Splash of Sherri

triple chocolate hamantashen

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Sherri

My triple chocolate hamantashen are all dressed up and ready for Purim! They are one of my most requested recipes and with good reason. It’s chocolate – on chocolate – on chocolate!!!!!!!!!! The chocolate dough is rolled out and filled with a rich chocolate ganache and then as if there’s not enough chocolate, I give them a drizzle of white chocolate which puts them over the top!

Usually when I decorate them I scatter mini chocolate chips and colorful sprinkles over the white chocolate. This year I tried something outrageous and topped a few of them with a piece of a rainbow cookie and then I drizzled them with white chocolate. They turned out AMAZING and are definitely ready for the Purim party!

They are so rich and chocolatey, super easy, and I like that it makes a small batch of 2 dozen – however, they are so good, I always end up doubling it! I have adapted the recipe from one I found on My Jewish Learning’s website and it was created by Victoria Sutton. For more Purim info go to https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/purim-2020/ The ganache recipe is my tired and true from Ina Garten. – that’s quick, easy, and never fails.

I think I’ve kvelled (gushed over) these hamantashen enough. Now it’s time to get right to the recipe and start baking! I hope you love them as much as I do. Happy Purim & Enjoy!

ingredients
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa (I use Hershey’s Cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 extra-large egg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
water to close the hamantashen

ganache filling (make ahead of time)
8 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)
½ cup of heavy cream (half and half** will work too)
pinch of salt

toppings
white chocolate melting wafers, sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, and if you want to get crazy like me add sliced rainbow cookies, mini m&m’s or other candies

ganache
To make the ganache, place the chocolate chips, heavy cream and pinch of salt in a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Melt the chocolate until it’s just melted and stir it until it’s smooth. Put it in a container, let it cool on the counter about 15 minutes, then cover and put in the fridge. This should be made at least 2 to 4 hours before you plan to bake so it can harden. It can also be done a day ahead of time. If you are rushed for time, pour it into a shallow dish, it will set quicker.

dough
Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside until ready to bake. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Don’t skip the sifting. With a spoon, cream together butter, sugar, and almond extract until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add flour mixture 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. You don’t want it to be too sticky, and you don’t want it to be too dry. Divide the dough in 2 pieces and turn out onto plastic wrap, and form a flattened disc. Wrap tight and chill couple of hours or overnight.

To form hamantashen: lightly flour your baking surface, roll chilled dough ¼” thick. Using a round cutter or glass rim dipped in flour, cut circles about 3 inches in diameter. Add a little less than a teaspoon of ganache in the center of the circles.

Brush water around the edge of the circle and pinch the dough in three corners to seal and make the hamantashen triangle shape. Some people like to fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, if that’s your style, go with it!

If the dough seems a little soft, place the cookie sheet in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up then bake. This will ensure they stay closed.

Bake hamantashen at 350 F for about 12 – 14 minutes turning the cookie sheet half way through baking. They will be a little soft but will firm up a little after it comes out of the oven. Ganache will liquefy during baking, but will set as it cools.

*I usually have half and half in my fridge so I use that and it comes out perfectly.

easy homemade chicken kreplach

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Sherri

My easy homemade chicken kreplach recipe is here just in time for Purim but definitely something you’ll want to eat all year long! The Jewish holiday of Purim (which begins Monday night) commemorates the day Esther (Queen of Persia) saved the Jewish people from execution by Haman (advisor to the Persian King). During the holiday it’s customary to eat foods which look like the villain Haman’s triangular shaped hat or his ears! To learn more about the holiday check out one of my favorite websites My Jewish Learning https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/purim-101/

If you are on Instagram or other social media, I’m sure you have been seeing a lot of photos and recipes of the ever popular hamantashen. Which I have also posted because, well, they are hamantashen and delicious! However, there are other traditional foods eaten during the holiday like kreplach, which sometimes go unnoticed. They are triangular shaped dumplings filled with ground meat or brisket. They can be simmered in chicken soup, or pan-fried with onions* and eaten as a main or side dish. I think it’s time to bring the kreplach front and center into the spotlight!

