Matzoh Mania!

Happy Monday all! I hope it hasn't been too painful. Tonight I'd like to shower you with matzoh recipes for the end of the evening...in case you haven't been matzoh-ed out by the meal at your Passover table. I can't promise kosher, but I can promise fun, creative, and delicious! Enjoy!

Mocha Matzoh Napoleon
The Kosher Baker, Paula Shoyer

Ingredients

• 10 large matzohs
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee (or 6 tablespoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 cup of hot water), cooled

Mousse

• 23 ounces parve bittersweet chocolate, divided
• 8 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, at room temperature

Directions

1. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with 2 pieces of plastic wrap that are large enough to drape over and cover all of the sides.
2. Break the matzoh pieces in half. Pour the coffee into a shallow pan and add the matzoh pieces, turning them over so that each piece becomes soaked with the coffee. Set aside.
3. To make the Mousse: Break 21 ounces of the chocolate into small pieces and melt either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar. Add the softened margarine and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed or vigorously by hand with a whisk until combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat again.
5. In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until they start to stiffen. Turn the speed to low, add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and then turn the speed back to high and beat until very stiff, about 1 minute more. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture.
6. Spoon about 1/5 of the mousse into the prepared pan to cover the bottom. Add 3 to 4 matzoh halves to cover the mousse in 1 layer. Add another 1/5 of the mousse to cover the matzoh and then another layer of matzoh. Repeat until you have used all the matzoh. There should be 4 to 5 layers, depending on the size of your matzoh pieces. The last layer should be the mousse. Cover with plastic.
7. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. Place in the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.
8. To serve, unmold the pan onto a large platter and peel off the plastic wrap. Use a grater or vegetable peeler to shave the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate on top of the mousse. Cut into 20 pieces.

Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months.

Matzoh Baklava

Chef Einat Admony (Adapted by Nancy Davidson) Restaurant Taim

Ingredients

• 6 sheets matzoh

For syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water

For assembly

• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup shelled raw unsalted natural pistachios, chopped
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted margarine or butter, melted

Directions

1. Briefly pass each sheet of matzoh under cold running water until wet on all sides. Layer sheets between damp paper towels and let stand until somewhat pliable but not soggy or falling apart, about 2 hours.

While matzoh is softening, make syrup

1. In small saucepan over moderately high heat, stir together 1 cup water and sugar. Bring to boil, then lower heat to moderate and cook, uncovered, until syrupy and thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, honey, and rose water and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool, then chill until ready to use.

Assemble dessert

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir together walnuts, pistachios, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Separate out 1/6 of nut mixture and reserve for topping cooked baklava.
2. Transfer 1 sheet matzoh to counter. Press rolling pin once over sheet from one end to other to flatten. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Transfer to 8-inch-square pan and brush with melted margarine. Sprinkle with 1/5 of unreserved nut mixture.
3. Roll out second sheet of matzoh and transfer to pan. Brush with margarine and sprinkle with nut mixture. Repeat with remaining matzoh sheets and remaining nut mixture, ending with matzoh sheet brushed with margarine on top.
4. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and immediately pour chilled syrup over. Sprinkle with reserved nut mixture. Let cool, then cover and let stand at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. (Do not chill.) Cut into small squares or diamonds and serve.

Apple-Matzoh Kugel

Epicurious, Abigail Kirsch

April 2001

Ingredients

• 4 large apples, Granny Smith or any tart apple, cored and cut into medium dice
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 6 plain matzohs
• 8 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup dried apricots, medium, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into small pieces, for casserole topping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Toss the apples with the brown sugar and orange juice, set aside in a medium bowl.
3. Break the matzoh into 2- to 3-inch pieces and soak in 1 cup of warm water until soft but not mushy. Set aside.
4. While the matzoh soaks, beat the eggs with a wire whisk in a large bowl until blended. Add the salt, sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, raisins, and apricots.
5. Squeeze the liquid from the softened matzoh and add the matzoh to the egg mixture with the apples. Stir the kugel well and pour into a lightly greased 2 1/2-quart casserole dish or a 10x14-inch pan. Dot the top of the kugel with the 4 tablespoons of butter.
6. Bake the kugel for 1 hour. Cover the top with foil if the top begins to become too brown early in the baking. Remove the kugel from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Cook's Tip:The kugel can be made 2 days ahead, cooled, and refrigerated, covered. Bring to room temperature and reheat in a 350°F oven.

Happy baking!