Almond Fudge (Badaam Paak)

Badaam paak is a North Indian sweet commonly served on auspicious occasions.  I made it recently for a Diwali celebration.

Most recipes include the following ingredients, though the proportions vary.  Some versions also include desiccated coconut (for additional sweetness and texture) and milk powder.

Makes 32 2-inch squares

Ingredients

16 ounces unsalted butter (4 sticks)

20 ounces semolina (sooji)

1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom

1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

2-3 generous pinches saffron

18 ounces almonds, coarsely chopped

20 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 ounces pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon white poppy seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large heavy-bottom pot on medium heat.

2. Sauté semolina, cardamom, nutmeg and saffron until mixture is fragrant and light golden brown.  This will take 15-30 minutes depending on the pot and the heat.  Semolina can burn quickly so stir constantly and pay attention to the mixture closest to the bottom of the pot.
3. Add 16 ounces almonds and stir for 2 minutes.  Then add condensed milk and stir until well mixed.
4. Divide mixture into two 9x9 inch metal baking pans.  Use the back of a spoon to distribute the mixture evenly.

5. Sprinkle with remaining almonds, pistachios and poppy seeds.  Press with the back of a spoon to ensure that nuts and seeds adhere.

6. Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.  While still warm, use a sharp knife to cut into squares or diamonds.

7. Store in an airtight container lined with wax paper.  Will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 6 months.

Spiced Apple and Honey Ice Cream

This year we are hosting our first Rosh Hashanah dinner.  Instead of the traditional brisket or roastchicken, we are serving chicken fesenjan, a Persian dish that contains pomegranates, a fruit often associated with the Jewish New Year.

For dessert I made this ice cream which includes apples and honey, which symbolize a sweet new year.  The Ashkenazi community first linked these ingredients with Rosh Hashanah in late medieval times; now the association is widespread throughout the Jewish community.

The apple has particular significance for several reasons: Rosh Hashanah is believed to be the day when God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the garden is believed to have had the scent of an apple orchard; ancient Jews believed apples had healing properties; the apple is also considered by some to represent the feminine aspect of God and eating apples represents our hope of being well-judged by him.

This ice cream can be served alone or as an accompaniment to honey or apple cake.  Other dishes that can be served at Rosh Hashanah include pomegranate couscous, noodle kugel, and honey cake.  Each of them contain some of the ingredients associated with this holiday.

Serves 10

Ingredients

Spiced apples

3 large apples, cored, peeled, sliced, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

pinch of salt

Ice cream

3 cups heavy cream
9 large egg yolks

3 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon vodka or other neutral alcohol (optional, to lower freezing temperature)

1/2 cup apple sauce (ideally one with a strong, spicy flavor)

Directions

1.     In a medium saucepan, combine the spiced apples ingredients.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the apples are tender and all the liquid has evaporated.  This should take about 10 minutes.  Let the apples cool and then place them in the fridge to chill.

2.     Pour 2 cups of heavy cream into a large bowl and set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.

3.     Combine the milk, sugar, salt, and remaining heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once the mixture is warm and just begins to bubble, slowly pour about half of it into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Return the mixture to the saucepan over medium high heat.

4.     Cook the mixture, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, until it thickens and coats a spatula or spoon (about 170-175° F).  Pour the mixture through a strainer into the large bowl with cream (this will remove any egg that has cooked).

5.     Mix in the vanilla and vodka.  Thoroughly chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.  Lay plastic wrap on the mixture so that a skin does not form.

6.     Pour the mixture into the bowl of an ice cream maker, and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  About 10 minutes before the end of the cycle, add apple sauce to the ice cream.

7.     In the final minute, add the cooled spiced apple mixture until well incorporated.

8.     Remove and store in an airtight container for up to three months.

Irish Soda Bread

Like many holidays with a religious origin, St. Patrick’s Day has become a secular observance in much of the United States.  The day celebrates one of the most recognized patron saints of Ireland who brought Christianity to the island in the 5^th century.  He is also credited with banishing snakes from the country, though scientific evidence suggests there were no snakes in post-glacial Ireland.