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I’ve always been TEAM KREPLACH! While I occasionally like a nice fluffy matzo ball in my chicken soup and of course noodles, I have always and will always be team kreplach! They are so yummy and delicious especially when they are lightened up with chicken and are a perfect addition to chicken soup. The filling is simple and so tasty and the wrapper becomes pillowy soft after it cooks in the soup.

To make it easy from the start, I use prepackaged wonton wrappers. These are simple to find in the grocery near the Asian food section. Usually it’s near the vegetables in a refrigerated case. If you can find the Gefen brand in your kosher market, I prefer them. Using premade wonton wrappers speeds up the process. The filling is a few simple ingredients most of which you already have in your pantry. It can’t get less complicated than that. Start to finish it takes about 2 hours to sauté the filling and fold the dumplings. If it seems overwhelming prepare the filling a day ahead of time and refridgerate. Day one cook the filling, day two fill the wontons, day three 40 kreplach waiting to be enjoyed!

So let’s stomp our feet, scream out, and make some noise for kreplach! Who’s with me? Let’s get those groggers (noisemakers) shaking! Enjoy!

ingredients
1 pound ground white meat chicken (or ground turkey)
1 small onion diced (about a cup of raw onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove minced
1 large or extra-large egg
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 package wonton skins

directions
Sauté the onion and garlic in oil with ½ teaspoon of salt. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. When the onion is just starting to lightly brown, add in your ground chicken. Sauté the chicken until it is cooked through. Add remaining salt and pepper to taste. Chop it up a bit so there are no large burger sized pieces. Stir and set aside to cool.

When cool, add the mixture to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse until it is ground. It should be the texture of small grains of rice. Not like baby food.

Line up your wonton wrappers a few at a time on a board. Wet the four sides of the wonton, add a teaspoon of the mixture to the middle and fold into a triangle. I try to press the chicken into the spoon so it’s compact. Then fold over into a triangle pressing the edges together very tightly and pushing the air out not letting any filling escape.

Place them in a large container lined with a double layer of wax paper in between each layer. The recipe makes a lot but they freeze very well, and when ready to use they can be added to the soup frozen.

The other way I like to serve them is by pan frying* them in caramelized onions, then adding them to the pan to brown alongside. That’s the way my Bubbie (grandmother in Yiddish) made them.

*To pan fry them, sauté sliced onions in olive oil low and slow until caramelized and golden brown. Add the kreplach to the pan with the onions and pan fry until golden on the outside.

A big thank you goes out to my sister’s friend Amy. She gave me this recipe when I first moved to the Midwest and has become a staple in my house ever since!

hamantashen ice cream sandwich… it’s a match!

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Sherri

******************THROWBACK THURSDAY***************

To when I made a hamantashen ice cream sandwich!

Hamantashen + Ice Cream = The most delicious Hamantashen Ice Cream Sandwich… IT’S A MATCH! Everyone calm down, I’m not a real matchmaker; I’m more of a food matchmaker. I guess I could start with a corny joke like a hamantashen and a scoop of ice cream walk into a bar, yada – yada – yada… ba dum bump! But I can feel my family start to twinge, so I’ll put my comedic career on hold for a little while.

Yes, you heard me right and oh yes I put ice cream in the middle of my hamantashen! I hear you all out there judging me, with your “Oh no you didn’t.” But, oh YES I did. I know hamantashen can be a rich cookie with it’s pie filling, and chocolate but when you stop and think about it for a minute, it really sounds good doesn’t it? We put ice cream on pie. Isn’t hamantashen just a triangular little pie? Plus, didn’t 2016 bring us the babka ice cream sandwich from Russ and Daughters? And, what about the black and white cookie ice cream sandwich I recently saw on Instagram? If you ask me, hamantashen was just waiting for its turn to be asked to the dance. Hamantashen and ice cream, let’s tango!

