ORANGE SHELLS FILLED WITH STRAWBERRY SORBET (recipe, pareve)

This recipe is multi purpose. You get the shells for holding the sorbet and the juice for drinking! You can cut the recipe in half if you're not having a large group.

 

ORANGE SHELLS FILLED WITH STRAWBERRY SORBET P SERVES: 16

Juicing oranges not only yields delicious juice but also creates a great receptacle for your sorbet. Serve each guest their own orange half filled with sorbet and a cookie and you have a light and elegant dessert.

Prep time: Oranges- 10 min.   Strawberries- 15 min.  Freezing- 120 min.

INGREDIENTS   

8 juice oranges   

one 20 ounce package frozen strawberries       

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons freshly strained lemon juice (1 large lemon)

1 egg white

Optional: fresh mint leaves

EQUIPMENT

Electric juicer

Electric food processor

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse oranges. Remove any labels. Halve oranges and cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half so that they can stand solidly. Juice them in an electric juicer.(You can do it by hand, but I find that the strength of the electric juicer produces a smoother orange shell on the inside.) Take care not to press down too hard or the shell will crack. Pour juice into a covered container and enjoy it. Arrange orange shells in a shallow container that can be frozen.
2. Remove strawberries from the freezer. Carefully, cut the berries in half and place them in the bowl of electric food processor. Sprinkle sugar over berries. Pulse on and off until berries are finely chopped. It will be noisy. When berries are chopped, use the regular on button and process berries until they are slushy. Add lemon juice and egg white and continue to process until the mixture is pale pink and thick.
3. Measure about 1/2 cup of sorbet into each orange shell. Place the filled orange shells-uncovered- into the freezer. Any extra sorbet can fill more oranges or be frozen separately. The sorbet will be frozen enough to serve in 1 ½ -2 hours. If you freeze them overnight, let them soften at least 20 minutes before serving. Garnish each sorbet cup with mint, if desired.

Note: The sorbet changes in texture after 2-3 days. It will still taste good but not as good as the day it was made.

Meatless Monday: Cod Cakes (recipe, pareve, passover)

Cod Cakes P Yield: 8 Cod Cakes

Cod is a medium firm white fish with a delicate flavor. It flakes easily and lends itself to absorbing many different flavors. These cod cakes are light, satisfying and so “non-fishy” that even your guests who shy away from fish will love them. They make a great light lunch, dinner or late afternoon snack.
Prep time: 60 min.  Cooking time: 15 min.
Ingredients
1 ¾ pounds fillet of cod-skin off
2 bay leaves
6 peppercorns
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 medium red onion
2 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 red pepper
1 large clove garlic
¼ cup fresh dill-chopped
½ cup matza meal
3 eggs
2 cups matza meal/ground nuts-
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
Equipment
Pan to poach fish
Electric food processor
Medium skillet with cover
Medium mixing bowl
2 shallow bowls
Directions

1. Rinse cod and place in pan with water to barely cover. Add bay leaves and pepper corns. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes on one side before carefully flipping fillet over and finish poaching on other side. Be sure fish is completely opaque before removing from liquid. Place poached cod in mixing bowl and flake. Remove any peppercorns that might have gotten stuck in fish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cool.
2. Peel onion, garlic and carrots. Cut into chunks and place in bowl of processor. Wash and chunk celery and add to processor. Rinse, core and chunk pepper and add to other vegetables. Pulse vegetables until they are minced.
3. Pour ½ cup oil in skillet. Heat over medium flame. Add vegetables and stir well. Reduce heat and cook vegetables until they are very soft and the carrots can be broken with the back of a wooden spoon. Allow vegetables to cool.
4. Drain cod again before mixing with cooked vegetables, one beaten egg, matza meal and dill. Taste. Season with salt and pepper  to taste. Form eight patties with your hands making sure not to pack them too tightly. Set aside.
5. Pour matza meal/ground nuts in one shallow bowl. Beat remaining two eggs in another shallow bowl.
6. Dredge cod cakes in matza meal/nuts, then in egg, and again in matza meal/nuts. Chill them for 30 minutes before frying.
7. Pour ½ cup oil in skillet. Heat over medium flame.  Carefully, place three or four cod cakes in skillet and brown on one side before turning them over and browning on second side.  If you have used nuts-lower the heat and be careful the codcakes don’t burn. Add more oil as needed. Drain cooked cod cakes on paper towel before arranging them on serving platter. Serve with Caper Mayonnaise or cocktail sauce.

