Chocolate Walnut Tangerine Biscotti

This recipe I made as one of five biscotti loafs for my coworkers as Christmas treat. I could not think of what other flavor to add to chocolate and then I remembered the chocolate orange candy that had to be smashed to break and chocolate slices. That's when it hit me that chocolate orange could work .
3 eggs
1 c sugar
1/2 stick of melted and cooled butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbl sp tangerine or orange juice
1 tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
2 tbl sp cocoa powder
orange zest from 4 tangerine or 2 oranges or approx 2 tbl sp
3 c sifted flour
1 1/2 walnuts
I use my Kitchen Aid to make the dough. Mix ingredients adding them one at a time in the same order they are written but start with only 2 cups of flour. Soft dough will form. If the dough is looking a little to tough reduce amount of flour or may add couple more spoons of orange juice, if the dough is little too soft add little more flour.
I turn the dough on the silicon mat and using the mat form it into a log.
Bake the log in the middle of the oven at 300F for approx 50 min. It may crack on the top and will widen as it bakes. Once out of the oven cool for 10-20 min or so, then slice on a bias 1/2 inch thick slices.
Place on the oven rack in the oven cut side down for another 15-20 min to dry. Cool cookies on wire rack.

Persimmon salad

This was a very simple salad that was born in my head as I looked out at my Fuyu persimmon tree from the kitchen window. I love to use what is available seasonally.
1/2 red onion sliced
1 rib of celery sliced
1/2 medium jicama julienned
1/2 red pepper sliced
1 firm Fuyu persimmon julienned
12-14 sprigs of cilantro chopped
Juice from half of the lime
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of pomegranate (optional)
Salt-and-pepper to taste
In this recipe, molasses could be substituted for lime juice with result that will have much less punch to it and salad will be a lot sweeter. Start by slicing the onions and adding it to a bowl then putting salt and pepper over. I find it if the onion is salted it becomes less sharp, so that my kids can eat it. While the onion is "sweating" the rest of the ingredients sliced and added to the bowl. Lime and oil are added last. Mix well and serve.

Rice with Mung Beans and Butternut Squash

This is the season for pumpkins and other winter squash. I love that vegetable and use it frequently. It is so versatile  so much could be done with it from stews and soups, to deserts. This can be a starch on your dinner plate or just a dish by itself if you are vegetarian.

1 1/2 cup of Basmati rice
1/2 cup of split mung beans
1 Onion chopped
Half of butternut squash cut in chunks
1/3-1/2 cup of oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon turmeric plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon Sumac
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 -1 cup raisins or dried cranberries or mix of both (optional)
2 c Water
Salt-and-pepper to taste
Chop and sauté the onions till golden yellow, adding salt and spices. Add butternut squash and sauté for few more minutes. While onion and squash are cooking wash the rice several times by running it under cold water until the water runs clear. This could be done ahead of time and rice can also be soaked over night. To rice add mung beans and contents of the skillet. Stir and cover with water. Since I used rice cooker, the timer announced when the dish was done but it was no more then 25-30 min. Split mung beans and rice were done and butternut squash was tender since it was cut in relatively small size chunks and started cooking in the skillet. More sumac was added for garnish.

Feijoa Salsa

Well, you have tried all kinds of fruits in salsa, I'm sure. I love peach and mango salsa that is out there. I did not invent anything new by making this one. I just am using what I have in abundance now, and that is Feijoa. I've done other things with it, and this is just another dish with this fruit.

1 Onion diced
1 Garlic clove pressed
5-7 Plum tomatoes diced
5-7 Feijoa fruits diced
10 or more sprigs of cilantro chopped
1 or 1/2 jalapeno finely diced
1/4 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Start with onion, and salt it. Let sit for few minutes. I find that this takes some bite out of onion and your bad breath later. Squeeze or grate on micro plane zester garlic clove into the onion, then squeeze lime juice over.
While onion and garlic marinating, chop the rest of the ingredients. Be careful with jalapeno and use gloves when chopping it. Capsaicin can make your life miserable if not properly removed from your skin, and if unwashed hands get on your mucous membranes, don't blame me. Depending on how hot you want your salsa, use jalapeno whole or half. Also, the seeds and veins in the pepper are the spiciest parts. Mix well and enjoy.

Passover White Chocolate Apple Torte

This isn't exactly my recipe and at the same time it is. I stumbled upon a recipe similar to this one, several years ago on the Internet by searching for a Passover dessert that I could make. This year I could not find it on the net if my life depended on it. I only remembered some of the ingredients and the method of preparing it, so I decided to experiment. One of the ingredients, in fact, was missing in my pantry. From what I remember, the recipe called for chocolate bar that had to be grated. I did not find any chocolate that I can use in my house, so I decided to use what I had in the house, which was white chocolate chips. Ta-dah: an amazing tort was born, even if I have to declare so myself. The rest is fairly straightforward.

