It?s not easy during Passover, the Jewish holiday during which the observant baker must give up wheat flour (as well as spelt, barley, oats and rye) and still strive to produce desserts worthy of commemorating the Exodus. No wonder so many people decline the challenge, choosing instead to serve boxes of marshmallow twists and jelly rings at the end of the ritual feast.
Here are a few guidelines to make desserts that are both good to eat and approved for Passover consumption:
Understand Passover leaveners. The prohibition on leavened baked goods can be confusing, but the bottom line is that baked goods raised via fermentation (i.e. yeasted baked goods) are not allowed during the holiday. Baked goods leavened with whipped eggs and/or egg whites or with chemical leaveners such as baking soda and kosher-for-Passover baking powder ? which, unlike regular baking powder, contains no cornstarch ? are perfectly acceptable.
Stock up on eggs. During the rest of the year, gluten-rich flour gives most baked goods their structure. Since flour can?t be used during Passover, abundant eggs often provide the protein necessary to give holiday cakes and cookies some shape.
Choose the right fat. Butter can be used in Passover desserts as part of a dairy meal. For a meat meal, use kosher-for- Passover margarine, since almost all other margarine contains soy, which is one of the foods generally avoided. Many oils are permissible for Passover, including safflower, walnut, vegetable and olive oils. Canola and corn oils generally are not.
Rely on chocolate. Chocolate is the Passover baker?s best friend. Unsweetened and semisweet kosher chocolate (which don?t contain dairy solids, a necessity unless you are serving a meatless meal) can be used to make flourless chocolate cakes, brownies and chocolate icings and frostings. Unsweetened cocoa powder can be used to make chocolate-meringue cookies and macaroons.
Indulge in nuts and coconut. Traditionally, bakers rely on nuts and coconut during Passover to lend richness and flavor to desserts.
Add natural flavors. Vanilla and other flavor extracts (which are made with not kosher-for-Passover alcohol) are forbidden during Passover. Although kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract is becoming more widely available, it isn?t easy to find. But you can always use the seeds from a real vanilla bean to flavor Passover desserts. Citrus zest is another natural way to add flavor to Passover desserts.
Don?t forget fruit and fruit sauces. To combat the potential dryness of a sponge cake or to balance the over-the-top richness of a nut torte or flourless chocolate cake, serve with a fruit salad, compote or sauce.
Citrus Spongecake with Tropical Fruit
If you can?t find matzo cake meal, you can finely grind cup of regular matzo meal in a food processor. An ungreased angel food cake pan is essential for a high rise. As the cake bakes, the batter will grip the sides of the pan and rise high. By cooling the cake upside down, you use gravity to prevent it from collapsing.
For cake:
1/3 cup matzo cake meal
1/2 cup potato starch
9 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4teaspoon salt
For fruit salad:
3 cups diced pineapple
2 kiwis, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together matzo cake meal and potato starch in a medium bowl.
Combine yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat on high until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest and orange juice.
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer until foamy. With mixer on high, add remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a slow, steady stream and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff peaks.
Fold matzo cake meal mixture into yolk mixture, and then gently fold whites in, in three separate additions. Scrape into an ungreased 2-piece angel food cake pan.
Bake 15 minutes, turn heat down to 325, and continue to bake until center is springy, 35 to 45 minutes longer. Remove from oven. If pan has feet, invert onto a heatproof surface and allow it to cool completely.
(If pan doesn?t have feet, invert 4 drinking glasses on counter and rest inverted pan on top of glasses to allow air to circulate underneath cake while it cools.)
Combine pineapple, kiwi, ginger, lime juice and sugar in a medium bowl and let stand; stir occasionally to dissolve sugar.
To serve: Run paring knife around edges of cake. Run paring knife under cake. Slide it off removable bottom and onto serving platter. Slice and serve with fruit salad.
Flourless Almond Torte with Apricot Compote
When making this dense and delicious torte, be careful not to overbeat the egg whites (they should form very soft, not stiff, peaks) or the cake may sink in the center as it cools. A whole vanilla bean (half for the cake batter, half for the compote) adds wonderful flavor, but a little kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract (use teaspoon in the cake and stir teaspoon into the cooked apricots) can be substituted if you like. To decorate, sift some kosher-for-Passover confectioners? sugar (contains potato starch rather than cornstarch) over the cake before serving.
For cake:
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) blanched slivered almonds
11/2 cups sugar
7 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 vanilla bean
For compote
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups (about 40) dried apricots, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 vanilla bean
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and line bottom with parchment. Spray parchment with cooking spray.
Combine almonds and sugar in work bowl of food processor and process until finely ground.
Separate 4 of the eggs, placing yolks in a large mixing bowl and whites in another large mixing bowl. To bowl with yolks, add remaining 3 eggs, salt and seeds from vanilla bean half. Whisk until smooth. Stir in almond-sugar mixture until smooth.
Use an electric mixer to whip reserved whites until very floppy peaks just form. Gently fold into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula. Bake until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check on cake after 35 minutes. If it is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil for final 10 to 15 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edges of the cake, but cool it completely in pan.
Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in apricots, bay leaves and vanilla bean half and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and let cool to room temperature. Remove and discard bay leaves and vanilla bean half.
To serve, release cake from sides of springform pan, slice and serve with compote on the side.
Classic Coconut Macaroons
Unsweetened coconut produces fluffy, not-too-sweet macaroons.
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine sugar, coconut, egg whites, vanilla (if using) and salt in a medium mixing bowl; mix with a rubber spatula.
Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, and press each cookie into a pyramid shape with your fingers, leaving 1 inches between each cookie.
Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Slide parchment onto a wire rack and let cookies cool completely. Carefully peel them off parchment paper. Coconut macaroons will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