How did I decide to make an ice cream sandwich using hamantashen? This happy union came about after trying a new hamantashen recipe this year. On Tuesday, the hamantashen softened up a bit because of the cherry pie filling. When I ate one, something just screamed out “HEY, HOW ABOUT A LITTLE ICE CREAM WITH THAT?” See what I did there with the caps? Obviously the trick is to have the right dough and filling for it. If you read yesterday’s post, you know I have tried quite a few different recipes in my time so you can trust me on this. For example, I make a cream cheese dough which tastes similar to rugalach, ice cream would not be a good match for that.

This recipe is adapted from the 2^nd Avenue Deli Cookbook. It’s a hamantashen that definitely stands alone. When it is first baked, it is crisp on the outside and tender on the inside and is absolutely delicious. On the second day, it softened a bit and in my opinion making it even better! The addition of ice cream puts it over the edge and turns it into an elegant dessert that’s so much fun for Purim. Plus, I don’t know about you but I absolutely love anything with almonds in it, and this has a double dose. I hope you will try this with your favorite ice cream and let me know what you think! Happy Purim everyone! Enjoy!
The recipe makes 4 dozen cookies using a 3” round cookie cutter, or 24 ice cream sandwiches

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup finely ground almond flour* (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
3 extra large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 stick softened unsalted butter (or margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
sanding sugar
egg wash**
Cherry pie filling (or other pie filling of your choice)

Good quality ice cream
Sliced almonds (I used honey toasted almonds from Trader Joes)
Chocolate or caramel sauce (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions
In a large blow, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Add the almond flour and mix well then set aside.

In another large bowl, cream sugar and butter with mixer until blended. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well. Add the almond and flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. If the dough is sticky, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your fingers. I did not do this step; I found the dough fine and then wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. The original recipe says you can bake it without refrigerating first.

When you are ready to bake, position the racks to the upper and lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll the dough to a thickness of about 3/16”. My trick is to use paint sticks you get at the hardware store. I cover them with plastic wrap and use them as guides. I like that better than the rings you can put on your rolling pin. Using a 3” round cookie cutter, cut circles of dough and place them on the cookie sheets.

When all of the dough has been cut place about 1 ½ teaspoon of filling in the center of the circle. Brush the perimeter with the egg wash or a little water. Now you can either use the pinch method as I do and pinch 3 corners together, or use the folding method where you flap one side, then the next two till you form a triangle.

Brush the tops of the cookies with the egg wash. I sprinkled mine with some sanding sugar for that extra sparkle and crunch. Bake the hamantashen for 18 to 20 minutes (checking after 15) or until the cookies are golden brown. To ensure even browning, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. When done, remove from the oven and let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes on the cookie sheet then remove to a wire rack.

Now to make the match… Place one hamantashen bottom side down, add a scoop of ice cream of your choice, top with another hamantashen top side up so you can see the beautiful topping and eat it carefully. Of course you can place it bottom side up as well – make it your own. It’s so yummy it won’t last long! If you want to plate it, dress up the plate with some chocolate sauce, maybe some whipped cream, and almonds. However you choose to eat it, it’s a match made in heaven!

* I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour which I found in my local grocery. King Arthur makes a great one as well which you can purchase online. You can also make almond flour in a food processor, here is a how to link.

**For the egg wash I use the whole egg and put in a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, and a splash of water.

marzipan pancakes aka “marzipancakes”

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Sherri

We first had marzipan pancakes in Chicago many years ago. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant, but I can’t. It was super cute and they had the most amazing breakfast. What I can remember, is at the time my older son was very much into marzipan. He talked about it incessantly! His entire 5^th grade class knew about it, of course our family and friends, and even our rabbi got in on the action and yada, yada, yada, yes, he loves marzipan too! Imagine our surprise to find they had what they called marzipan pancakes on the menu! They were amazing!

They were sweet, but not too sweet and they tasted like the familiar rainbow cookies – a.k.a. Neapolitan cookies – a.k.a. 7 layer cookies. And, without a doubt they tasted like marzipan! The texture is light and sprinkled throughout with delicious specks of almond paste.

