Author Archives: Amy Kritzer
Honey Horseradish Chicken
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Growing up, Passover meant sweet and sour brisket. Slowly braised in the oven for hours until Bubbe declared it was tender enough to eat. Sounds simple enough, but that poor brisket was in and out of the oven and examined and re-examined until it was dry. So we tried chicken one year. Surely that would fare better. But the story was the same- Bubbe, my Mom and Aunts gathered around the oven trying to determine if the chicken was done. Opening and closing the door, all whilst poking and prodding the poor bird. “Is it done?” “It looks done.” “No I see pink!” They were petrified of giving the whole family salmonella. Sigh.
Passover recipes are actually some of my favorite to develop- the limit in ingredients forces me to get creative and put together recipes that I never would otherwise. I decided to make a roasted chicken as homage to that Pesach- it would work for a seder, or you could nosh on it for meals during the chametz free week. Honey and mustard is one of my favorite combos, but of course mustard is out. How about horseradish instead as a nod to the seder meal? The horseradish gives the chicken a subtle spiciness much like a Dijon would, and is balanced with the sweet honey- delicious!
Ingredients
1, 5-pound whole chicken, rinsed well and with innards removed
½ lemon
5 bulbs garlic
½ white onion
5 fresh rosemary springs
¼ cup kosher for Passover prepared horseradish
¼ cup kosher for Passover honey
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Parsley for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Then put the chicken breast side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.
Stuff chicken with the lemon garlic, onion and rosemary sprigs.
In a small bowl, whisk together horseradish, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread all over the chicken, making sure to get under the skin as well.
Truss the chicken, or tuck the wings under the body and tie together the legs.
Roast chicken for 1 hour and 20 minutes, and then turn the oven up to 450 degrees F to brown the skin. Continue cooking about 20 more minutes until the internal temperature near the thighbone is 160 degrees F and the juices run clear (it should continue to cook once removed from the oven until the temperature is 165 degrees F).
Let chicken rest for 20 minutes covered with aluminum foil before carving. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Neopolitan Hamantaschen
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Purim has always been
one of my favorites out of the many, many Jewish holidays. Dressing up in fun costumes, masks, festive food and drinks. What’s not to love? One of my fondest memories growing up was attending out synagogue’s annual Purim Carnival. They went all out with games, face paint, and prizes all to celebrate Esther saving the Jews from Haman’s plans of extermination. Of course, as a young foodie, one of my favorite parts was the carnival themed food. While others went straight for the popcorn or cotton candy, I was all about the build your own ice cream sundae bar. Oh my. I piled on scoops of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry or two.
Hamantaschen, the symbolic Purim cookie, are a great base for all sorts of flavors. I’ve made Chocolate Dipped Hamantaschen, Hamantaschen Tarts and even Caramelized Onion Hamantaschen. But when it came time to recreate a version this year, I reminisced about my favorite ice cream flavors and went with Neapolitan. A strawberry cookie filled with chocolate and drizzled with vanilla. Why should kids have all the fun?
Amy Kritzer is a food writer and recipe developer in Austin, TX who enjoys cooking, theme parties and cowboys. She challenges herself to put a spin on her grandmother’s traditional Jewish recipes and blogs about her endeavors at What Jew Wanna Eat. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and watch her cooking videos on Google+.
Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
2 ¾ cups flour, sifted
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 stick butter, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg plus 1 for egg wash
Red food coloring if desired
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup chocolate nut butter, homemade or store bought
½ cup powdered sugar
few drops vanilla extract
Water
Directions
Combine the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
Meanwhile, puree strawberries in a food processer until blended.
Then add in the wet ingredients to the dry: butter, vanilla, 1 egg, pureed strawberries and orange zest and combine well with a mixer. If the dough is sticky, add a bit more flour. If it is dry add a bit of water. Form dough into a large ball and chill for at least one hour or up to overnight.
When you are ready to make your hamantaschen, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. Use a 3-inch circle cookie cutter to cut circles in the dough. The top of a wine glass works too! Roll out the scraps and recut into circles.
Then take a teaspoon of the nut butter and put it in the center of each circle. Don’t add any more- the filling will spread to fill the cookie, and anymore would just run over the top making for an ugly hamantaschen.
Fold two sides together overlapping at the bottom, and then fold the top down and secure.
Use the white of the last egg as an egg wash to give the hamantaschen shine and help it hold its shape. Then bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Allow cookies to cool.
