by Marcie Goldman
Fall is particularly busy in the Jewish holiday kitchen. We flit from one thing to another - copious meals for Rosh Hashanah dinners, to break-the-fast meals ending the Yom Kippur fasting. Several days pass and before you know it, it is the glorious holiday of Sukkot and MORE (!) food - with a strong harvest spin, has you back in the kitchen.
What better time of year to cook and bake? The supermarkets, roadside stands and farmer stalls beckon and beguile. The October fruits alone - compete for your attention - choose me, choose me, they all seem to say. Bakers are pulled hither and yond, for inspiration, in the form of apples, pears, plums, cherries, buxom jars of new honey, meaty fall pecans, and peaches all call their siren's tune...cobbler, strudel, pastry, confection - almost anything would usher in the autumnal fest of Sukkot.
Sukkot is a seasonal and historic holiday that captures us with its custom and familial traditions.
Sukkot is a harvest holiday. Calendar wise, it follows the high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but technically speaking, Sukkot is part of another holiday cycle based on a trio of events. The cycle starts with Passover, is followed by the wandering of the freed Jewish slaves in the dessert (Sukkot) and has closure with the giving of the Torah at Sinai.
In contrast to Yom Kippur marked by reflection and fasting, Sukkot is marked by joy, celebration and enjoying many foods. It is a festive time in which we celebrate by building a sukkah, a simple outdoor structure (a corner of your deck or balcony works fine) and garnishing it with garlands of fruits and hung vegetables. For me, as a baker, when it comes to food, so many things are appropriate for Sukkot that I hardly know where to begin! Foods made with fruits and nuts, particularly if they are native or indigenous to where you live - symbolize the harvest abundance - and are all appropriate.
A cornucopia of wicker makes an ideal centerpiece fruit basket. Modest, finger-foods, such as strudel miniatures, cookies, old-fashioned, multi-layered squares, and quick breads such as Harvest Zucchini Loaf all work. A lemon lime cake, inspired by the scent of the etrog is one possibility.
I include foods that are easy to pick up and eaten out of hand - as informal as possible, for guests dropping by and for partaking in the Succot (formality has no place in outdoor eating!). If you are serving a variety of things, small two and three-bites suffice. There is no one thing (such as honey and apples for Rosh Hashanah) that defines Sukkot, menu wise. Make sure you have a lot of a little (variety is key), include a nod to tradition, and let the fall bounty inspire you.
Sometimes referred to as "haimish strudel" or dried fruit strudel, this delicacy is a cross between a confection and a pastry. You can use stretch strudel dough for this recipe, or store-bought pareve puff dough, but this easy Sour Cream Mock Puff dough is tops in flavor and texture. This is a good keeper and a wonderful gift. SOUR CREAM MOCK PUFF DOUGH 1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, cut into 12 chunks 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream Unsalted butter, melted, for brushing pastry In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour and salt. As machine is on, drop in the butter and pulse to create a grainy mixture. Add in sour cream and process only until a ball forms. If a ball doesn't form, remove mass of dough from processor and work on a lightly floured board a couple of seconds. Do not overwork dough. Pat into a smooth disc of dough. Chill while assembling filling. To Assemble Pastries: Use any filling or the filling that follows Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough in half. Roll out, on a lightly floured board to a rectangle of about 14 by 14 inches. Brush dough lightly with melted butter. Smear on jam, then evenly sprinkle Horn of Plenty Filling (i.e. nuts, sugar, cinnamon, coconut, Turkish delight, raisins, cherries and pineapple). Roll up dough half way (to middle). Cut away from remaining dough. Cut into 3 inch lengths (each individual pastry should be about the size of an egg roll - perhaps slightly wider). Transfer to prepared pan. Repeat with remaining section of dough - rolling up, cutting and transferring. Bake until top of pastry is golden or almost medium brown, about 35 minutes and fruit filling is beginning to ooze out. Cool well. Dust with confectioners' sugar. About 15-20 pastries, depending on size. These can also be made into smaller or miniature strudels, for a sweet table tray of cookies and rugulah, etc. FILLING FOR ROMANIAN STRUDEL Each filling is enough for one portion of dough (that is, 1/2 of one batch of Sour Cream Mock Puff Dough). You need not be exact with measurements and feel free to substitute what you like. Instead of the Turkish delight, I often use gummy bears, Swedish berries (cut up) or any other sort of tasty, jelly-like candies. DRIED FRUIT & TURKISH DELIGHT FILLING 2/3 cup jam (apricot, strawberry or seedless raspberry) 1 cup finely chopped nuts 2-4 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1/3 cup chopped Turkish delight or any gummy-like, chewy candy 1/2 cup plumped, dried raisins 1/3 cup candied cherries 1/3 cup, canned pineapple, well-dried and diced
A typical, not-too-sweet mandelbrot or biscotti - the perfect dipping cookie and a traditional favorite at every Jewish holiday. You can have it plain or toss it in a cinnamon sugar mixture for a spicier, sweet treat. This cookie also makes a good basic recipe and takes well to variations. 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup oil 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Cinnamon mixture 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil, then blend in eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together salt, baking powder and flour. Fold into wet mixture, then fold in walnuts and chocolate chips to incorporate. Turn mixture onto a lightly covered floured board and shape a log, about 10 by 3 inches, flouring hands if necessary, to avoid sticking. Transfer log on cookie sheet, press down to flatten slightly, and bake until just set, 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Transfer log to a board, and using long, serrated knife, cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place cookies back on cookie sheet and bake again at 325 F. to dry and brown slightly (about 11-18 minutes). Turn cookies over once during baking to ensure both sides bake evenly. Cool and store at room temperature in an airtight container. Makes 20-28, depending on size
Pink Lady apples are the most beautiful apples I have seen in a long time. Relatively new to the United States, (they previously were imported; now they are being grown here), they are large and make spectacular eating AND baking apples. Just look for them in your supermarket. In this lovely, upscale but homey apple cake, these blushing Pink Ladies positively shine. This is the perfect marriage between cake and pastry. Use a combination of a soft, sweet apple such as Golden Delicious or whatever is in seasonal and a tart, firm apple for the best flavor. Note: the cake must be refrigerated the night before. 12-14 servings Your own or prepared pie pastry for a double crusted ten inch pie Filling 8-10 large Pink Lady apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices 3/4 cup raisins, plumped and coarsely chopped (optional) 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Sauce 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons flour 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare apples first, then toss with raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Brush the spring-form pan generously with melted butter. Roll out pastry dough to line sides and bottom of spring-form pan. Pastry should be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. Press onto sides of pan to hold dough in place (you may have to make three sections or strips of dough to go around pan form as it holds better this way). Trim away any excess crust. Fill crust with apples. Press apples slightly, and fill in any gaps with more apples slices. Apples should be flush with top of pan. If not, add more until pan is filled. Cover top lightly with foil. Bake the cake 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F., remove foil, and bake until apples are soft, approximately another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Vanilla Sauce mixture by whisking together butter, sugar, cinnamon, flour, eggs, and vanilla to blend well. When cake is done, pour this sauce evenly over top, allowing sauce to settle down into cake. Replace cake in 350 degree oven and bake another 20-22 minutes. CHILL OVERNIGHT. Un-mold cake from pan to serve. If desired, cake can be glazed with apricot jam or sprinkled with icing sugar.