In case you are not familiar, I should probably tell you what marzipan and almond paste is. Marzipan is sweeter and smoother than almond paste. It is roughly 2/3 sugar to 1/3 ground almonds, it’s soft and pliable and can be molded into beautiful realistic looking candy. It is most often made into the shape of fruits or vegetables. Almond paste is less sweet and grainier. It is roughly 50/50 sugar and ground almonds and is used for baked goods like cakes and cookies like the rainbows mentioned above. The reason the restaurant called them marzipan pancakes instead of almond pancakes was because the chef was also a big fan of this delicious confection. Join the club!

Because of my son’s peanut allergy, we always asked for ingredients of foods when at a restaurant – especially breakfast. The waiter told us it was a basic pancake recipe but they added cream cheese to add richness and almond paste for an intense almond flavor. I wrote down what he said and knew I was going to have to try to make them when I got home and of course I did! The restaurant made the batter from scratch and back in the day I did too. Once I found a good box mix I liked, I never looked back! No shame in that especially when you find one that has wholesome organic ingredients and not crazy on the sugar.

So, today in celebration of National Pancake Day, I decided to throw it back to when my boys were little and I made what they proclaimed to be the best pancakes they ever ate in their lives! Enjoy!

ingredients
2 cups pancake mix (I like Annie’s organic)
4 ounces almond paste, grated on a box grater
1 cup fat free milk (or whatever milk you like)
1/4 cup (4 ounces) low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large or extra-large egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted plus additional for the griddle
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Optional: confectioner’s sugar, maple syrup, slivered almonds, strawberries

directions
Preheat a griddle or a large, nonstick skillet over low heat while preparing the batter.

In a large bowl combine the milk, cream cheese, egg, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, almond and vanilla extracts. I use a handheld stick blender but you could also use a food processor to process until smooth. Add the pancake mix and blend until just combined. Then add the almond paste and stir to incorporate.

Check the temperature of the griddle. It should be hot but not so hot that it burns the butter. You can make a little test pancake to see how hot it is by dropping one tablespoon of batter onto the griddle. This is a great nosh while making the rest of the pancakes!

Grease the pan with the remaining butter. Work in batches and pour ¼ cup of batter onto the pan and cook for about 2 minutes a side or until the top starts to bubble and the bottom is golden brown. I like to use my ¼ cup cookie scoop for this, but a measuring cup will be great for this too. Continue with the remaining batter making sure to butter in between.

Serve with strawberries or fruit of your choice. I like it with a little confectioners sugar sprinkled on top and some toasted almonds. Go ahead and dress them up however you like.

sweet potato challah – vegan, delicious, and super easy!

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Sherri

A couple of weeks ago I made a sweet potato challah that’s vegan, delicious and super easy! It came out totally amazing – not to mention pretty to look at! By now, you must know how much I love to bake, photograph, and of course eat challah – it’s my own personal trifecta. It came out so good, I couldn’t wait to make two more the very next day. The reason I made a vegan sweet potato challah to begin with was for a friend who just had a baby. She is a vegetarian and also doesn’t eat white sugar, her husband is vegan (so no eggs or honey for him). No sugar, no eggs, no honey – challenge accepted!

There are a few vegan challah recipes out there, but none seemed right to me. Plus, I knew I didn’t want it to taste or look like white bread. I really wanted it to have a good challah flavor, good chew, and a nice color. I remembered making a vegan sweet potato challah when I was in Israel with a wonderful baker named Rina, https://www.rinabarina.com/. It was a lovely golden color, a little sweet, had nice body, and was really delicious.

I tried using her recipe but I got all tangled up converting grams to ounces and was afraid if I didn’t do it right it would be a total loss. Instead I used a recipe I created last year for a local challah bake. It’s a simple and easy dough so starting with it made sense. I’ll have to share that one too another time. After a couple of tries, it was perfect!