Mix powdered sugar with vanilla extract and enough water to get a thick glaze. Drizzle over hamantaschen, let harden and enjoy!
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Coconut Latkes with Cranberry Applesauce & Cardamom Mascarpone
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Just when I’m starting to recover from the gluttony fest known as Thanksgiving, bam! It’s already time for Hanukkah. Bring on the fried. Growing up, my Mom cooked both traditional and sweet potato latkes every year for my brother and me. We looked forward to these tasty fried treats almost as much as getting the latest Everclear CD or a new set of Pogs, hypothetically speaking of course.
I continue the tradition by cooking for our annual Chrismukkah gathering and showing my friends that latkes are way more than a Jewish hashbrown. Last year, I served up Mexican Potato Latkes, which were gobbled up faster than you can say “chag sameach.” This year, inspired by my leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving, I went with a slightly sweet approach. Coconut gives the latkes a subtle flavor and extra crunch, while the cranberry applesauce and cardamom mascarpone brings a tartness that lends itself to the perfect bite. Since I am not hopeful of having a white Hanukkah with the 80-degree weather we have be having in my home in Austin, TX, I garnished the plate with extra coconut to resemble snow. Wishful thinking, perhaps?
Amy Kritzer is a food writer and recipe developer in Austin, TX who enjoys cooking, theme parties and cowboys. She challenges herself to put a spin on her grandmother’s traditional Jewish recipes and blogs about her endeavors at What Jew Wanna Eat. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and watch her cooking videos on Google+.
Ingredients
For Latkes:
2 cups (2/3 pound) russet potatoes, washed and peeled
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 eggs
2 Tbsps flour
2 Tbsps granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup canola oil
For Cranberry Applesauce
3 pounds apples (any apples you would use for baking, I used golden delicious), peeled and diced
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 Tbsps granulated sugar (up to 4 if you want it sweeter)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground all spice
Zest and juice from 1 orange
2/3 cup water (1/2 cup if using frozen cranberries)
1 Tbsp brandy (if desired)
For Cardamom Mascarpone:
¼ cup mascarpone
1 tsp cardamom (or more to taste)
Directions
To make the Coconut Latkes, start by shredding your potatoes with a grater.
Ring out all the moisture with a strainer and paper towel until all the moisture is gone and then add in the coconut, eggs, flour, sugar and salt and combine.
Meanwhile, heat up canola oil in a large sauté pan. Scoop two-tablespoon dollops of the potato mixture and flatten lightly and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Then flip and fry the other side. Drain on a rack over paper towels.
To make Cranberry Applesauce, in a large saucepan, combine apples, cranberries, sugar, spices, orange juice and zest, water, and brandy if desired.
Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cover, and cook for 15 minutes until apples are tender and some of the cranberries have burst. Stir every so often, adding water if it gets too thick.
Remove from heat and let cool. Blend with an immersion blender or smash with a fork.
To make Cardamom Mascarpone, combine cardamom and mascarpone in a bowl until blended.
Garnish latkes with applesauce and mascarpone!
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Bubbe’s Mushroom Challah Dressing
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Thanksgiving isn’t a Jewish holiday, per say, but with the abundance of traditional foods and family, it may as well be! Favorite Thanksgiving foods can vary greatly by family (I recall getting in a heated brawl with my roommate over green bean casserole vs. Brussels sprouts one year. Brussels sprouts all the way!) But certain foods seem to find their way to every table, such as turkey, cranberry sauce, pie and of course stuffing.
Unfortunately, I won’t be making the schlep from Texas to Connecticut to have Thanksgiving with my family this year. Which means I will miss the yearly gathering of everyone around the oven, opening and closing the door repeatedly questioning whether the bird is done, all whilst prodding and probing at it for clues. Miss you guys!
In order to continue the tradition in my own home, I decided to recreated Bubbe’s famous Challah Dressing (since it is cooked outside the turkey it is technically a dressing, and not stuffing) with my own twists. I swapped out the onions for leeks, and added carrots and lots of fresh herbs. If you can’t find any of the fresh herbs, you can substitute dried as noted. Dried herbs are more intense, so make sure to use less. Delish! Definitely a holiday dish everyone can agree on.
