Malawach Dogs

THIS. MAKES. ME. SO.  HAPPY.
Sigh (the good kind).

If you missed it, there’s big news on the Abeles & Heymann front – they’ve made it to Trader Joes, and at $5.99 a pack, it’s a total steal! Not only that, their hot dogs are now available nationwide, so you can ALL get a taste of the BEST kosher hot dog in town!!

This news had me so stoked that I had to celebrate with something extra special, so I went EN CROUTE (literally: wrapped in pastry). But not just any pastry.

Malawach pastry. The Yemenite stuff of dreams that puffs up into buttery goodness, and gets dipped into the ultimate pairing: resek (grated tomato) and schug (jalapeno dip).

Malawach with resek and schug, plus some hard boiled eggs on the side, is something you’ll find on many Middle Eastern menus, at loads of stalls at the Shuk and AT MY HOUSE. I’m convinced I must have been Yemenite in another life because their food just speaks to my soul.

Yemenite chicken soup, lachuch with butter and honey, jachnun, kubaneh… I can’t get enough. The traditional hawaij-spiced soup has become a Shabbat staple in my home, and whenever I can make it to Zion in Borough Park, I load up on spongey lachuch for my freezer. Jachnun gets stuffed into my cholent, and kubaneh is the one recipe I have yet to master, but consider it done.

And the beautiful, light and refreshing dips of tomato and jalapeno – well they’ve become an essential fridge stock and I always have jars on hand! Paired with tahini and pita, they make a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner, with eggs on the side.

So yes, I am in love with Yemenite food. I am in love with Abeles & Heymann hot dogs. And that, my friends, is what makes the perfect recipe. Enjoy!

Malawach Dogs

1 package Abeles & Heymann beef hot dogs
2 discs malawach dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly coat with oil. Cut the malawach dough into strips and wrap them around the hot dogs, stretching lightly as you go. If the strips are too short, just continue wrapping with a second strip. Brush the malawach with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Transfer to baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

Serve with resek and schug.

Resek
2 plum tomatoes
salt, to taste

Grate the tomatoes on a box grater or pulse in a food processor until finely minced. Season, to taste, with salt.

Schug

5 jalapeno peppers (see note)
1 large bunch fresh parsley or cilantro or a mix
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
salt, to taste

Add ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely minced.

NOTE: You can control the heat of the schug by the amount of veins and seeds that you put in the sauce. For a mild schug, remove all veins and seeds. For a spicy kick, add a little at a time until desired spice level is reached.


Related Recipes:

bunless fajita dogs
hot dog eggrolls
spiralized spud dogs

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S’mores Rice Krispies Treats

I gotta hand this one to my son, who came up with this glorious concoction all by himself during our grocery haul on Friday! He gets it from his momma :)

I let him work out the details on his own, pick out the ingredients at the store, and then plan it out when we got home. Lets not talk about the mess! There was lots of sticky fluff everywhere, cereal all over the floor and melted chocolate drizzled in places, but he was SO PROUD of his first real success in the kitchen and I was too!

Wishing you are yours a healthy and happy s’mores with plenty of delicious treats!

S’mores Rice Krispies Treats

16oz. marshmallow fluff
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal
6 graham crackers, crushed
9oz. mini chocolate chips
1 tbsp coconut oil, butter or trans fat free margarine

Method:

Using a greased spatula, transfer the marshmallow fluff to a microwave-safe container and microwave until melted, about 1 minute. Add the Rice Krispies and half of the graham crackers to a large mixing bowl and stir in the fluff, mix until incorporated. Stir in 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips. Transfer the Rice Krispies to a greased 9×13 pan pan, pressing down to flatten and smooth out the cereal.

Add the remaining chocolate chips and oil to a bowl and microwave in 15 second increments, until melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate over the Rice Krispies and spread evenly. Top with remaining crushed graham crackers, and salt, if desired.

Refrigerate the treats until solid and slice into squares.

VARIATION: to up the ante on these, use marshmallows instead of fluff and toast them over the fire before mixing into the s’mores. Then finish the s’mores with some Maldon salt!

