Category: Holiday

Tips and Tricks

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We are on the verge of some big baking months.  As the weather gets crisper, so do the apples, and apple pies are in high demand.  Then we transition to pumpkin season with Thanksgiving (I’ve obviously gotten a head start on that), and finally: dreams of peppermint and gingerbread dance in our heads in December.  Ladies and Gentelmen, start your ovens.

Though I’m not professionally trained, here are some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way:

1. Read it over.  Make sure you read the entire ingredients list and recipe a couple days before you plan to make it.  I’ve learned this one the hard way, having been caught without a specific piece of equipment, or debating how long the dough really has to rest if I need the cookies to be ready sooner.  Things like extra prep activities, or unfamiliar techniques can catch you off guard espcially if you’re in a time crunch.

2. Less is more.  Though dough is fun to play with, resist the urge to over mix or over work the dough.  Usually you need to mix to combine, but once it looks fairly combined you need to stop because you will over-work it and develope too much gluton.  This will likely make the final product tougher then intended.  And when it comes to rolling out the dough to make cut out cookies or forming drop cookies, as my mom always says: you don’t want the dough to taste like your hands.  Stop touching it and playing with it so much!

3.  Leave it be.  Be stingy about opening the oven.  When the oven has reached the appropriate temperature, open it sparingly.  I will crack it once or twice to sneak a glance, but you need to be careful not to let the temperature drop too much, because it can definitely affect your final product.

4.  Chill out.  Allow baked goods to cool completely on cooling racks after they come out of the oven.  If you pack them up or put them away prematurely, you risk trapping moisture in the container.  This will make baked goods soggy or introduce mold.  So be patient, and think about placing cooling racks in strategic places where you and/or guests won’t be tempted to eat the final product earlier than intended.  Brothers and fathers are particularly good at sneaking tastes.

5.  Test it out.  This is one of Martha’s golden rules.  Don’t make a recipe for the first time when you’re cooking for a crowd.  If you’re trying out new desserts for the holidays, give them a test run a few weeks earlier just to practice and make sure it’s all that you dreamt of.  Answer questions like: how big is the batch?  how difficult is it?  is it really the fudgiest brownie ever, or is my old recipe better?  if I substitute an ingredient will it still work?  In the mean time, find some test subjects.  Co-workers on a Monday always seem to be a willing test audience for me.

Like I said, I’m not professionally trained, so these are tips from my own experience, my mother (who is professionally trained), Martha, and everyone on the Food Network.

Do you have any mishaps from holiday baking extravaganzas?

I have done everything from forgetting to add the sugar, to under baking, to burning, to spilling batter all over the oven, the list goes on…

The Holiest Time of the Year

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We are smack dab in the middle of the High Holy days on the Jewish calendar.  For those of you less familiar with the Jewish calendar, the High Holy days are days from when Rosh Hashanah starts and ends with Yom Kippur.  If you had to pick one time of year to actually show up at Temple, this would be the moment.

There are some serious religious things that go one during this period (like the whole not eating thing on Yom Kippur), but there are also some great traditions.  Since this time period marks the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah is traditionally a time to send  cards to friends and family, similar to Christmas cards.  You are supposed to connect with the important people in your life and ask forgiveness for any transgressions that occurred in the past year.  It’s basically a time to clean your slate with your friends.  Then the period ends with Yom Kippur which is when you settle the score with the big guy and ask for forgiveness by making a personal sacrifice of not eating for 25 hours.

My favorite thing about Yom Kippur is the scene at Temple.  I’ve never been to an Easter  Mass, but I would guess it’s similar.  Instead of wearing your best spring dress however, on Yom Kippur you break out you best fall suit.  I typically go to my grand parents temple on Long Island, and those women know how to throw down.  Forget fall fashion week in Manhattan, these women at temple throw around labels like you would not believe.  I have never seen more red soled shoes in one room in my life.  Yom Kippur service is a place to see and be scene, and since you didn’t eat dinner last night, or breakfast that morning, might as well squeeze into that dress that’s have a size too small in real life.  When you’re stuck in a room for three hours and all you can think about is a bagel with cream cheese, it’s nice to have pretty things to look at.

The final great thing about these holidays is the traditional food.  Rosh Hashanah is all about apples and honey to wish a sweet new year.  It’s no coincidence that this is big flavor profile in the fall.  Here are some links to some great High Holy day dessert recipes to try!

Walnut Honey Cake from Martha (pictured above)

Apple Honey Challah from Smitten Kitchen

Apple and Honey Tarts from Tales of an Overtime Cook

Apple Chunk Oatmeal Cookies from Cook Kosher

Passover Treats

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I have two key recipes for Passover: Macaroons and Chocolate Toffee Matzo (aka Matzo Crack).  I’m not usually tasked with cooking any of the main dishes for the seder, so as usual, I stick with dessert.  If you have any experience with the Kosher for Passover display at the grocery store, you might be aware of the coconut macaroons that come in a can.  I don’t know why these cookies come in a can, it doesn’t make sense to me.  The reason they are Kosher for Passover is because they have no leavening agent.  Coconut Macaroons are essentially coconut with some sugar and a binding agent (egg).  They don’t have a lot of the other traditional cookie ingredients.

The problem with the macaroons that come in the can (and most Kosher for Passover food) is that they are extreemly dense.  Make your own, it makes a tremendous difference!

Coconut Macaroons

from Bon Appetit

Yields about 45 1 inch cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (one stick)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • dash salt
  • 2 tsp orange peel zest
  • 3 eggs
  • 24 oz. coconut
  • 6 oz. chocolate (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Beat room temperature butter with mixer until smooth.  Add sugar and salt, use mixer to combine.
  3. Add zest and eggs one at a time.  When ingredients are combined, add coconut and mix so coconut is well incorporated.
  4. Drop batter in 1 inch portions onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake 25-30 minutes until pieces of the coconut are golden brown.
  5. After cookies have cooled you can melt the chocolate and drizzle it over the macaroons (I opted out of the chocolate this year, but I do recommend it).

This next recipe is the perfect solution for the inevitable leftover matzo.  Beware, it’s addictive.

Chocolate Toffee Matzo

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

  • 4-6 sheets of Matzo
  • 2 sticks of butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 12 oz. chocolate chips
  • Nuts for topping

Methods

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment then matzo.
  2. Melt butter in saucepan on stove.  Add brown sugar to butter.  Stir so the sugar dissolves.  Allow the mixture to bubble and simmer until it starts pulling away from the sides of the pot.
  3. Pour hot toffee evenly over the matzo.  Bake in oven about 20 minutes.  It should bubble and get deep brown, but do not let it burn.
  4. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Allow chips to melt and use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate evenly across the toffee covered matzo.  Sprinkle desired nuts or other toppings and allow to cool.  (I usually let it cool for a bit on the counter then move it to the freezer)
  5. Break apart into manageable pieces and enjoy!