Passover Roasted Duck in Fruit Sauce (recipe, meat)

ROAST DUCK IN MIXED FRUIT SAUCE M SERVES: 8

This is a mouth watering recipe that is relatively simple to prepare save for cleaning the ducks.  Major TIME saving hint: Get pre-roasted unseasoned ducks and then braise them in the sauce!

Prep time: cleaning kosher duck-endless- ask butcher for help

Prep time: 5 min. Roasting: 1 ½- 2 hours   Sauce- 10-15 min.  

Braising & Glazing- 45 min.

INGREDIENTS       

2 ducklings       

2 lemons                           

12 ounce jar black currant preserves           

24 ounces cranberry juice                   

1 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup potato starch dissolved in 1 cup water

24 ounces frozen mixed fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches)-defrosted

Optional-1 tablespoon Passover cherry liqueur

EQUIPMENT

1 large roasting pan

1 non stick roasting rack

Medium saucepan

Long handled fork

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to: 375 F.
2. Clean ducks thoroughly. Rinse inside and out with cold water. Cut one lemon in half and rub the skin of the ducks with the lemon halves. Place ducks, breast side up, on the roasting rack in the roasting pan. Place pan in the oven and roast 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, begin to prick the duck all over with a long handled fork. Be careful not to get spattered with fat. Remove some of the melted fat with a baster if it begins to crackle too much in the pan. Continue to prick ducks every 15 minutes until they are browned. Ducks need about 15 minutes per pound to properly cook. When the breasts have browned, I like to flip the ducks over so that their backs can brown as well. Prepare the sauce while the ducks are roasting.
3. Put juice, preserves and allspice in the saucepan.
4. Squeeze remaining lemon. Remove pits. Add lemon juice to saucepan.
5. Stir ingredients over medium heat until preserves melt. Add potato starch mixed with water. Stir sauce until it has slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Add mixed fruit and liqueur. Set aside.
6. When ducks are done, remove them from oven and allow to cool. Cut them into quarters with either a sharp knife or poultry shears. Arrange quarters in an oven to table serving dish. Pour sauce over duck. (You can either finish the recipe at this point or cover the pan and refrigerate duck until the next day.) Return duck to the oven for about 45 minutes or until skin has glazed. Baste every 15 minutes. Before serving, make sure each quarter is covered with sauce and berries. Serve hot with starch of your choice. (Thin sauce with cranberry juice if it becomes too thick.)

Optional: Garnish duck with fresh mixed berries.

Julia Child's Chocolate Truffles made Pareve!

I can't imagine what Julia would have said if she had heard that her truffles were being made with --gasp--pareve margarine instead of her beloved butter.  They truly are equally delicious, but perhaps it's best that she never knew ;) 

Julia Child’s Chocolate Truffles- In My Words, and Pareve Yield: about 36 truffles

The original recipe is on page 472 of Vol. Two of Mastering the Art of French Cooking

These tiny little truffles are a chocaholic’s dream. They are rich, creamy and totally delicious! An extra perk is that these are a great treat for Passover!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon espresso powder/instant coffee dissolved in ¼ cup water
7 ounces pareve chocolate chips
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
5 ounces pareve margarine
¼ cup orange liqueur
½ + cup unsweetened pareve cocoa
Equipment
Double boiler
Hand held electric mixer
Paper candy cups
Directions

1. Fill bottom of double boiler with just enough water so that the top does not touch water. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a slight simmer.
2. Mince the unsweetened chocolate with a sharp knife and add it along with the chocolate chips and dissolved coffee to the top piece of double boiler. Insert the top into bottom of double boiler and cover. Remove cover every few minutes and stir until chocolate has melted. Beat chocolate with electric mixer until smooth. Remove from heat and continue to beat chocolate a few minutes until cool.
3. Cut margarine into tablespoons and beat them, one at a time, into chocolate. When you have a totally smooth mixture, dribble in the orange liqueur and beat until it is well incorporated into chocolate. Chill chocolate mixture about two hours until it is firm enough to scoop.
4. Pour cocoa onto a shallow dish. Separate about three dozen paper candy cups and line them up in front of you.
5. I’ve formed the truffles two ways. 1. Take two teaspoons. Scoop a small amount of chocolate with one and scrape it out with another. Then, mold an uneven ball with your hands and roll the ball into the cocoa. Place in a candy cup. 2. Scoop chocolate mixture with a small melon baller, scrape it out with a narrow knife, roll in cocoa and place in candy cup. I find the second option quicker, easier and neater.  Keep truffles refrigerated for a few weeks or keep them in the freezer for a few months.