More on Passover

Here are hints from Passovers present and past. Look for recipes such as a Green Chile Quiche and Zucchini Crust Pizza as well as recommendations for other websites to check out.

The World's Best Custard Matzoh Brei?

You'll have to make it and decide for yourself if this sweet brunch or dessert version of the classic Jewish Passover favorite is really the best in the world or just the best my kids have ever tasted.

They claim it is the best and other relatives concur. My father-in-law has me make it for him even when it is not Passover and he could eat regular bread. A cousin's son made his family travel from Los Angeles to Oakland for Passover one year just so he could eat it.

Wondering what matzoh brei is? Well, it's kind of a scramble of eggs, matzoh (cracker-lie flatbreads eaten in place of leavened breads at Passover, also spelled matzo and matzah) and other ingredients.

If you grew up on a less luxurious and diet-unfriendly version or are a fan of savory matzoh brei, made without sweetener and with lots of onions and maybe a little lox, you may want to save Custard Matzoh Brei for dessert. But do give it a try. After all (in my family at least), it's the world's best.

World's Best (?) Custard Matzoh Brei
4-6 Servings

I've written about my matzoh brei before, you can see the original version here. I keep refining it. To be honest, every time I make it, I change it up, so feel free to make your own variations.

I admit this can be a very rich dish if you make it with whole milk, but you can cut some of the fat by using fat-free milk (which is what I usually do). You could also replace the eggs with egg substitute (which I don't).

10 whole matzoh
Four eggs, beaten
One-quarter to one-half cup sugar (or more or less to taste)
Two cups of whole, low fat or fat-free milk
Tsp. of vanilla extract (kosher for Passover)
2 tsp. grated orange rind (optional)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Grating (or dash) of nutmeg
1 Tbs. unsalted butter (or more as needed for the frying pan)
Cinnamon Sugar (optional)

Dip whole matzohs into warm water until wet on both sides. Drain well and break into small pieces in a large bowl.

In another bowl, combine sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, orange rind, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat to mix well.

Pour over drained matzoh. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow matzo to absorb some of the custard mixture. Stir the mixture occasionally.

Heat butter in a very large frying pan over medium heat. Add matzoh mixture and fry in butter, adding additional butter as needed. (If too much for one pan, cook in batches and keep cooked matzoh brei warm in a 250-degree oven. Be sure the matzoh brei has room to fry not steam in the pan. If you will be holding the matzo brei for any time, slightly under cook it so it won’t dry out.)

Let the matzoh brei mixture set in the hot pan for a minute or two and begin to brown, then use your spatula to break it into chunks and turn. Keep turning and breaking up the matzoh brei every one to two minutes for a few more times until the custard mixture is absorbed but the matzoh is still moist and the outside of the mixture is browned and slightly crisp.

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Serve by itself or with maple syrup, jam or other toppings.

Have a Happy, Healthy and Gluten-Free Passover (with Recipes for Chicken Almond Soup Dumplings, Lemon Pistachio Bars and Chicken Tangine with Quinoa)

That's no matzoh ball in that soup -- it's a gluten-free chicken-almond soup dumpling.

Cooking gluten-free dishes while being chamtez free is a challenge for those with wheat sensitivities as well as for those who are hosting them during Passover. That’s because traditional matzoh and matzoh meal are off limits. Ashkenazi traditions prohibiting rice and beans add additional restrictions.

One solution is to substitute oat flour matzoh, but it can be hard to find. Try rethinking the menu and choose foods that can be served to all guests. Just be sure any prepared ingredients are gluten free.

Below are some recipes from my j. weekly column. Click here to see the original column.

Chicken-Almond Dumplings, based on Turkish and Moroccan Jewish recipes, look like matzoh balls floating in chicken soup, but their savory taste make them delectable in their own right.

The Chicken and Vegetable Tagine is served with quinoa, a grain-like seed with a slightly nutty taste.

In Pistachio Lemon Bars, a nut base replaces the typical matzoh meal crust.