6 eggs
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of matzo meal
1 cup of white chocolate chips
1 cup of walnuts
2 cups of grated Granny Smith apples or other tart apples
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch spring form pan with nonstick spray. Separate the eggs. In a food processor shred the apples and set aside. Using pulse chop walnuts to pea size pieces and set aside. Repeat the same with white chocolate chips making them half their size smaller and set aside. Using food processor or an electric mixer and a large bowl, beat egg yolks and half of the sugar,  until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Mix in matzo meal, then add in apples, white chocolate chips and walnuts. In another bowl, or Kitchen Aid  mixer with clean beaters, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and the rest of the sugar, until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into apple mixture, taking care not to deflate egg whites. Then, transfer batter to pan.  Bake until golden brown and set in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. To serve, run a small knife around edge of pan, remove cake, and slice.

Charlotte or Upside Down Apple Cake

I have not made this cake since I was a kid. In fact, I almost forgot that it exists. My mom reminded me about it when she visited me last winter. This cake is familiar to every Russian. It is so simple to make and it is so delicious I can't believe that I have not made it since I was 14. In Russia it is called Charlotte and I can call it that,  too,  or I can say it is an Upside Down Apple Cake. My mom makes it using the recipe a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so  I have measured everything out here. I made it yesterday since we were invited to a Shabbat dinner and I was requested to bring a parve dessert. Parve means that it's neither dairy or meat. I could not think of anything but Charlotte.

6 eggs separated
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of flour
2 Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced
Cooking spray for spring the pan and flour for dusting it.
Prepare your apples first. Spray with cooking spray the baking pan and dust it with flour. Tap on the baking pan to remove excess flour. Separate egg yolks from egg whites. I use both my food processor and my KitchenAaid mixer for the next two steps. In the clean bowl with a whisk attachment whip up eggs whites with cream of tartar and half of the sugar, until egg whites form stiff peaks. In the food processor, mix egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until thick light yellow mixture and ribbons form when you lift the blades. Add vanilla and flour to the egg yolks and mix until well blended. The next step is important, because you must carefully fold egg yolk mixture with about about one third of whipped egg whites without deflating egg whites too much. Then carefully fold the rest of  the egg yolks and whites together. Once you have everything folded together you can fill in the cake mold pouring the cake batter over the arranged apple slices. Place in the pre-heated oven at 350 F and bake until the tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean, or for about 50 minutes.

My mom used the same recipe when she made a birthday cake for me when I was a kid. She made it for my youngest when she visited this winter. Here are some pictures of the cake. To make it in to colors, before folding the yolks and egg whites she divided the egg yolk mixture in two, then to half of the mixture about a tablespoon of cocoa was added. This way she would have two batters one chocolate and one vanilla. The egg whites would also be divided in two and once folded together baked in separate baking pans. That way you would have to layers of the cake or four if you cut the individual cakes in two after baking. Another option is to pour the chocolate batter into the vanilla batter once it's in the baking pan, this creates a marble effect in the cake once it's baked. The icing for this cake was also quite simple. Soft and unsalted butter was whipped with sweetened condensed milk and once more adding a tablespoon of cocoa powder creates a chocolate flavor icing. Simple and very delicious just as the best childhood memory can be. "Mother knows best",-thanks for reminding me of that, Mom.

Potato Gratin with Yams

I have made this dish few times now and feel that it is time to share. In the past I have only done it with regular  potatoes but then I decided to mix it up a little. I like the look and the taste.

3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
2 large baking potatoes
1 yam same size as regular potatoes
8 oz milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or mozzarella - your choice)
1 red onion (optional)

Slice on the mandolin or by hand the yam and potatoes and onion if you wish to use it. spread butter on the bottom of the baking pan and add crushed garlic to the bottom. Layer the potatoes and yam alternately like the roof tiles. Even though the onion is not present in this picture, I have made it with red onion slices in the past and it makes a beautiful and delicious addition to the dish, just place the slices through out the dish. Mix milk and egg and pour it over the potatoes. Salt and pepper and place in the oven that has warmed up to 425 F. When the potatoes are fork tender, about 30-40 min, add the shredded cheese over them. If you like it cheesier add more, it does not hurt the dish at all. when the cheese is melted, in about 5 min the gratin is done.