healthy stuff almost all of the time. Hanukkah is a celebration of delicious little goodies cooked to a crisp in vegetable oil!

I won’t do it for the entire eight days, but at least on the first night of Hanukkah (December 1st this year) it will be fried, fried, fried. Potato latkes for sure, but I’m thinking also about “kichels”, a kind of cookie my Mom used to make.

Kichels are an old Jewish family favorite and most recipes for them tell you to bake the dough. But my mother fried them. They were ultra-thin, crispy, not too sweet and absolutely impossible to resist. Her recipe is amazingly simple and only calls for one cup of flour, but it’s enough for a family of 4-6 as a first night treat. Or whenever.

Kichels

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar

• vegetable oil for deep fat frying

Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the beaten eggs and vinegar and mix thoroughly until a smooth dough has formed. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is very thin, almost like paper. Cut into squares or rectangles or odd shapes as small as 1-1/2-inches or up to 3-inches. Heat about 2-inches vegetable oil in a deep saute pan (or use a deep fryer) over medium-high heat until the oil reaches about 375 degrees (a bread crumb or tiny piece of dough will sizzle quickly). Drop the cut-outs, a few at a time into the oil (they will puff up) on both sides until they are crispy and faintly browned. Drain on paper towels. Sift confectioner’s sugar on top.

Makes 4-6 servings

Potato Latkes Kinder on Knuckles and Nails

One year I made 100 potato latkes for my brother and sister-in-law’s annual Hanukkah party. That wasn’t enough according to everyone.

I have to ask here — are there ever enough potato latkes?

So I made 100 more.

Okay, I admit they were small, mini-latkes, about 1-1/2” size. Still, I did make 200 of them.

My hands were red and raw. Forget the manicure! I shouldn’t have bothered with one. And the thing is, these latkes went so fast that they were devoured in less time than it had taken me to even peel all the potatoes.

The year after that I suggested that they buy the latkes and I would bring a giant homemade challah. That’s been the deal since 2008.

Since then I still make potato latkes for my kids and grandkids (maybe a double recipe) and I have figured out a way to prepare the potatoes in a food processor and have them come out like the old fashioned hand grated kind.

In a food processor you really can’t “grate” the potatoes. You can either shred or chop them. Neither is exactly right for old fashioned potato latkes. So, I shred the potatoes first, then put them back inside the workbowl and use the S-blade to chop them finer (but chopping AFTER shredding results in a more grater-like chop). The result is almost grated potatoes.

It is MUCH kinder on hands, knuckles and nails and MUCH quicker too. Here’s the recipe:

Potato Latkes

4 large Russet-type baking potatoes, peeled

1 large yellow onion

3 tablespoons matzo meal, bread crumbs or potato starch

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

vegetable oil for frying

Shred the potatoes and onion using the shredding disk of a food processor. Remove the vegetables to a bowl. Replace the shredding disk with the S-blade and put the vegetables back into the workbowl. Pulse until the potato shreds are much smaller and look “grated.” Using a handful or two at a time, place the mixture into a kitchen towel and squeeze as much liquid out as possible, then place the mixture in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining potato-onion mixture. Add the matzo meal and toss the ingredients. Add the eggs, salt, pepper and baking powder and mix to distribute the ingredients thoroughly. Heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to make a matzo meal crumb sizzle, add some of the potato mixture to the pan, forming small pancakes, anywhere from 1-1/2-inch size to 3-inch size. Be sure to leave ample space between each latke so that they fry properly — if they are too close they will “steam” slightly and the latkes will be soggy. Be sure the vegetable oil remains hot — if the temperature gets too low the latkes may become soggy. Fry the latkes for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy and browned. Drain on paper towels. Makes 24 small or 12 large pancakes