 

Related Recipes:

s’mores corn flake clusters
s’mores oatmeal
s’mores cookies
s’mores chocolate toffee bark

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Whipped Strawberry Frosé

Oh.
My.
Gawd.

Blame it on quarantine but we’ve all got cocktails on our minds, AmIright?! I mean, I may or may have not been sneaking some Frangelico into my iced coffee in the morning, and I’ve been known to kick back a glass (or two) of red in the evenings. But THIS? This is something else.

Inspired by the whipped coffee trend that has taken the internet by storm, this WHIPPED STRAWBERRY Frosé turns the classic on it’s head by folding the strawberry and lemon into whipped cream, and leaving the Rosé to shine on it’s own in all it’s glory. Which also means, lets prep and more drinking time!

So step aside Dalgona coffee, there’s a new whipped drink in town! L’chaim!

Whipped Strawberry Frosé
YIELD: 4 servings

1 750ml bottle Rosé
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cups strawberry puree (see note)
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
fresh strawberries, for serving

Method:

Pour Rosé into a 9×13 pan and freeze until almost solid (it won’t completely solidify due to the alcohol), at least 6 hours.

In a bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the the powdered sugar, strawberry puree and lemon juice.

Divide the slushy Rosé between four glasses. Top with strawberry whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

NOTE: to make the strawberry puree, blend about 14oz. fresh strawberries in a food processor blender.

VARIATION: You can also make traditional Frosé by blending chilled Rosé with 2 cups frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup simple syrup and 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice until slushy. Serve immediately.

ADVANCE PREPARATION: you can prepare the strawberry whipped cream a day or two in advance and store in an airtight container. Freeze the Rosé the night before serving.

Related Recipes:

passion fruit colada
sangria
amaretto affogato

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Cheese Babka Straws


Babka straws were the surprise one hit wonder (ok there was more than one!) from my cookbook Millennial Kosher, and they never get old. It’s that back pocket recipe we all need for a last minute dessert, a Shabbat morning treat or a food gift for a new neighbor.


I’ll never forget happening upon a bakery stand at a Farmer’s Market in upstate New York last summer to find my babka straws being sold! I don’t know who was more excited, me or the lady who had prepared them from my book. It was so thrilling.


And of course the weekly photos that slide into my DMs every Friday of freshly baked babka straws remind me that this recipe is a keeper. And for good reason. They’re super easy, thanks to store bought puff pastry, and they come together in no time. Even your kids can make them!


In honor of the holiday of Shavuot, I decided to put a cheesy twist (pun intended!) on the classic recipe, and I may even like them better than the original.


Wishing you and yours a happy holiday!

Cheese Babka Straws

Cheese Filling:
8oz. block cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk

Vanilla Crumbs:
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 egg + 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash

Method:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Prepare the cheese filling: In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg yolk. Beat until creamy.
3. Prepare the vanilla crumbs: In a second bowl, combine the flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until crumbly.
4. Prepare the babka straws: Working with one sheet of puff pastry at a time, roll the dough out lightly to form a large rectangle. With the short side facing you, Spread half of the
cheese mixture on the bottom lower half of the dough; fold uncoated half over cheese side.
4. Using a pizza cutter, cut the pastry into ½-¾-inch strips. Transfer each strip to one of the baking sheets, spaced an inch or so apart. As you set them down, twist the ends in opposite directions
to give the straws a spiraled look. Repeat with second sheet of puff pastry and the remaining cheese filling.
5. Brush straws lightly with egg wash. Sprinkle with vanilla crumbs.
6. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 minutes.

NOTES:
Since this recipe uses cream cheese, it should be stored in the refrigerator.
Straws may be frozen raw or baked. I prefer to freeze them raw and bake fresh. Place frozen straws directly in the oven and bake as above.

Related Recipes:

raspberry palmiers
apple and honey tart
quick and easy rugelach

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Marzipan Butter Cups

It’s so weird to be posting post COVID-19. It’s like there was life before the Carona virus and life after the Carona virus and they just aren’t the same.

