Potato and Sweet Potato Torte

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large leeks, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 small), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1 pound all-purpose potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold (2-4 medium), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Position oven rack at the lowest level; preheat to 450°F. Coat a 9 1/2-inch, deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper or foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and thyme; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. (If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to prevent scorching.) Season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Arrange half the sweet potato slices, slightly overlapping, in the prepared pie pan and season with a little of the remaining salt and pepper. Spread one-third of the leeks over the top. Arrange half the potato slices over the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Top with another third of the leeks. Layer the remaining sweet potatoes, leeks and potatoes in the same manner. Cover the pan tightly with foil.

Bake the torte until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the torte to loosen it. Invert onto a serving plate. Remove paper or foil and serve.

Chocolate Chip Kisses for Passover

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Beat egg whites until they form peaks. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla until then whites are stiff. Gently stir in the nuts and chocolate chips with a spoon. Drop the batter on parchment paper on a baking sheet in teardrops, Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in preheated 300 degree oven, until smooches are hard but still white.

Spice-Rubbed Cornish Hens with Haroses Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 (1 1/4-to 1 1/2-pounds) Cornish hens
1 1/3 cups apricot, date, and pistachio haroses (recipe below)
1 cup medium-dry Sherry
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Whisk together spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and oil in a small bowl. Pat hens dry and stuff cavity of each with 1/3 cup haroseth. Place hens in a large flameproof roasting pan and rub all over with spice mixture, including underneath skin of breast meat (loosen skin gently with your fingers). Tuck wings underneath body, then secure legs together with a wooden pick or tie with kitchen string.

Roast hens 20 minutes, then brush with pan drippings. Continue to roast, basting every 10 minutes, until juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, 25 to 30 minutes more (45 to 50 minutes total). Transfer hens to a cutting board. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and boil drippings, scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Carefully add Sherry and boil 2 minutes (or until flames subside). Add water and boil, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a measuring cup and let stand 1 minute, then skim off fat. Serve hens, halved if desired, with sauce on the side.

Apricot, Date, and Pistachio Haroses (use extra to serve with matza or during seder)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole almonds with skin, toasted and cooled
2/3 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup pitted dried dates, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Sherry
1 strip orange zest, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Pulse nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add dried fruit and pulse until chopped. Add Sherry, zest, and spices and pulse until incorporated.

Braised Spare Ribs

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces peanut oil
• 3 pounds spare ribs, cut into bones
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 ounces tomato puree
• 2 ounces red wine vinegar
• 3 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Season flour with salt and pepper and dust ribs with it. Knock off any remaining flour and heat up oil. Brown ribs in oil and set aside.

Saute, over low heat, the onions and garlic until translucent. Add spices and stir. Add the puree, red wine vinegar, and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Place ribs in braising pan and cover with the seasoned beef stock stock. Cover with foil. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours or until ribs are tender.

Meatball Pizza with Sauteed Onions

Ingredients:
Store-bought pizza dough
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, 1/2 sliced, 1/2 chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pizza dough in half. Roll out each half into 1/4-1/2" thick circles. Drizzle olive oil over crust and sprinkle with rosemary. Poke holes all over with a fork and bake for 10 minutes so its cooked partially but not brown.

Meanwhile, drizzle pan with olive oil over medium heat. Add beef and break up with a wooden spoon. Brown the meat a couple minutes, then add chopped onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then work in tomato sauce and oregano. Remove the meat mixture into a bowl and wipe down the pan. Drizzle pan with olive oil again and saute sliced onions till slightly caramelized. Spread thin layer of tomato sauce over crust, top with meat mixture and then sauteed onions. Bake for 10-12 minutes till crust is completely cooked.

Decadent Chocolate Hamentaschen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces butter substitute, softened
1 egg
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or soy creamer
Filling:
8 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
8 ounces heavy cream or soy creamer
Dash salt
Rum to taste (optional)
Chopped cherries, cranberries, nuts, or toffee (optional)

Cream butter, sugar, and salt if using until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture in two stages, alternating with the heavy cream. More or less cream might be needed depending on the consistency of the dough. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, and form a flattened disc. Chill for at least one hour.

To prepare filling: Over a double boiler (or Pyrex bowl over small pot of simmering water), heat cream and chopped chocolate. When chocolate is mostly melted, lightly whisk until ganache-filling is smooth and shiny. Whisk in rum and salt. Chill for several hours.

To form hamantaschen: Roll chilled chocolate dough to slightly more than 1/8 inch thick. Using a round cutter or glass rim dipped in flour, cut circles of about 3 inches in diameter. If adding dried fruit or nuts, sprinkle a small amount in the center of the cut discs.

Remove ganache from fridge, and using either a small ice-cream scoop or by hand, form about 1 inch round balls and place in center of circles. Carefully fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, and pinch the corners to seal. Ensure there are no gaps or tears in the dough, to prevent filling from oozing out during baking. Bake hamantaschen on greased cookie sheets at 350 F for about 15 minutes, until crust is baked through. Ganache will liquify during baking, but will set as hamantaschen cool.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:
3⁄4 cup (1 1⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter substitute (such as Earth Balance), softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 Tbsp. red food coloring
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
3 1⁄2 cups cake flour
(not self-rising), sifted
1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk or soy milk
1 1⁄2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking soda

store-bought vanilla frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin pans. Bake the cupcakes until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. If desired, decorate with colored sprinkles.