Latkes (a PopPop recipe)

My Dad loved latkes.  He loved to eat them, he loved to make them, he loved to share them.  And so, I am sharing his recipe with you in hopes that you will love them too.  They are absolutely delicious!  Read the recipe through first since it's a little weird with reserving the potato water.  Making latkes takes a while so allow plenty of time.  I am not sure how many this makes but I will update it next time.  It's probably the right amount for a family of 4 (and you'll have a few leftovers to fry up with an egg for breakfast).

POTATO LATKES

NOTES

Use small shredding disc

Thinner latkes make crispier latkes

Keep warm in a 250 oven

You can make ahead and reheat at 375, 3 minutes per side

Frozen latkes 6 minutes per side.

Latkes are best fresh but can be kept warm in the oven for up to 1 hour. 

And you can never have enough salt. I like to add one carrot, grated, for color.

2 pounds large russet (baking) potatoes (about 4)

1 large onion (approx  a short cup)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or matzo meal

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Oil for frying

RECIPE

Preheat the oven to 250°F with a rack in the upper third (to keep the latkes warm).

Coarsely grate potatoes and onion using a food processor fitted with a medium shredding disk. 

Add lemon juice and toss to coat. Soak the potatoes in ice water for 30 minutes (to prevent discoloration and to get the starch to solidify on the bottom of the bowl). 

Transfer potatoes to a kitchen towel, in batches, then gather up corners to form a sack and twist tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. 

Keep the water in which the potatoes were soaking and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, leaving the starch to settle at the bottom of the bowl. 

Then, after carefully pouring the water out, you’re left with starch, which you then add to the potatoes. 

Stir in flour, eggs, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt until just combined. 

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. 

Fill a 1/4-cup measure halfway with latke mixture and carefully spoon it into the skillet, then flatten to 3 inches in diameter with a slotted spatula. 

Form 5 more latkes in skillet and fry until undersides are deep golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. (If latkes brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium.) 

Turn over and fry until deep golden all over, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes more. 

Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then transfer to a metal rack set in a baking pan and keep warm in the oven. 

Make more latkes.

Flourless Chocolate Cake - gluten free!

This is yet another recipe for the serious chocolate lover. It is RICH and it's gluten free, so it's a perfect cake to share with friends. It's super fast to make too and the clean up is easy with just 1 bowl. This recipe is from King Arthur Flour.

Flourless Chocolate Cake
serves 12 with small slices

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease an 8" round cake pan (I like to use one that I can serve it in, so a ceramic tart pan with a nice fluted edge).

Put the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe large mixing bowl, and heat until the butter is melted and the chips are almost melted. Stir until the chips melt, reheating if necessary. Stir in the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating briefly until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, and mix just to combine.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 25 minutes; the top will have formed a thin crust. Remove it from the oven, and let cool in the pan before serving.

 Serve with a dollar of fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. If you would like to remove the cake from the pan, wait 5 minutes before running a knife around the edges and flipping the cake out onto a serving platter. 

Passover Matzoh Crunch

Passover is coming, so I thought I would share the most amazing Passover dessert ever.  It's probably best for a casual Seder.  It's so insanely addictive.  I actually cant wait for Passover to get here so I can make it!  The kids love to get creative with fun toppings, but I like it best with just cashews.

Caramel Matzoh Crunch
inspired by Marcy Goldman, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

4-6 unsalted matzohs
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
drizzle of molasses
1 generous cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate
toppings in variations below

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment — on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.

Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, breaking extra pieces to fit any spaces.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and molasses. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (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 be bubbly when ready.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 3-5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh (an offset spatula is perfect for this). Add toppings if you like.  Chill at room temp or in the fridge or freezer till set.  Then break into pieces.

This makes a good gift if you can stop eating it long enough to package it up.


Variation:
You can also use coarsely chopped white chocolate (or a combination of white and dark), and chopped or slivered toasted almonds (sprinkled on top as the chocolate sets). You can also omit the chocolate for a caramel-alone buttercrunch.  We also like coconut and raisins, peanuts, walnuts, and sprinkles but the sky is the limit with this one!