Chicken-Almond Dumplings
Serves 6-8

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, minced
1 cup finely ground almonds
3 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup minced parsley
¼ cup potato starch
4 cups of chicken stock
4 cups of water
3-4 quarts of hot chicken soup
Chopped dill for garnish

Combine chicken, almonds, eggs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, parsley and starch. Mix. Refrigerate for an hour. Take 1 Tbs. and shape into balls. Place on oiled baking tray. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Bring stock and water to a simmer in a large pot. Working in batches, poach for 5 minutes after dumplings rise to surface and scoop out. Repeat. Reserve or discard liquid. Serve in soup sprinkled with dill.

Chicken Vegetable Tagine with Quinoa
Serves 6

2 Tbs. oil
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 ½“ pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups 1” cubed, peeled sweet potatoes
2 carrots, sliced
3 cups 1” cubed, peeled eggplant
2 cups chicken stock
3 cups chopped chard
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
3 cups water

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Brown chicken. Remove to plate. Lower heat to medium high. Add more oil if needed. Sauté onion and garlic until golden. Add cinnamon, paprika, pepper and salt. Stir. Add sweet potatoes, carrots and eggplant. Sauté 3 minutes. Add stock. Bring to a simmer. Add chard and tomatoes. Cover. Cook 10 minutes. Add chicken and accumulated juices. Cook until chicken and vegetables are done. Serve atop quinoa.

Place quinoa in pot with water. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Cook on low for 15 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Variations: Make the quinoa with chicken stock and/or heat stock or water and simmer with 1/4 tsp. of saffron threads.

Pistachio Lemon Bars
Makes 16 bars

2 cups plus ¼ cup shelled pistachio meats (toasted if raw)
2 egg whites
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. minced lemon zest
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup sugar
2 Tbs. unsalted melted butter or pareve Pesach margarine
2 Tbs. potato starch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 8x8” baking pan with foil, with overhang on all sides. Grease foil. Chop 2 cups of pistachios. Mix with egg whites and sugar. Press into pan. Bake 20 minutes or until puffed and browned. Mix juice, zest, eggs, sugar, butter and starch. Pour on crust. Bake 20-25 minutes until curd is set. Remove. Cool to room temperature. Chop remaining nuts. Sprinkle on top. Lift by foil, remove foil and cut into bars.

Variations: Instead of topping with additional chopped nuts, try with some shavings of dark chocolate. You can also make this with other citrus juices or combinations.

Passover 2010 -- Potato Gnocchi

Passover cooking doesn’t really faze me. I do a lot of cooking from scratch anyway. It is the sheer amount of cooking that gets to me. I’m not referring to the Seder meals, that I can handle. It’s the day in and day out needing to prepare every bite my family and I eat that wears me down. The only short cuts are expensive packaged foods of dubitable taste and quality. Every meal requires lots of planning and cooking.

That’s why when my sons were young I came up with my Passover Potato Gnocchi recipe. I could bake extra potatoes one night, turn them in an easy- to-use dish the next night and even make extras to use for a quick meal or side dish later. This recipe is parve (meaning there are no meat or milk ingredients), so it is very versatile. My sons loved helping to make the gnocchi as well as eating it, preferably smothered in tomato or pesto sauce.

Passover Potato Gnocchi

Makes about 80 gnocchi

Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings served as pasta. These use matzoh cake meal instead of flour, which give them a nutty, almost whole wheat taste. I’ve simplified their shaping to make forming the dumplings fairly quick and easy.

Use the gnocchi with your sauce of choice or just toss them with butter or cheese. You can also play with the flavor by adding additional seasonings or a few tablespoons of chopped or pureed herbs to the batter. This makes enough for 4-5 as a main course (with a hearty sauce) and about 6-8 as a side dish. The recipe can be doubled if you want to make extra. See the notes at the end of the recipe for storage tips.

Be sure to use potatoes that are steamed or baked, not boiled. Soggy potatoes absorb more of the cake meal and result in a doughy tasting gnocchi. Exactly how much matzoh cake meal you’ll need will depend on the moisture in your potatoes.