And I don’t mean just because we are quarantined, and our kids are being homeschooled, and we’re all juggling this new reality of social distancing, nonstop cooking, cleaning and keeping the kids busy. By now, that seems like regular life.

Having been hit with a really bad case of the virus, over 2 weeks of nausea, vomiting, fever and body aches, and 6 days in the hospital, I feel SO LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! Every day that I wake up and I’m breathing, I am so thankful and emotional that I get to live this life – even if it’s hard, and every day feels like a challenge.

The love that I received from this amazing community that we’ve built here is truly beyond words. The messages, the prayers, the GREATEST HUG that held me tight is something that I will never forget and I am so grateful for. I’ve often called the BusyInBrooklyn community my “instafam” but I never realized just how great it really is until I fell ill. I am so thankful for each and every one of you, and your support through this time has meant the world to me.

Of course to all of my amazing friends who sent over dinners, toys for my kids, gifts and flowers, how can I ever thank you? Even though you were juggling your own crazy quarantine life, you made it happen and I am so lucky to have you in my life!

I’m taking things slow these days, one step at a time. Of course Pesach is coming and like much of the world, I’m making Passover for the first time, but I’m keeping things sans-pressure. We will get through it, we will manage and it will be beautiful no matter what!

As we celebrate the Exodus from Egypt this year, I’m reminded that although we are quarantined in our homes and it somehow feels like we’re in exile, I have truly never been more free! Our freedom is a state of mind that we get to choose every day. It is a realization that our circumstances don’t get to define how we allow ourselves to feel. If there is life and health, there is hope. Everything else is just details.

To me, nothing is more reminiscent of Passover than the taste of marzipan! All the Pesach desserts were always scented with the essence of almond, and I couldn’t love it more. My kids are big on rainbow-cookie-flavored desserts, so I came up with this easy and delicious way to enjoy it! Making homemade marzipan is super easy, and when it’s enrobed in my favorite kosher for Passover chocolate chips, made by California Gourmet, it just takes it over the top.

Wishing you and yours a kosher and happy and safe Passover!

Marzipan Butter Cups
YIELD: 10 cups

3/4 cups blanched almond meal or flour (see note)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp water
1 tsp pure almond extract
10oz. California Gourmet KFP chocolate chips

Place the almond meal, powdered sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor with the S blade attached, pulse until the ingredients are incorporated. Add the water and almond extract and blend until a paste forms and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the paste is very sticky, add more powered sugar until it’s easy to handle.

Form the paste into a log and wrap tightly in parchment paper to form a log, twisting the paper like a candy wrapper. Place the marzipan in the freezer to set.

In the meantime, place the chocolate chips in a Ziploc freezer bag and add to a large bowl. Pour boiling hot water over the bag and leave it in the water until the chocolate starts to melt, about 2 minutes. Remove the bag from the water and mix the chocolate in the bag to move around the chips that arent melted, return to the water until all the chocolate has melted completely.

Set 10 paper cupcake liners on a baking sheet. Snip the corner of the Ziploc bag and pipe chocolate into each liner to cover the base. Bang the tray down on your counter to flatten the layer of chocolate.

Remove the marzipan from the freezer and slice into 10 rounds. They should be the width of the cupcake liner – if they are smaller just flatten with your hand. Place the marzipan on top of the chocolate layer, and cover it with more chocolate, banging the sheet tray on the counter to evenly coat the marzipan.

Sprinkle with more sea salt, if desired, and freeze until solid.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

NOTES: if you don’t have almond meal or flour, you can create your own by pulsing 1 cup of blanched slivered almonds in the food processor until finely ground.

If you don’t have a food processor, use finely ground almond flour and mix by hand.

If you don’t like almond extract, you may use vanilla extract although the flavor will be different!

VARIATIONS: you can make marzipan out of any nut and use the corresponding extract to enhance the flavor. Alternatively, you can use nut butter and add powdered sugar to make it more of a dough, then fill as above.

 

Related Kosher for Passover Recipes:

chunky monkey marzipan nice cream
marzipan date truffles
apple crisp with marzipan crumble

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