Since I had to replace the sugar, I decided to use a combination of date syrup which is also known as silan and maple syrup for additional sweetness. Silan is made from dates and is rich and thick like molasses. It has a deep caramel and brown sugar flavor. On a side note, it is delicious mixed in coffee and drizzled over ice cream! It’s also loaded with so much natural goodness it deserves its own post and I will definitely get to work on that for a later date (get it? Later DATE!).

The flavor of the sweet potato is subtle but definitely a bonus. Not only does it add a beautiful golden color, it also adds some sweetness, and great nutrients. You’ll be surprised to find you don’t miss the eggs, sugar, or honey at all. What I’ve created is a really easy challah recipe with quick rise times. It’s nice to change things up a little on Friday night every now and then so try my vegan sweet potato challah and you’ll thank me! Oooh, I wonder how it would taste as French toast the next day, which I know is the opposite of vegan but a girl can dream! Enjoy!

ingredients
3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour (I use King Arthur)
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ cup cooked and pureed sweet potato (roasted ahead/instructions below)
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¼ cup extra light olive oil
¼ cup Silan* (date syrup)
1/8 cup real maple syrup plus ½ teaspoon to add to yeast
sesame seeds (optional)

vegan “egg wash” for the top of the bread
2 tablespoons nondairy milk (I used almond milk)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon olive oil
Pinch of salt

a couple of quick tips
Before measuring the date and maple syrup, spray the measuring cup with oil, the syrup will slide right out. This recipe makes one 2 pound challah or two 1 pound challahs. If you can, use a scale to weigh the dough so the strands are all about the same size. This is more a secret than a tip,0 but I like to take a little dough off as a baker’s treat and make a little challah roll for myself!

how to roast a sweet potato
Roast your sweet potato the day before, or a couple hours before you decide to make the challah so it has plenty of time to cool. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (a toaster oven works well too). Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Wash and scrub the potato, poke it with a few holes and wrap in foil. Place on the tray and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on the size. It’s done when a fork pierces through easily. While you’re at it, roast a couple extra and save for a delicious snack or side dish. They keep well in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 days.

and now for the challah
In a 2 cup measuring cup (or bowl) add 1 cup warm water, yeast plus a ½ teaspoon of maple syrup and stir. Wait about 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to bloom (this is when it foams up).

In a large 5 quart bowl add 3 ½ cups flour and salt and whisk together. In a medium size bowl stir together the pureed sweet potato, oil, date syrup and maple syrup. Once the yeast has bloomed, add it to the sweet potato mixture.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the wet ingredients. You can use a mixer with a dough hook but I like to mix it by hand. Mix together with a spoon when it becomes too difficult to mix, use your hands and then start to knead the dough.

I knead it right in the bowl, or you can turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides. If the dough is too wet, add more flour a tablespoon at a time until it comes together into a smooth ball. It should be soft but not sticky.

Add a little oil around the sides of the bowl and roll the dough ball around in it, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for at least one hour or until doubled in size.

A trick for keeping your counter clean when rolling out the dough is to place plastic wrap directly onto your countertop. Sprinkle a little flour and turn the dough out onto the counter. Press the air out to deflate the dough.

From here you can make a 3 or 4 strand challah. The 3 strand is the most common braid but I’ve been going with the 4 strand for a while.

3 strand single challah: divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each out into snake about 16” long. For 2 challahs divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each out into snake about 12” long. Or make a 4 strand single challah: divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each out into a snake about 14” long. For 2 challahs divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll out into a 10’ snake.

For each challah, line them up and pinch them together at the top then braid. Place the braided challahs onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and brush with the vegan egg wash. Let rise for 30 to 40 minutes. After it’s rising for about 15 minutes preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Before going into the oven, glaze challahs again and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on top. Time will vary according to challah size. It is done when a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean or, the underside is slightly brown and sounds hollow when tapped

* You can find date syrup in health food stores, most kosher groceries, international markets and of course on Amazon. If you can’t find date syrup aka Silan, replace it with additional maple syrup.