1 1/4 cups butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. arak liqueur (can substitute ouzo or Pastis)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup blanched almonds, ground finely
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Let the butter soften at room temperature and cream it together with
the sugar and egg yolks. Add the arak and cream together again. Sift
the flour and baking powder into this mixture and knead into a firm
dough. Add the almonds and knead again.
Form the dough into 3" (7 1/2 cm) crescents and place these on
an ungreased cookie tin. Bake in a medium oven until the cookies are
done (20-25 minutes). Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and
sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar. May be served hot or cool.
Serves four.
6 large apples, for baking
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter*, melted and cooled
85 gr. blanched almonds, lightly toasted
and ground
3 Tbsp. raisins
3 Tbsp. light rum
3 egg yolks
lemon juice as required
In a small saucepan, mix together the rum
and raisins with 5 Tbsp. of water. Heat gently
until warm. Remove from the heat and let stand.
Peel and core the apples, leaving a base
of about 1/2" (1 cm.) at the bottom and
a hollowed cylinder of 1 1/2" (4 cm.)
in diameter. Rub the apples with lemon juice
to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl,
mix together the egg yolks, 6 Tbsp. of the
sugar, the almonds and the butter. Drain the
raisins - reserving the liquid - and add them
to the egg mixture.
Fill each apple with about 2 Tbsp. of the
filling. Place them in a shallow ovenproof
pan and pour in the liquid reserved from the
raisins. Pour in another 1/2 cup of water
and the remaining sugar. Bake in a medium
oven, basting occasionally and adding more
water if the pan dries out. Cover and bake
about 15 minutes longer until the apples are
tender. Serve hot or warm.
* If serving the apples with a meat-based
meal, substitute parve margarine for the butter.
Baklava is a delicacy found throughout the Arab
world. The Jews who came to Israel
from Arab countries continue to prepare and enjoy the taste of baklava.
This sweet pastry is sold in both Jewish and Arab markets, and comes
in a multitude of varieties.
Pastry
1 lb. phyllo pastry sheets
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1-1/2 cups melted sweet butter
Dash of ground clove
5 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups walnuts, pistachio nuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Syrup:
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 slices orange & lemon rind
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 tsp. lemon juice
Pastry: Place sheets of phyllo pastry in a 13x9x2
inch pan, brushing every other sheet evenly with butter. When ten or
twelve sheets are in place, combine walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and clove,
and spread 1/3 of this mixture over the sheet. Place another five or
six buttered sheets of phyllo on top of nut mixture. Repeat this process
two more times, alternating nut mixture with five or six sheets of buttered
phyllo. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C). With a sharp knife, cut
baklava into diamond-shaped pieces. Heat remaining butter (there should
be about 1/2 cup) until hot and light brown. Pour evenly over the baklava.
Sprinkle a few drops of cold water on top and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce
the temperature to 300 deg F (150 deg C) and continue to bake for one
hour.
Syrup: In a saucepan combine water, sugar, honey,
lemon juice, orange and lemon rind, cinnamon stick and cloves. Heat
mixture until a drop forms when placed into a cup of cold water, then
simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Strain. When the baklava is baked,
pour syrup over it. Makes 30-36 pieces.
Michael Romanov, the first tsar of Russia, claimed that he invented
this dish somewhere about 1625. This makes for a nice story, but it
simply is not true. Greeks have been dining on fritters made from an
identical recipe at least since the time of Plato. However, most Russians
remain steadfast in the belief that the dish is theirs.
4 cups cottage cheese
1/2 tsp. white pepper
3/4 cup flour, sifted
4 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
butter for frying
sour cream for serving, well chilled
Mix together the cottage cheese and the white pepper. Let stand for
15 minutes. Place the cheese in toweling or cheesecloth and carefully
squeeze as much moisture from it as possible. Rub the dry cheese through
a sieve. In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese, flour, egg yolks, sugar
and salt. Knead together well and roll into 3" (7 1/2 cm) thick
tubes. Refrigerate for about 1 hour and then slice the rolls into 2
1/2 cm. slices.
Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a skillet and fry the slices until golden
brown on both sides, adding butter only if the skillet becomes dry.
