A Broad Reference

My friends Adam and Jeanine hosted a seder for Passover. I decided to bring some random stuff for dessert, without really coordinating it with the chef Adam. I knew that I should try to keep things kosher... but should I be trying to make things parve or not? given the choice between butter and parve, I felt obliged to go with the better tasting option. Later when I learned that Adam was agonizing over whether it was bad to serve bacon with every course, my slip into non-parve kosherness seemed less naughty.

The difference between KfP and K according to Adam-No bread, no flour, no corn. No fake Manishevitz stuff. Bacon and shellfish are fine :) Many people reacted quite strongly to the idea- Until bacon gets a long awaited hechscher, then the answer is yes...overboard. Others chimed in with mostly ok- as long as there was one course w/out bacon, we were probably in the clear. They agreed that the dessert course wouldn't have bacon- Well, maybe you have to have TWO courses without bacon, because dessert is just too easy. (That was omitting the dipping matzoh in bacon fat prior to use)

The Passover seder is one of the most interesting rituals- It's a fun party celebrating not getting killed and a prolonged period of singing while nibbling on bitter herbs, salt water and bits of matzoh (which makes you feel like you HAVE been wandering the desert for 40 years) before "let's eat!" Who wouldn't have a good time? Started by a group of only 70 people, imagine that bottleneck effect! Anyway we used the free Maxwell House haggadah (the same used by the White House for their seder). Adam did a great job of officiating the ceremony in between running back to the kitchen to check on and prepare the meal. Adam is still wondering why his bacon foam didn't really turn in to foam, despite the fact that Misty predicted it wouldn't... I dunno maybe God was offended and didn't want blasphemous bacon foam on the eggs?

I made Martha Stewart's almond macaroons, I know that people love to hate her. But really, this was the best almond macaroon recipe I tried. Believe me, and trust Martha- the second batch turned out perfectly, I won't torture you with the other recipe except to say the first batch was rock hard and consigned to the compost heap!! The goal was a crisp nutty exterior with a chewy melting center, full of almondy goodness. Of course I changed the recipe slightly, but Gwynie believes that the changes I made did not affect the ultimate outcome of the product.

4 ounces almond paste (~1/2 tube)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch of kosher salt
1 large egg white
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 300oF. Process almond paste, sugar, and salt in food processor until crumbly sand. Beat egg white and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold almond/sugar and egg whites together and beat with mixers until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, drop batter by tablespoons spacing ~2 inches apart. (optional: Place 2 almond slices on each mound of dough. ie I skipped this step) Bake until cookies are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cookies and paper to wire rack, let cool completely. Just before serving, lightly dust cookies with sugar. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers but quickly lose the crispness. I say make these guys fresh when you need them.

I checked Epicurious.com
and found a recipe by Marcy Goldman from "A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking" that seemed pretty traditional in the American Jewish Pantheon. Insomuch that chocolate hadn't made it to Egypt when the Jews started their tradition of flatbread. Yet anything that makes matzoh more edible is clearly a good thing. At first I was worried about it being too sickly sweet, but I used a super dark +70% chocolate from the Scharffenberger stash which was deep and rich without adding much sugar. The results were so spectacular that I've made it several times this month. Now we refer to it as Matzoh crack, it's that addictive.

4-6 unsalted matzohs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1Tbs vanilla
1tsp kosher salt

100g coarsely chopped chocolate
2Tbs kosher salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Double line a baking sheet with foil and then parchment paper. This is important if you don't want to be stuck with a ginormous burnt mass of matzoh and sugar. (Pun appreciated)
Matzohs generally have a dark and light side. Lay the squares out, dark side down, leaving as little space as possible between edges. The wafers break approximately along the perforations, so you can get pretty close but not exact matches. The gaps are ok but you will get some seepage around the edges.

In a large pot melt the butter and add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir vigorously. The layers of sugar and butter will start coming together as the mixture achieves a boil (~ 2 to 4 minutes). Continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over the matzoh, covering completely and spreading evenly (It's kind of like nail polish in that you have to be quick before it sets. And you don't want to have streaks or bare spots)

Reduce to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, but you MUST check frequently. You want it to go from tan brown to a darker caramelly brown but not burn (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan). The mixture will change texture and develop more of a bubbly lattice structure.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate. Let stand until chocolate is melted (it will look shiny), spread gently over the matzoh. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Chill in the pan, in the freezer until set. Break into different sized pieces and store in air tight container.

Note: the salt factor can be bacon in this case also. But I decided not to make something too outre.