2 lbs. russet potatoes, baked, or cut in large chunks and steamed until just soft.
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. and ¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
About ¾ to 1 cup of matzoh cake meal flour, plus additional as needed

Allow potatoes to cool. Remove skins. Rice or mash potatoes thoroughly in large bowl until smooth. Mix in eggs, ½ tsp. salt and pepper. Add ¼ cup of matzoh cake meal, stir until absorbed. Add ¼ cup more and stir until absorbed. Add additional ¼ cup of matzoh cake meal and stir again. Begin to mix and knead the potato mixture with your hands until the matzoh meal is well combined and has formed a soft dough. Knead in more matzoh meal as needed until the dough’s surface is fairly dry. You should be able to roll a bit of the dough into a ball in your hands and not have it be sticky.

Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Dust a clean, dry work surface with some of the matzoh cake meal. Roll out one part at a time into a log about ½” wide and 12” long. Cut into 10 pieces and roll by hand into small ovals. Keep the ovals about the same width and length to make sure they cook evenly. (Optional, press the back of a fork into each oval to create “ridges” to catch the sauce.) Place gnocchi in single layers on baking tray or plates. Repeat until all the gnocchi have been rolled out and shaped.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add ¼ tsp. salt. Add about a fourth (20 or so) of the gnocchi at a time to the pot. The gnocchi will float to the top fairly quickly. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and scoop out with a slotted spoon. Toss the gnocchi in oil, butter or sauce to prevent them from sticking and keep warm. Return the water to a boil and repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked.

To make ahead, shape all the gnocchi and place in single layers on baking trays. The dumplings should not be touching. Cover with wax paper and then place a very slightly dampened tea towel on top. Store at room temperature for up to an hour or two and then boil as directed. If you need to keep them longer than that follow the directions for freezing.

To freeze uncooked gnocchi for later use, set dumplings in a single layer on baking tray. Place in freezer. Once individually frozen, remove from tray and store in plastic freezer bag. Do not defrost. Cook in boiling, salted water as above until cooked through.

To store leftover cooked gnocchi, toss in olive or other oil to coat and store covered in the refrigerator. Gently reheat in sauce, in steamer or in microwave.

(Originally published in the Temple Beth Abraham Omer)

Let Them Eat Bread -- Sweet and Savory Bread Puddings Plus a Soup Recipe

I was inspired to write my last j. column about using up bread because of the leaven-free holiday I'm facing, but I end up creating recipes to use up bread all the time. It seems like I always have some extra crusts, slices and frozen hot dog rolls around.

You can read my column here. (I feel like I should lead you with a crumb trail!)

If you haven't already tried a savory (main course) bread pudding, I highly recommend it. I use chicken stock instead of milk, but I still get a luscious custardy texture. Play with the flavorings and ingredients with whatever you have on hand. It's a very adaptable recipe. Try making it vegetarian by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock, adding more vegetables and maybe some cheese.

The sweet bread pudding is adapted from one I had back in 2000 or so at a great little bed and breakfast in New Orleans, The Muses. Georgia, the owner, is also the woman who taught me on a previous visit how to make the pain perdu style French toast my children (and others) adore.

The soup is adaption of similar soups I've made before. Once you ladle on the hot soup, it really changes the bread's texture. This version is vegetarian.

I’ve made recommendations about what kinds of breads to use in each recipe, but I’ve also made these dishes with all sorts of leavened odds and ends. I’ve made the Chicken Shalet (shalet refers to a hearty noodle or other dish baked in an oven) with a mix of everything from sliced sourdough bread to defrosted hot dog rolls. The New Orleans Bread Pudding also works well with white bread, cake, or muffins. A hearty rustic peasant bread substitutes well for the whole wheat with the Winter Squash and Greens Soup.

Chicken Shalet
Serves 4

2 Tbs. oil, plus extra for greasing casserole
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chopped greens
2 cups chopped tomatoes
¼ tsp ground mustard
¼ tsp. ground dried sage
¼ tsp. ground dried thyme
¼ tsp. ground dried oregano
¼ tsp. ground cayenne
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup water
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups 1” rustic bread cubes
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
½ tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole. In a large pan, heat oil and sauté onions and garlic until golden. Add tomatoes, greens, mustard, sage, thyme, oregano, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Add water. Cook, stirring often, until greens are cooked and water evaporated. Remove from heat. Combine eggs with stock and add with bread and chicken to the vegetable mixture. Mix well. Pour into casserole. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 50 minutes.

