Tuesday, March 27, 2018

A Passover Tradition...with a Krazy Kick


LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
Getting ready for Passover, you might want to whip up a recipe that's can serve a lot of people over several days. Judy Bart Kancigor, who wrote the book Cooking Jewish, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Apple Matzoh Schalat, more commonly known as Kugel.  It's a sweet side dish that goes especially well with turkey or roast beef.  Judy says it makes matzoh taste great, and really can really become the centerpiece of your Seder or dinner table if you make it decorative!

SERVES ABOUT 16                                                                             
Nondairy margarine or butter, for greasing the baking pan
1 cup (packed) dried apricots or golden raisins, or a combination
2 cans (20 ounces each) pineapple rings, drained, juice reserved
6 medium-size apples, peeled and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
9 boards matzoh
9 large eggs, separated
1½ cups sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
1½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) nondairy margarine or butter, melted and cooled
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
About 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges
3 tablespoons nondairy margarine or butter, slivered

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 13 × 9-inch baking pan.
2. Snip the apricots to the size of raisins. (Kitchen shears work much
better than a knife for this purpose.) Combine the snipped apricots and
the reserved pineapple juice in a small bowl, and set it aside.
3. Toss the apple slices with the lemon juice in a bowl (to prevent
browning), and set it aside.
4. Crumble the matzoh into a very large bowl, add cold water to cover,
and soak a few seconds just to soften the matzoh. Drain the soaked
matzoh thoroughly, wipe the bowl dry, and return the matzoh to the bowl.
5. Beat the egg yolks and ¾ cup of the sugar with an electric mixer on
medium-high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes,
scraping the bowl as necessary. Beat in the lemon zest, cinnamon,
vanilla, and salt. Stir in the melted margarine.
6. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the soaked matzoh. Drain the apricots,
and add them and the apples to the matzoh mixture. Combine well.
7. Using a clean, dry bowl and beaters, beat the egg whites on
medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ¾ cup sugar a
tablespoon at a time, beating for 10 seconds after each addition, until
stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes total. Stir one fourth of the egg
whites into the matzoh mixture to lighten it. Then add the remaining
whites in three additions, folding them in until incorporated.
8. Pour the matzoh mixture into the prepared baking pan. Decorate the
top with the pineapple rings, strawberries, blueberries, and mandarin
oranges in a pretty design. Dot with the slivers of margarine, and
sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour.
9. Cut into squares and serve hot.

for a knock-their-socks-off schalat presentation
• • •
Instead of using the 13 x 9-inch baking pan, generously grease the
bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with shortening. (If you
have only a 9-inch springform pan, you will have some batter left over,
which you can bake separately in a small dish.) Dry the pineapple,
berries, and mandarin oranges well with paper towels so they will stick.
Press pineapple rings carefully onto the greased sides of the pan. Press
the tips of some of the strawberries into the center of each pineapple
ring, facing outward. Press mandarin oranges and blueberries artfully
into the spaces between the pineapple rings. If any of the fruit refuses
to stick, use a bit more shortening as “glue.”
Slowly pour the matzoh mixture into the pan, being careful not to
disturb the fruit sticking to the sides. Decorate the top with more
fruit. Dot it with the slivers of margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake, uncovered, until the center is firm, 1¼ hours. Allow the schalat
to rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Then carefully release the spring
mechanism and slowly lift the sides away. Take bows!