While it has not taken on the commercialism associated with Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween, this holiday is often associated with bacchanalian revelry.  On this night, Irish pubs and other watering holes teem with some of the 36 million Americans that claim Irish ancestry (and many others who make no such claims!) decked out in green shamrocks, clothing, accessories, and face paint.  While I tend to avoid the crowds on this night, I decided to observe the occasion by baking soda bread—a treat commonly made by North Americans on St. Patrick’s Day.

Traditionalists complain that modern versions hardly resemble the original recipe, which was limited to flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.  My formula includes a few enhancements—caraway seeds, currants, egg, and a touch of sugar—but is restrained in comparison to some cake-like creations.  An online search revealed soda bread recipes with chocolate, butter, orange zest, pastry flour, and loads of sugar; these decadent items sound more like components of French pastries than the baked goods of the formerly poverty-stricken Irish.  One disparaging online testimonial scoffed at the notion of orange zest in soda bread, reminding the audience that oranges were a rare treat only given to children at Christmas.

Thankfully, we live in less austere times and so we can enjoy soda bread (and oranges) more than once a year.

Serves 8-12

Ingredients
4 cups unbleached all-purpose
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 cup dried currants or raisins
2 cups buttermilk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, caraway seeds, and currants/raisins.

3. In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk and egg together.

4. Using a wooden spoon, add the wet ingredients to the dry ones.  Knead the dough to incorporate all the ingredients and add additional buttermilk (in one tablespoon increments) if needed.  Do not knead the dough too much.  The dough should be rough and craggy; it will not be smooth like dough that contains butter and more eggs.

5. Shape loaf into a ball and flatten slightly.  Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

6. Score the loaf with an X that comes almost to the edge of the loaf.  The cut should be about 1/4 inch deep.

7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When it is done, tapping the loaf will produce a hollow sound.

8. Cool on a baking rack for 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm or toasted with butter, jam, or honey.

9. To freeze, cover with saran wrap and place in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Lemon Sorbet

One of summer’s greatest gifts is ice cream.  I rarely eat ice cream during the rest of the year, but in the summertime I consume it several times a week.  When I was young, my parents used to buy one gallon tubs or boxes of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or Neapolitan ice cream.  Grocery store ice cream choices have expanded significantly since my childhood, and the exotic flavors that were only available at ice cream parlors are now sold at grocery and convenience stores across the country.

I had not made ice cream until a few years ago when my friend Yvonne showed me her recipe for Thai tea ice cream.  Since then I’ve been dreaming of owning an ice cream maker; my wish recently came true through a gift from a friend.

We inaugurated our new ice cream maker with this refreshing lemon sorbet.  Sorbets are frozen sugar water flavored with fruit or alcohol.  Unlike ice cream, they do not contain milk, cream, or eggs.  Sorbets are sometimes served as a palette cleanser between multi-course meals; more often they are served as a dessert at the end of a meal.

The word ‘sorbet’ either comes from the Latin sorbetto meaning a mixture of solid and liquid food or the Arabic sharbat meaning drink or juice.  There are many stories about the origin of sorbet.  Some claim that it was invented by Roman Emperor Nero and others suggest that Marco Polo brought back a sorbet recipe from China.  Whatever its origin, sorbet is an increasingly popular summer treat.

Watch this space for other inventions enabled by our new ice cream maker!

Ingredients

1 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 6 lemons)

2 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

Directions

1.       Juice the lemons and set aside.

2.       In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water and all the sugar.  Grate the zest of two or three lemons directly into the mixture.

3.       Heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a glass dish.  Add remaining water and lemon juice.  Mix well.

4.       Cover and cool in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.  The colder the mixture, the more likely it will produce an even texture in the ice cream maker.  The mixture may be kept in this state for several weeks.

5.       Prepare sorbet in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

6.       Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container to ripen for several hours.  The mixture should still be soft when you do this; resist the desire to over-churn as it will produce a dry and fluffy texture.  Do not serve directly from the ice cream maker.

7.       Serve as a palette cleanser or dessert.  Best served with other sorbets or topped with a drizzle of limoncello.