New Orleans Bread Pudding
Serves 6

¼ cup + 1 Tbs. butter plus extra for greasing casserole
2 cups milk
½ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups ½” challah cubes
¼ cup rum
1 cup pecan halves
2 bananas, cut in 1/4” slices
1/8 tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 quart casserole. In a sauce pan, heat milk, butter and sugar until ¼ cup butter has melted and milk is simmering. Slowly add to eggs in a large bowl, continually whisking. Mix in salt, nutmeg, bread cubes, rum, pecans and bananas. Pour into casserole. Dot top with 1 Tbs. butter. Place casserole inside a large baking dish. Put in oven. Fill outer dish with hot water up to level of pudding. Bake for 55 minutes or until set.

Winter Squash and Greens Soup
Serves 6

2 Tbs. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence OR Italian Seasoning
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. ground cumin
4 cups 1” cubes of winter squash
8 cups vegetable broth
8 cups chopped kale and/or chard
½ tsp. sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
6 cups 1” whole wheat bread cubes

Heat oil in large soup pot. Sauté onions and garlic until golden. Add seasoning, salt, peppers, cumin and squash. Stir. Add stock. Simmer about 15 minutes. Add greens. Simmer until vegetables are cooked. Stir in sugar and vinegar. Place a cup of bread cubes in each individual bowl and ladle hot soup on top. If desired, pass grated cheese.

What I've Been Cooking

I hope to eventually post these recipes here:

• Easy pho with cilantro fish balls
• Tamarind Caramel Stir Fried Fish with Red Peppers
• Chicken and Sausage Paella
• Mushroom Stew with Sauted Chicken Thighs
• King Cake

Plus, watch for recipes from my columns in the j. newsweekly for New Orleans Bread Pudding, Chicken Shalet (savory bread pudding) and Winter Squash and Greens Soup.

Also in the near future, Passover recipes, including one for Pesach gnocchi.

The Foods of Purim -- The Whole Megillah

Purim, a Jewish holiday with lots of 21st century appeal, begins at sundown this Saturday night.

It's a story of a king's love of a beautiful and wise woman (Esther), the wisdom and strength of her relative Mordecai and the evil machinations of the royal advisor Haman and how he is foiled in his plot to destroy the Jews in ancient Persia. Oh, and a queen (Vashti) who stood up for herself and is now seen by some as unjustly punished and a early progenitor of woman's rights.
You can read more about this holiday and the traditions associated with it here (from a very traditional resource so not so much on that women's rights angle, but lots of good info and recipes).

One of the ways the holiday is celebrated is with public reading of the Book of Esther, or the "Megillah," which has become slang for telling someone the whole story. Whenever Haman's name is mentioned in the story, the listeners stamp their feet, shake noisemakers and generally try to make sure the name can not be heard.

Another tradition is to give gifts of food to friends as well as the less fortunate. A third way the holiday is celebrated is for children (and many adults) to get dressed up as either the main characters in the story or in any other fanciful getup they choose. Another tradition is to enjoy spirits. It's quite a site to see your fellow congregants dressed up in queenly regalia (sometimes even the men) as Esther or dressed as some ancient Persian might be in robes and fake beards (sometimes even the women) passing a bottle of fine whiskey or throat-burning plum brandy (slivovitz) from hand to hand during the Megillah reading.

The most popular food of Purim are probably hamanstachen (see recipe below), the Ashkenazi cookie symbolizing Haman’s tri-cornered hat. But that’s not the whole “megillah;” there are many foods that add to a Purim celebration.