Serve hot with sour cream. (May be served as an appetizer or a dessert).
butter and flour (to prepare the souffle dish)
1 cup butter
1/4 cup flour, sifted
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
dash Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 cups milk
125 gr. Gruyere, Emmenthal or sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 eggs, separated
Generously grease the bottom and sides of a souffle dish
with butter and then sprinkle the buttered surfaces very
lightly with flour. Preheat the oven to hot.
In a double boiler, over boiling water melt the butter and
to this add the flour, salt, pepper, mustard and Tabasco.
Mix well and gradually stir in the milk. Cook, stirring constantly,
until the mixture thickens. Into this slowly add the cheese,
stirring regularly until well melted and the mixture is uniform.
Remove from the heat.
Beat the egg yolks until light and gradually pour these
into the cheese sauce. (Note: To this point the souffle may
be prepared several hours in advance if the surface is dabbed
with butter, covered and refrigerated).
Clean a bowl thoroughly, making sure it is neither greasy
nor damp. In this bowl beat the egg whites (by hand or with
an electric mixer but not with a food processor) until they
are stiff. If the cheese mixture has been prepared in advance
reheat it to the point where it is hot to the touch and then
fold it into the egg whites. Pour the mixture into the souffle
dish and place in an oven that has been preheated to 200
degrees Celsius Immediately reduce the oven temperature to
190 degrees and bake until the souffle has risen 5 - 8 centimeters
over the rim of the mold and is nicely browned on top.
Note: Because souffles begin to sink as they cool, they
should be served as soon as possible. A well cooked souffle
will remain puffy for about 5 minutes in the oven, but be
sure to turn the oven heat off.
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp. each butter and sugar
1 kilo canned cherries, drained, with the
juices reserved
3/4 cup rum
juice of 3 or 4 lemons
2 cups sour cream
Place the butter and sugar in a heavy skillet
and place over a low flame. As the butter
starts to melt add the cherries and continue
to heat for 2 - 3 minutes longer, stirring
regularly.
Pour the rum over the cherries, let warm
and then carefully flame. When the flame dies
down, pour in the juice of the cherries and
the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and add the
sour cream. Just as the mixture returns to
the boiling point remove from the flame. Serve
hot in champagne or wine glasses. Excellent
with champagne.
Serves 6-8.
400 grams margarine or unsalted butter
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons baking flour
5-7 cups flour-simply add 5 cups and the remainder
Add gradually until the dough is soft and not sticky
Sift flour; mix all the dry ingredients together (if
you like, you can add up to five cups of flour at first, and then add
additional flour slowly as necessary) (if you want, you can add the
seeds to the five cups of flour and then add more flour gradually as
necessary) cut the butter into small pieces. Mix everything together
to get a fine smooth dough. Make cookies. (Bake the cookies)
It is advisable to add a mixture of seeds-like granular
Sunflower, flax, caraway seeds, anise, whole sesame seeds, sesame seeds
white, black, or possibly poppy seeds.
It's possible coconut, or only sesame.
If you are adding to it many seeds, like in the crisp
Moroccan cookies recipe -One must reduce the quantity of the flour.
And take account the stripe that is usually on the
cookie does not become like a smooth pastry cookie without garnishment.
The abundance of fresh fruit in Israel,
ripe from the fields and orchards, makes fruit salads a natural choice.
After a good meal, nothing is more refreshing than this cool dessert.
3 oranges
2 apples
lemon juice
nuts
1 tbs. sugar
2 fresh peaches
grapes, melon, pears, or 1 can fruit cocktail
Cut the apples and oranges into small pieces. Add
lemon juice and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients a short time
before serving.
Although many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
ingredients and dishes have become part of the repertoire of chefs throughout
Europe and North America, the only dish invented in Israel to attain
international acclaim has been this one. Originally devised by Tsachi
and Linda Buchester, the dish was widely copied locally, and many Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem chefs
even began to believe that they and not the Buchesters had invented
it. So it seems to be in America, France and Belgium today, where the
dish now appears as the "unique invention" of the chefs in many highly
prestigious restaurants.
1 cup (225 ml.) sweet cream
6 Tbsp. sugar
6 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. Amaretto liqueur
150 gr. halvah, broken into small pieces
In a bowl whip the sweet cream until it forms stiff peaks. In a small
saucepan mix the sugar with 6 Tbsp. of water and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool.