Amy Kritzer is a food writer and recipe developer in Austin, TX who enjoys
cooking, theme parties and cowboys. She challenges herself to put a spin on her
grandmother’s traditional Jewish recipes and blogs about her endeavors at What
Jew Wanna Eat. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and watch her
cooking videos on Google+.
Ingredients
1 large loaf challah, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8-10 cups, or enough to fill a
9x13 inch casserole dish)
4 Tbsp butter or margarine, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup carrots, diced
2 stalks leeks, cut into rounds
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups celery, sliced
2 cups mushrooms (any kind), sliced
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced (1/2 Tbsp dried)
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced (1/2 Tbsp dried)
1 tsp fresh sage, minced (1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced (1/2 tsp dried)
2 tsp fresh marjoram, minced (1 tsp dried)
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Fried sage leaves for garnish, if desired
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread challah cubes on a cookie sheet and
bake for 30 minutes or until dried out, tossing halfway.
Then increase oven to 325 degrees F.
Use butter or margarine to grease a 9x13 inch ceramic or glass casserole pan.
Melt remaining butter or margarine in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add
in carrots, leeks and salt and sauté until vegetables start to soften.
Then add in celery, mushrooms and seasonings. Sauté until all vegetables are
slightly soft. Cool slightly.
Mix vegetables with challah bread.
Combine eggs with chicken stock and pour oven bread mixture until well
saturated (you may not need all of the liquid).
Bake at 325 degrees F covered in foil for 45 minutes, removing cover for the last
10 minutes.
Garnish with fried sage if desired.
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
Pomegranate Brisket with Cranberry Succotash
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Rosh Hoshanah is one of my favorite Jewish holidays to cook for. Each year I look forward to the Fall smells, sense of renewal, traditions and of course eating lots of apples and honey. Now that I live in Texas, I sadly do not always get to spend the New Year with my family back east. But I do always take the opportunity to dream up a new version of my favorite main dish – brisket. In Texas, brisket is BBQ king.
Slowly smoked until it nearly falls apart and then smothered in a sweet and tangy sauce. I, of course, braise my brisket and enjoy feeding it to doubtful locals who are always won over by the tender meat and sweeter accompanying sauce. Plus, no special equipment besides an oven required!
I have wanted to try to create a pomegranate brisket for some time as a nod to the Rosh Hoshanah tradition to eat fruit that has just recently come into season. The pomegranate is often used for this purpose! Pomegranates are a little tricky to find in Texas, but the juice is plentiful and makes a perfect braising liquid. Served with pan juices and a crunchy, fresh succotash, this brisket is a new spin on an old favorite. If you have access to pomegranates, feel free to replace the dried cranberries with fresh pomegranate arils. This recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd, but remember the cooking time will be longer too.
Amy Kritzer is a food writer and recipe developer in Austin, TX who enjoys cooking, theme parties and cowboys. She challenges herself to put a spin on her grandmother’s traditional Jewish recipes and blogs about her endeavors at What Jew Wanna Eat. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and watch her cooking videos on Google+.
Ingredients
4-pound brisket
Salt and pepper
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
2 medium white onions, chopped into large pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup dry red wine
1-2 cups chicken broth
2 sprigs rosemary
2 springs thyme
2 ears corn, shucked and removed from the cob
1 cup dried cranberries (or fresh pomegranate arils)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup cilantro, minced
Salt to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
Season brisket on all sides with salt and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat and brown the brisket on all sides, or about 5 minutes per side.
Remove the brisket to rest, and add in onions and garlic. Sauté until browned, about 5 minutes.
Add brisket back in over the vegetables fat side down and cover with pomegranate juice, red wine, and enough chicken broth so the brisket is covered about ¾ of the way. Add in rosemary and thyme.
Cover the brisket and braise in the pre-heated oven for 3- 3.5 hours or until fork tender.
Once cooked, remove brisket to rest and heat pan juices over medium- high heat until reduced by at least half and sauce is thickened. Strain and add salt and pepper if needed.
In a bowl, combine corn and cranberries.
In a separate bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, honey, and red wine vinegar. Toss with corn mixture and add in cilantro and salt to taste.
Once brisket has cooled, sliced against the grain and top with sauce and succotash. It is best reheated in a 200 degree F oven covered in its sauce to retain moisture. Enjoy!
Note: The opinions expressed here are the personal views of the author. All comments on MyJewishLearning are moderated. Any comment that is offensive or inappropriate will be removed. Privacy Policy