Some say the meal should be vegetarian or dairy or at least include beans since Esther is said to have eschewed meat for legumes during her time in Ashaheurus’ court. Others include fish or dishes with chicken, lamb, and other meats. Based on these diverse customs, here are some ideas for your own Purim feast:

Serve kreplach. This meat-stuffed noodle is traditional for Purim because of its shape reminiscent of Haman’s ear and/or hat. Or try a modern twist – tortellini, it has the right shape and is readily available.

Try serving a dish that is not what it seems to be. Dressing up and disguise are part of Purim, so try vegetarian chopped liver or spaghetti squash instead of pasta and/or vegetarian “meatballs.”

Go sweet and sour. Sweet and sour foods suit the nature of the holiday, reminding us of the bitterness of Haman’s actions in trying to trick the king and harm the Jews and the redemption that followed.

Bake challah (a rich egg bread) in triangular loaves to represent Haman’s ears. Use some of it to make French toast, known as Queen Esther’s Toast or Purim Fritters, once a popular way to celebrate Purim. I have links to challah recipes here and give my favorite French toast recipe here.

Drink up. Rabbis have said that one should drink on Purim until one can’t distinguish the difference between “blessed is Mordecai” and “cursed is Haman.” Go with the flow. Splash some vodka or tequila into your chicken marinade. Add wine to your beef or fish recipes. Want to give it a try? Try my Limoncello Tuna or Martini Chicken recipes.

Below is the "official" recipe for the tri-cornered official hamantaschen cookie recipe from the Gan Avraham preschool at Temple Beth Abraham. If you are making them for kids -- the jam or chocolate chip fillings are the most popular

Hamantaschen
Serves 12-15

Pastry:
2 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
¼ lb. margarine (1 stick)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
Preserves, various flavors such as apricot or raspberry
Chocolate chips
Canned pastry filling such as poppy seed or prune lekvar (prune butter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and sugar. Cut in margarine. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dough until it forms a ball. Add extra flour if necessary. On a floured board, roll out until ¼ thick and cut into circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass. Fill with jelly, pastry filling, or chocolate chips. Pinch up three sides to form triangles. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

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Note: You can substitute butter for the margarine. If you use a margarine without any dairy ingredients, this recipe would be "pareve" and therefore suitable to serve after a meal that contained meat. If it has any dairy ingredients, a Jew who observes the traditional dietary laws could not immediately eat it, hence the use of margarine in the preschool's recipe.

Menu Decoder -- Your Guide to Eating Well in Any Language

Thanks to Budget Travel for this link to decoding the world's menus, including a Chinese menu decoder just in time for the Lunar New Year.

Other menu coders are for Barcelona (Catalonia region of Spain), France, Germany, India, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Prague (Czech Republic).

Happy reading and eating.

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FYI - I've been to Barcelona, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Prague and China, so I can say the decoders are a good place to start but not at all comprehensive if you are traveling. They will help you spot more "authentic" dishes on your local ethnic restaurant menus. If you are looking for more information about the food ways, recipes and eating habits, I recommend the excellent (but out of print) Lonely Planet series "World Food," still available new or used from some bookstores and on line.

About the photo: Candied hawthornes, or bīngtáng húlu, and other candied skewered fruit from the night market on Goldfish Street in Beijing. (The snack is listed in the Budget Travel China food guide.) The candied hawthornes were somewhat like candied apples, only with lots of seeds in the middle. A teahouse in Beijing served them as well, but they seeded the hawthornes before candying, which made them much more enjoyable to eat.

Post Valentine's Day Card

Happy Day After Valentine's Day -- Sorry I missed posting, but my husband had to travel about two hours into the Sierra foothills for business and I decided to ride along. My Valentine's Day reward? A chicken Cesaer salad at Costco's on the way back (well, we did pick up a new TV set since the one I prefer to watch my old movies on imploded a few days ago).

I thought I might post from an internet cafe while Gary was busy, but couldn't find one. Instead I enjoyed walking around some old gold mining towns repurposed as tourist destinations. The weather was beautiful. I had a great corn beef hash for breakfast that made me try to think how I could do something similar in a lower fat or vegetarian format -- watch for that sometime (hopefully) soon.