In the top of a double boiler, over but not in boiling water, place the
syrup and add the egg yolks and Amaretto. Mix with a hand mixer without
stopping until the mixture is thick in texture and lighter in color and
begins to form a foam on the surface. Remove from the heat, transfer to a
mixing bowl and add the halvah. Mix at a high speed without stopping for
15 minutes and then fold in the whipped cream, mixing gently with a
plastic spatula until the mixture is even throughout.
Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap or parchment
paper and place in the freezer for a minimum of 6-8 hours. Serve in
thick slices as a dessert.
Serves 4-6.
The Crusaders
were particularly amazed at the rich sweetmeats
common in the East, whose preparation was
based on the local sugar cane - a plant that
was completely unknown in the colder climate
of Europe. They were also very fond of halvah,
made from sesame seeds. The modern recipe
which follows would have undoubtedly delighted
them.
Ingredients:
300 gm halvah
1/3 cup sugar
8 egg yolks
250 ml. whipping cream
Melt the sugar with 1/4 cup water in a small
pan. Bring it to the boil and add the halvah.
Cook until the halvah has completely dissolved.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the yolks
and beat until the mixture turns whitish-yellow
and foams up.
Place the bowl in a pan of boiling water,
lower the heat to obtain a gentle boil, and
continue to beat the mixture for 8-10 minutes.
Cool.
Whip the cream until stiff and fold it into
the halvah mixture.
Transfer to a loaf pan or to individual bowls.
Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and
freeze for at least 12 hours before serving.
Serve on a large plate with passion fruit
or sabra fruit sauce, garnished with fruit,
pistachio nuts, and mint leaves.
For adults and children
alike, the food most often associated with
Purim
are the cookies known in Hebrew
as osnei haman (literallly, Haman's
Ears). Although these can be purchased in
every bake shop in the land, there is great
fun to making these marvelous cookies at home.
I personally guarantee that the following
recipes will delight everyone who samples
them.
For the Dough:
21/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
21/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. melted butter
1 egg, beaten lightly
3/4 cup milk
filling of choice (immediately following)
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder
and salt, mixing well. Add the milk, melted
butter and egg mix again. On a floured board
knead well and then roll out to about 1/4
cm. thickness. Cut out rounds about 6 cm.
in diameter.
On the center of each round place 1 heaping
tsp. of the filling. Pinch the three sides
of the round together to form a triangle and
place individually formed cookies on a greased
cookie sheet. Bake in an oven that has been
preheated to 180 degrees Celsius until the
cookies are golden brown (25 - 30 minutes).
(Yields about 30 cookies).
Date Filling:
4 cups chopped dates
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dry or sweet red wine
1/4 cup butter
3 tsp. cinnamon
Place the dates, wine and butter in a small
saucepan. Cook over a low flame, stirring
constantly, until the mixture is paste-like
(about 8 - 10 minutes). Allow to cool 10 minutes
and then stir in the cinnamon and nuts.
Prune Filling:
1 cup prunes, pitted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup ground poppy seeds
21/2 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Soak the prunes in water to cover for about
3 hours. Drain and chop finely. Combine all
the ingredients (except the vanilla) in a
saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, over
a low flame until the mixture thickens (about
20 minutes). Allow to cool for 15 minutes
and then stir in the vanilla.
Raisin and Nut Filling:
11/4 cups seedless raisins
1 cup milk
1/2 cup each ground poppy seeds, chopped
walnuts and sugar
3 tbs. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Soak the raisins in water to cover for 2
hours. Drain and chop finely. Combine all
of the ingredients, except the vanilla, in
a saucepan and cook, stirring frequently,
over a low flame until the mixture thickens
(about 20 minutes). Allow to cool for 15 -
20 minutes and then stir in the vanilla.
Honey cake is the traditional cake of the "Land of
Milk and Honey." Honey cake is a must for the Jewish New Year, Rosh
Hashana, since its sweetness symbolizes the wishes for a good year
ahead.
3 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup nuts, walnuts, or almonds
4 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp. vegetable oil
2 cups dark honey
1/2 cup brewed coffee
Optional
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. powdered cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon,
nutmeg, cloves and ginger together (spices depend on your personal taste).
