the eilembergs

Sunday, April 12, 2009

A few of Asher's first words...

na-na = banana
Maaah= Max (he calls all dogs including Julio "Maaah")
yay=yay
wow=wow
ma ma=mom
da da = dad
mah= more or mas
wah=water
chee=cheese
bah=boo

People always told us to cherish every moment with them because they change so much! That is so true; it's so hard to wrap your mind around how much they grow and change. And you just don't believe it until it happens. Asher, we want to wish you a happy 1st birthday and to tell you we are such proud parents and that we love you so much!

Our Passover Seders

We had two nice Passover Seders at our house this year. The first night we had Rosie and her 16 month-old daughter Gabi (Gabi was such a little trooper!) along with our friends Tom and Kate McGovern.

And for the second night we had our friend Tracy Svoboda and three of her teenage children. It was such a pleasure to have good company for both nights!

The following posts are some of the recipes for the dishes we had:

Quinoa Pilaf

2 cups quinoa
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup golden raisins or craisins (the craisins give a nice color)
1/2 cup assortment of chopped fresh herbs (I used cilantro, parsley, basil, mint)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
extra virgin olive oil
pomegranate molases (see my posting in January for recipe)

Rinse quinoa under water for several minutes, rubbing the seeds together to remove the slightly soapy film. Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and add the stock.

Cook the quinoa over medium until it is tender (about 20 minutes).

Drain any excess liquid and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper as needed. Finally drizzle with a few tablespoons of pomegranate molases for garnish.

Matzo Ball Soup

4 large eggs
1/4 cup rendered chicken fat or fat reserved from the chicken broth, at room temperature
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
5 oz. (1-1/4 cups) matzo meal
7 cups chicken broth
3 chopped carrots
3 chopped celery
Handful of fresh dill
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/3 cup cold water. Add the rendered or reserved chicken fat and whisk until the fat blends in. Mix in the salt and pepper. Gradually but quickly stir in the matzo meal with a spoon; the mixture will be thick and stiff, like muffin batter. Don't overmix. Chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and fill a bowl with cold water. Dip a large soupspoon in the water, and gently scoop up the chilled matzo mixture and shape it with your hands into 12 medium balls (about 1-3/4 inches in diameter) or 18 smaller ones (about 1-1/4 inches in diameter), being careful not to compact them. Put the matzo balls on the lined baking sheet. Cook immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

To cook the matzo balls, bring 1 or 2 large pots of salted water to a boil. Drop in the matzo balls, cover the pots, and reduce the heat after the water returns to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the matzo balls have doubled in size and have lightened all the way through (cut one in half to check) 30 to 40 min.; drain. Cooked matzo balls can be held at room temperature for several hours. (They also freeze well; I like to thaw them out completely before adding them to soup)

Saute the carrots and celery until soft. Add the chicken broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the matzo balls and heat until they're hot in the middle, 8 to 10 min. A few minutes before serving add the fresh dill. With a slotted spoon, put 2 medium or 3 small matzo balls in a warm soup bowl. Ladle in hot broth and sprinkle generously with the parsley. Serve right away.

Charoset

CHAROSET

This is one of the six elements on the Passover Seder plate. It is a spiced chunky spread symbolizing the mortar that the Jewish slaves used for constructing buildings in ancient Egypt. You can serve it spooned over matzo.

7 apples, cored

3 pears, cored

1 cup raisins

1 to 2 cups toasted nuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup sweet wine such as Manischewitz

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

Grate all apples and pears in a food processor. Add them to a large mixing bowl and mix with all other ingredients. It's best to make it a day ahead to give all the flavors time to meld.

Broiled Asparagus with Caramelized Shallots, Chile and Mint

The thing I love about this dish is that you can make extra caramelized shallot topping to use on a lot of other things. Use it to top grilled portabellas, green beans, fish, steak, even green salad.

5 shallots

2 serrano chiles, coarsely chopped (leave seeds in for more kick)

2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

1/4 cup toasted almonds

1 bunch aparagus

1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic reduction*

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a skillet to medium-high. Add the sliced shallots and salt and pepper stirring constantly until the onions turn a golden brown. Once they turn golden, turn the heat to medium stirring occasionally and add more oil if necessary. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Remove shallots from pan. Add more oil and saute chiles until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Once the chiles are cooked add the onions to the pan and stir to combine flavors then set mixture aside. This can be done a few days ahead of time.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and toss the asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them about 6 inches from the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Just enough to slightly char some parts.

Transfer asparagus to serving platter and top with shallot mixture, toasted nuts, freshly chopped mint and drizzle with balsalmic reduction.

*To make a balsamic reduction, take 1 cup of balsamic vinegar with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and simmer gently while stirring until sugar disolves. Once the sugar disolves let it simmer without stirring until it comes to a molases consistency, about 45 minutes.

Flourless Chocolate-Almond Cake with Almond-Cherry Caramel Glaze

This cake is not only great for Passover but good to eat any time of year. I like to double the recipe for the glaze.

For the cake:
1 cup unsalted stick margarine, softened, more for the pan (I only use margarine if we are having meat)
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. table salt
6 large eggs, separated
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup matzo cake meal

For the glaze:
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup Kirschwasser or other cherry liqueur
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Make the cake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, then grease the paper and sides of the pan. Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl set in a small skillet of hot, barely simmering water. Remove the chocolate from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, process the almonds in a food processor until finely ground and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric hand mixer), beat the margarine with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt on medium speed until soft and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix on medium-low speed until smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate, ground almonds, and matzo cake meal.

In another large bowl, using the whisk attachment or clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks, about 1 minute more.

In three batches, use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spread evenly, and bake until the top starts to brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just some moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.

While the cake is baking, soak the cherries in the liqueur in a small bowl. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze:

In a heavy-based medium saucepan, stir the sugar and 1/2 cup water together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to medium high and cook, swirling occasionally and brushing down the sides of a pan with a wet pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals, until the caramel turns a deep, amber brown, about 6 minutes. Carefully add 1/4 cup water (it will bubble up), and whisk together until the mixture acquires an even, syrupy consistency. Drain the cherries and then stir them into the caramel, along with the chopped almonds.

Remove the sides of the springform pan and set the cake on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pour the caramel mixture evenly over the cake (it's fine if it spills over the sides). Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before transferring to a cake stand and serving.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

The Escape Artist

Last week Asher and I had to make an express trip to the grocery store to get some last minute things before our Seder. So when we got to the check out line I decided to go through the self-checkout line because all the other lines were pretty long. So as I'm trying to hurry as quickly as possible while at the same time trying to keep Asher entertained I get to something that won't scan through so I have to wait for the lady to approve it (every time I go through the self check-out I swear to myself I will never do it again because it always takes so much longer). I glance back to my cart to find Asher hanging upside down in mid-air from the grocery cart! He had turned himself around while being strapped in the safety cart harness and tried to climb into the main shopping cart area. So there he was dangling upside down, little feet flailing in mid-air. My heart dropped and time stood still while I tried to process what was happening.

He has been a squirmer since the day he was born. The nurses at the hospital nick-named him the "escape artist" because he was always squirming out of the swaddling blankets!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Party Animals

I decided to throw Asher's first birthday party 10 days early because his real birthday (April 12th) falls during the week of Passover this year; and as chaotic as Passover can be with all the dietary restrictions, I didn't want to throw anything else into the mix.