Passover and Easter are all about family gatherings.
Chef de Cuisine Marc Spooner and Pastry Chef Newton Pryce
share their favorite home cooked dishes.
PASSOVER
Garlic and Herb Roasted Beef Brisket
with Orange-Glazed Carrots, Wilted Spinach
and Apricot, Date, and Pistachio Haroseth
10 cloves of garlic, whole
3 Tbsp. olive oil
beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and patted dry
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
4 cups chicken broth or beef broth
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan or casserole large enough to accommodate the meat in one layer. Salt and pepper the brisket. Add the brisket and brown well on both sides, about 10 minutes total.
Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat remaining in the pan and add the garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic edges are tinged with gold. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stock, thyme, and rosemary sprigs, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.
Place the brisket in the oven, cover and cook, basting every half-hour, until the meat is fork tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from the oven and allow the brisket to rest about 15 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve with orange glazed carrots, wilted spinach and haroseth.
Prepare the Carrots:
2 pounds large long carrots
2 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Chopped chives
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Peel and Cut carrots on a long bias. Blanch in large saucepan of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain and gently pat dry.Combine orange juice and honey in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until honey dissolves. Add carrots and butter; simmer until carrots absorb most of orange syrup, about 4 minutes. Add vinegar. Mix gently. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer carrots to serving bowl. Sprinkle with chives or tarragon
Prepare the Wilted Spinach:
6 cups baby spinach, packed
2 clove garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
In a large sauté pan on medium high heat, add the garlic cloves, allow to brown slightly, add spinach and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir spinach and remove from heat just before completely wilted (spinach will continue to wilt when removed from the pan for about 30 seconds). Serve with Brisket.
Prepare the Apricot, Date, and Pistachio Haroseth:
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 dried dates, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cream Sherry
1 (3- by 1/2-inch) strip orange zest, finely chopped (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.
Honey Walnut Carrot Cake
2 cups matzo meal, plus additional cake meal for dusting the pan
9 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
½ cup sugar
¾ cup honey
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
3 cup grated carrot
1 cup ground walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and dust it
lightly with matzo cake meal. In a large bowl with an
electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are thick and pale, add the
sugar gradually, beating. Continue beating the mixture until it is very
thick, then add the honey.
Add the carrot, cinnamon, ginger, walnuts, vanilla, and the remaining 2 cups matzo
cake meal. Beat the mixture until it is combined well. In a bowl (with
the beaters cleaned), beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they
just hold stiff peaks. Stir 1/2 cup of the whites into the carrot
mixture. Fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Pour the
batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake on a rack placed in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan, and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
EASTER
Roasted Lamb
with Cauliflower, Onions and Peas
1 leg of lamb, bone in
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and Thyme leaves
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
Sauce:
1 cup chopped fresh herbs (combination of rosemary, chives, and parsley)
2 cups diced onions
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Rub the garlic and rosemary and thyme evenly all over the surface of the meat. Season the meat with the salt and pepper and place the lamb in a roasting pan. Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to cook for about 1 hour longer for medium-rare, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers about 145 degrees F to 150degrees. Remove lamb from pan and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
Position the roasting pan over your stove burners. Add mixed herbs and onions to pan, and stir to combine with pan drippings. Add chicken stock and wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any fond. Reduce over high heat until sauce consistency. Strain before serving, if desired. Slice lamb and serve with sauce drizzled over the top.
Prepare the Cauliflower:
5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets,
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Chopped chives, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Place the saute/roasting pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting. Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.
Prepare the Onions and Peas:
1 1/2 pounds pearl onions
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 cups fresh sweet peas, shelled
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 small bunch pea leaves,
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in the pearl onions and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain them out and then shock them in ice water to stop from over cooking. Drain again. Pinch the pearl onions out of their little skins and set aside.
In a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and 2 teaspoons of the dill. Once the liquid gets hot, add the pearl onions and peas. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until well coated and thickened slightly. Add the lemon juice, pea leaves, remaining butter, and dill; season with salt and pepper.
Coconut Lemon Cupcake
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 heaping teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cups loosely packed sweetened coconut flakes (3.5 ounces)
For the Frosting:
5 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped into small chucks
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
1/4 cup whole milk
Finely grated lemon zest, for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 5 parts total, alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined. Fold the coconut into the cupcake batter.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each liner almost to the top with batter. A spring loaded 1/4 cup ice cream scoop works great for this and ensures that the cupcakes are all the same size. Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a small heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, carefully and slowly melt the white chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool until just slightly warm. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Add the salt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and milk and mix until very smooth. Add the melted white chocolate and mix just until incorporated.
Frost the cupcakes and garnish with a bit of grated coconut flakes.