Beat eggs, gradually adding the sugar. Beat until
thick and light in color. Beat in oil, honey and coffee; stir in flour
mixture and nuts. Grease an 11x16x4 inch baking pan and line with aluminum
foil. For 2 smaller cakes, use two 9 inch loaf pans. Turn the batter
into the pan(s). Bake at 325 deg F (170 deg C) 1-1/4 hours for the large
cake, 50 minutes for the 2 smaller ones, or until browned and cake tester
comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack before removing from pan.
225 gr. very fine sugar
1/2 cup honey
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
225 gr. flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
225 gr. walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
In a small saucepan, heat 3/4 cup of water and in this dissolve half
the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Stir in the honey, lemon juice and half of the cinnamon and simmer,
stirring for 5 minutes longer. Remove from the flame and let cool for
1/2 hour.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, half the nuts and
the remaining cinnamon.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and remaining sugar until
light in color. To this mixture add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating
well. Beat in the walnut mixture.
In yet another bowl, beat the egg whites stiff and gently fold these
into the nut and flour mixture. Transfer to a well-greased baking tin
about 8" (20 cm) square, sprinkle the top with the remaining nuts
and bake in a medium oven until a wooden toothpick placed in the center
comes out clean (about 50 minutes). Remove the cake from the oven and
cut into square or diamond portions in the baking tin. Pour the cooled
syrup over and let stand, covered, overnight. Serve at room temperature.
Serves four to six.
100 gr. (6 oz.) very fine sugar
1 1/4 cups sweet white wine
5 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
pinch of ground cinnamon
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
In a heavy skillet, slowly heat the sugar in 2 tsp. of water, stirring
regularly, until the sugar has melted and turned into a caramel syrup.
Immediately pour the syrup into a cake tin, tilting so that the entire
bottom of the tin is coated. Let cool.
Heat the wine and honey in a saucepan, stirring until the honey dissolves.
Add the cinnamon and lemon rind, stirring well. Remove from the flame
and let cool 5-6 minutes.
Beat together the egg yolks and whole eggs in a mixing bowl. Add these
to the honey-wine mixture, beating until well blended, and pour into
the cake tin. Place the tin in a large pot of water (be sure that the
water is not higher than 1 cm. (1/2 ") from the lip of the tin)
and bake in a medium oven until the mixture is set (about 45 minutes).
Let cool for 15-20 minutes and then refrigerate.
Just before serving, run a thin knife blade around the edges to loosen
the sides and invert onto a chilled serving dish.
Serves 6-8.
In Israel, all
young men and women are required to enlist for military
service at the age of 18. The soldiers, who manage to get home only
once every several weeks, enjoy getting parcels with sweet things from
home; and mothers are very efficient in keeping them well-supplied with
cakes. Derived from central Europe, the popular kichlach are to be found
in many of the packages destined for young soldiers. No adequate substitute
has so far been found for the homemade product. The word kichlach is
Yiddish for cookies.
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs. sugar
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tbs. poppy seeds (optional)
Beat eggs until light, then beat in oil, sugar, flour
and salt. Beat until very smooth. Stir in poppy seeds, if you desire.
Drop by the teaspoon onto a greased baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches
between each (they spread and puff while baking). Bake at 325 deg F
(170 deg C) for 15 minutes or until browned on the edges. Makes approximately
36 cookies.
2 tablespoons beer yeast
1 kilogram flour
4 cups warm water
Mix all the ingredients together and let them rise for 2 hours. Kneed
dough again, and let the dough rest. Make into balls, with a hole in
the middle (like a doughnut shape) and fry in a deep pot of boiling
oil.
Date cookies with nuts and almonds
Dough ingredients:
200 grams margarine
4 cups of flour
1 package baking powder
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
Filling ingredients:
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 package dates (like a paste)
100 grams chopped walnuts
100 grams chopped almonds
Put all the dough ingredients together and make a dough.
Put the dough aside for 20 minutes. Mix all the ingredients of the filling.
Take a piece of the dough, flatten it, fill it with teaspoon of filling,
and make a ball. The balls should be put on a baking pan that is covered
with baking paper and put in medium oven for 20 minutes.