I'm not sure what I would have written about if I had posted, probably something about the changes I see in my stats around Valentine's Day (and Christmas and Mother's Day) -- searches for the number of calories in See's candies.

I did have a menu with recipes in mind, I'll post that soon as well. After all it shouldn't take a "Hallmark" holiday such as Valentine's Day to spur you to have a romantic dinner with your special someone.

Being Energy Efficient in the Kitchen -- Plus a "Baked" Apple Recipe to Make in the Oven, Toaster Oven, Microwave or Steamer

Baby it’s cold outside and the gas and electric meters are humming, so I thought saving energy (and money) while you cook would be a good topic for a post.

True, covering your pot won’t save you as much as replacing inefficient appliances, turning down the heat, insulating your home, wrapping your hot water heater and getting your kids to turn off the lights, computer and television, but every little bit helps. Here are some basics to start with:

Don’t preheat your oven – most things will only take a few more minutes to cook if you don’t preheat. Put that casserole in a cold oven and take advantage of all the preheating time and energy.

If you are using the oven, use it – You are already paying for all that energy anyway, so why turn on your stove top and burn money there, too? Make a whole meal in your oven. Roast vegetables and potatoes to go along with that chicken. Make a dessert in there, too. Baked apples with raisins, almonds and honey (see recipe below), maybe? Or cook several meals at once to take advantage of all that hot, hot heat.

Grill friend – All those little kitchen helper appliances could be your worst enemy or your best energy-saving friend. Just use them in place of other cooking resources not in addition to. If your countertop grill saves you from having to preheat your range’s broiler, that’s great. But if you have the oven on anyway, maybe you should bake that chicken breast instead of grilling it. Try to use the toaster oven instead your full-size oven.

Home on the range –If you are using your range or stove top, make the whole meal “on top.” Consider using a multilevel steamer. Boiling water on the bottom, your main course in the middle and some tasty vegetables up top. You can even adapt the baked apple recipe below for a steamer. A personal favorite of mine is to use a pressure cooker. They create wonderful stews and soups in a fraction of the time and energy.

Putting a lid on it – Using a lid for a pot is a good idea. Water will boil faster if you can’t see it. Honest. Another tip is to only put enough water in the tea kettle for what you need at the time. I know some people who fill it up to the whistle. It takes forever to come to a boil and tea really needs fresh water every time to taste its best.

Magic Box – The microwave is one of the most efficient appliances in our kitchen arsenal, especially if you work it right. It’s great for one potato, two. But a family’s worth are better being cooked in the oven with yesterday’s dinner and just warmed in the microwave. Planning ahead to have “leftovers” or “pre cooks” not only saves energy, but your time.

Baked Apples with Raisins, Almonds and Honey
Serves 4

These versatile apples can be baked in an oven, toaster oven or made in the microwave or steamer, so pick the method that saves the most energy for you. Directions below are for the baked version. See the notes after the recipe to adapt it for a microwave or steamer.

4 granny smith apples
Juice of large lemon
1/3 cup apple juice or water
1/3 cup of raisins
1/3 cup of slivered almonds
½ tsp. of ground cinnamon
2-3 teaspoons of honey
1 Tbs. of butter or margarine

Preheat oven or larger toaster oven to 350 degrees. Core the apples, reserving a bit of the core to “plug” the bottom of apple. Place in a baking dish. Pour lemon juice over top of apples. Add juice or water to bottom of dish. Combine raisins, almonds, cinnamon and honey in a small bowl, mix well. Pack the filling into the cored out apples (you may have extra). Cut butter or margarine into small pieces and scatter on top of the apples. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil. Baste occasionally with liquid from bottom of baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes or until apples can be pierced easily with a knife. Serve with syrup from the pan and with whipped cream, yogurt or ice cream if desired.

Microwave Variation: Use microwave safe baking dish and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Reduce apple juice or water by half. Cook on high until done.

Steamer Variation: Place apples in rimmed dish or pan that fits within a steamer. Reduce apple juice or water by half. Cover with steamer lid. Steam over boiling water until done.
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Adapted from an article originally written for the Temple Beth Abraham Omer newsletter.