Cookies are ready when the bottom turns golden. When
the cookies are cooled, spread with powdered sugar and store in a sealed
box.
1 cup sugar
4 slices lemon
4 sticks cinnamon
8 pears, peeled but not cored, with stem intact
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
In a saucepan, combine the sugar with 4 cups of water. Bring
to the boil, add the lemon slices, cinnamon and pears, reduce
the heat, cover, let simmer for 10 minutes and then add the
wine.
Remove the pears, bring the liquids to a light boil and
let the sauce thicken to a syrup-like consistency. Return
the pears to the syrup and let stand, covered, at room temperature
overnight. To serve, core the pears, cut in slices and arrange
in overlapping rows on dessert plates. Spoon over some of
the syrup. Serves 8.
1 cup rose petal jam
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups pineapple, shredded
1 Tbsp. rose water
crystallized rose petals for garnish (optional)
Note: Rose petal jam, crystallized rose petals and rose water may be
purchased in most health food and natural food shops.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the jam and then strain well. Dilute
with 3 cups of water and add the lemon juice and pineapple. Heat through
and then remove from the flame and let cool for 20 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to chilled ice trays. Cover with foil and place
in the freezer until the mixture is thick. Stir well and refreeze. Stir
once more when the mixture is thickened but before frozen through. Let
freeze solid. Remove from the freezer about 15 minutes before serving.
If desired, garnish with crystallized rose petals.
Note: This recipe will serve 8-12. The unused portions may be kept
in the freezer nearly indefinitely.
On Fridays, you can smell the distinct aroma of rugelach
on every street corner in Israel. People anxious to buy them for the
weekend will line up at their neighborhood bakery to get them hot out
of the oven. Unfortunately, due to their small size, there never seems
to be enough of these delicious pastries to go around.
Dough
5 cups flour
2 sticks margarine
2 oz. fresh yeast
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
2 cups milk or water
Filling
jam
mixture of 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup cocoa
Mix yeast with 1 tsp. sugar and 1/2 cup of lukewarm
milk (or water), until yeast starts bubbling. Mix in rest of ingredients
and knead until dough doesn't stick to pan. Cool in refrigerator for
at least 2 hours.
Roll dough into a flat sheet. Spread jam on dough
and spread sugar, cocoa mixture on top. Cut into triangles and roll
starting from the base of the triangle. On a cookie sheet, bake at medium
heat (375 deg F, 190 deg C) until golden (25-35 minutes). Makes approximately
40.
pie crust for one 9" (23 cm) covered pie
300 gr. sorrel leaves, with stems removed, chopped
(if sorrel is unavailable, substitute 450 gr. spinach)
100 gr. each sultanas and seedless raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
sweet cream, as required*
Roll out the pastry dough and fill a 9" (23 cm)
pie tin with the larger portion. Chill well.
Combine the sorrel with the sultanas, raisins, sugar,
cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Fill the chilled pie crust with this
mixture. Cover the pie with the remaining pastry, pinching the crusts
together. Brush the top with the egg mixture, pierce the crust twice
with a fork and bake in a hot oven until the top is well browned (about
25 minutes). Serve hot with light cream or well chilled with heavy cream.
Serves 4-6.
* Note: If serving the pie with a meat-based meal,
substitute parve cream for the sweet cream.
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 kg. brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. each ginger and cinnamon, both ground
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 firm pears, peeled, halved, cored and sliced thinly
whipped cream for serving
Beat the butter until creamy and then beat in 2/3 of the sugar until
the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the flour with half of the
cinnamon and all but a pinch of the ginger. Sprinkle these over the
butter, add the eggs and beat together well.
Transfer the mixture to a 9" (23 cm.) flan mold and smooth over
the top. Place in a preheated medium oven and bake until the mixture
is firm and has pulled back from the sides. Turn onto a wire rack and
allow to come to room temperature.
Put the remaining sugar into a saucepan with 4 1/2 Tbsp. cold water,
and heat over a low flame, stirring until the sugar is completely absorbed.
Add the pears and remaining spices. Heat until the mixture begins to
simmer, cover and cook very gently until the pears are tender and nearly
translucent (about 10-15 minutes). Uncover, increase the flame and cook
until the liquids are reduced to a glaze. Turn the pears out onto a
lightly dampened plate and let cool completely.
Decorate the cooled flan with the pears and serve with generous amounts
of whipped cream.
Serves 6.
This is the traditional cake of Israel-and it is exceedingly
popular. It has no Hebrew name but is called by the European designation,
tort. This cake appears in many shades and shapes and is covered in
a variety of ways. A typical method involves cutting the cake horizontally
in two and covering it with fresh strawberries (for which Israel is
famous), jelly and whipped cream.
6 egg yolks
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Beat egg yolks; gradually add sugar, beating until
thick and light in color. Stir in lemon juice and rind.
Beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry.
Pile on top of the egg yolk mixture. Sift flour mixed with baking powder
over egg whites and fold in carefully. Turn into a 10 inch tube pan.
Bake at 325 deg F (170 deg C) for 50 minutes or until
browned and free from sides of pan. Invert and let cool.
375 gr. dates, pitted
1 cup each peeled, ground almonds and sugar
about 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg white
Mix the ground almonds, sugar and egg
white together. Put this mixture in a skillet and cook
over a low flame, stirring constantly, until the mixture
becomes sticky. Add 1 tsp. water and cook 1 minute longer.
Remove from the flame and let cool for several minutes.
With this mixture stuff the dates and roll in confectioners'
sugar. Serve while the filling is hot or at room temperature.
Serves 4.
The Middle East is the true
home of the fig, which is one of the seven
species mentioned in the Torah.
The fig was regarded as the fruit of desire.
Anyone who has held a fig, looked at its beautiful
exterior, opened it and studied its wonderful
juicy interior, smelled its sweet heavy scent,
and bitten into it will understand why. The
taste of a fig is the taste of summer in the
mountains of Jerusalem.
Figs may be served in an attractive bowl
with ice cubes. A wonderful way of enjoying
figs is to score them with two cuts in an
X-shape, open them, and sprinkle with a few
drops of arak or fresh lemon juice. Fresh
figs are marvelous served chilled, accompanied
by sheep or goat's cheese, such as Bulgarian
cheese.
Peeled figs can be served with vanilla cream
or zabaglione, plum sauce, or stuffed with
almonds, ground pistachios, or fresh pomegranate
seeds. In Moroccan
cuisine, figs are stuffed with ground meat.
1 kg fresh figs, green or purple; they
should not be bruised or too soft
850 gm sugar
3/4 cup water
Juice of half a lemon
Place the figs in a bowl of water. Rinse
them carefully - do not do this under running
water - and put them on a towel to dry.
Pierce each fig a few times with a fork.
Place the sugar and water in a pan and bring
to the boil. Drop the figs into the pan one
at a time and boil for 3-4 minutes, then lower
the heat and simmer gently.
Cook for about two hours. After one hour,
add the lemon juice.
Transfer the hot figs and syrup to clean
jars and close immediately.
The jars may be pasteurized and kept for
more than six months. In order to do this,
cover the jars with towels and boil in a large
pan of water for 20 minutes.
Because of conventional meal times in Israel (main
meal between 12:00 and 2:00 pm; supper at 7:00 pm), many Israelis have
coffee or tea with cake between 4:00 and 5:00 pm. It is not considered
proper in Israel to offer someone coffee or tea without cake. This is
one of the most popular cakes in Israel.
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 tsp. salt
confectioner's sugar
Cream shortening and beat in sugar. Add one yolk at
a time, beating after each addition. Sift together flour, salt and baking
powder and add to batter, alternating with milk. Beat in vanilla. Grease
a 10 inch loaf pan and dust lightly with flour. Pour in batter. Bake
at 350 deg F (180 deg C) for 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool on a cake rack. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
8 eggs, separated
1 cup extra-fine sugar
1/2 cup Marsala or Madeira wine
Mix together the egg yolks and sugar and beat until very light. Place
this mixture in the top of a double boiler over but not in boiling water.
Take care that the bottom of the pot with the ingredients does not come
in contact with the water. With a wire whisk beat until the custard
is foamy and then add, gradually, while continuing to beat, the wine.
Continue to beat until the custard has doubled in volume and begins
to thicken. Remove from the heat.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold these into the custard. Serve
in sherbet or wine glasses while still warm.
(Serves 4 - 6)