Inheriting Pesach
When two people marry they always bring together different lives and customs, but Pesach really epitomizes that! Trying to figure out how to lead seder and eat the foods one loves from home really defined our first few sedarim as gradually we created our own minhag. But as I've already mentioned, it was clear early on in our marriage that my mother in law was the person to inherit baking recipes from rather than my mum whose coconut pyramids were legendary but whose cinnamon balls always became biscuits.
For the first few years G's mum would arrive a day or two before Pesach with a box of Kosher for Passover ingredients, and start cooking in our kitchen. Plava (a wheat free cake), almond macaroons and cinnamon balls are all legendary, and even though we would never normally bake this many things in any other week, we have to bake all of them for Pesach, and tea and cakes and fancies is an important part of the festival! Over the years, my mother in law has gradually handed the mantle of baking over to me (as well as buying us an electric whisk after a rather tough year of hand whisking 500 eggs (or so) for all the baking). Finally she felt her work was done and left me with the recipes scrawled in my little pesach recipe book, and an expectant husband excited for all the goodies of his childhood.
I've also taken to making sure there's enough to do little visits to our grandfathers to deliver some treats, making sure they get a taste of the good stuff and, more importantly, a visit and a hug.
So here are her recipes for Almond Macaroons and Plava - may you (and I) bake as well as my mother in law.
Almond Macaroons (makes around 16-20 depending on how big you make them)
*4 oz ground almonds
*8 oz castor sugar
*Whites of 2 large (3 medium) eggs
*1 oz fine matza meal
*Split almonds for decorating
1. Mix almonds, matza meal and sugar
2. Whisk egg whites into stiff peaks
3. Fold in dry ingredients into eggs until well mixed
4. Place in small balls on greased baking paper on a tray, flatten with a fork and decorate with almonds
5. bake at 180 degrees C for around 15-20 minutes (until golden brown - I left the ones in this pic a leeetle too long!) and cool
Plava
*12 eggs, separated
*2 cups sugar (can lessen depending on taste)
*Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
*1/4 cup cold water
*1 cup matza meal (cake meal)
*I cup potato flour (sifted together with the matza meal)]
*Cinnamon and icing sugar
1. Beat yolks with sugar till thick and creamy
2. Add liquids and grated lemon rind, then stir in sifted dry ingredients.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture lightly
4. Line a deep square or oblong pan with paper and pour batter in
5. Optional complicated part: Mix cinnamon and icing sugar with a little water (not too thick) and drizzle in lines down length of mix, then drag a knife across width ways to make a pattern
6. Bake at 160 degrees C - when edges are crisp and middle has a knife come out from it clean.
7. Cool (on a rack if possible)
For the first few years G's mum would arrive a day or two before Pesach with a box of Kosher for Passover ingredients, and start cooking in our kitchen. Plava (a wheat free cake), almond macaroons and cinnamon balls are all legendary, and even though we would never normally bake this many things in any other week, we have to bake all of them for Pesach, and tea and cakes and fancies is an important part of the festival! Over the years, my mother in law has gradually handed the mantle of baking over to me (as well as buying us an electric whisk after a rather tough year of hand whisking 500 eggs (or so) for all the baking). Finally she felt her work was done and left me with the recipes scrawled in my little pesach recipe book, and an expectant husband excited for all the goodies of his childhood.
I've also taken to making sure there's enough to do little visits to our grandfathers to deliver some treats, making sure they get a taste of the good stuff and, more importantly, a visit and a hug.
So here are her recipes for Almond Macaroons and Plava - may you (and I) bake as well as my mother in law.
Almond Macaroons (makes around 16-20 depending on how big you make them)
*4 oz ground almonds
*8 oz castor sugar
*Whites of 2 large (3 medium) eggs
*1 oz fine matza meal
*Split almonds for decorating
1. Mix almonds, matza meal and sugar
2. Whisk egg whites into stiff peaks
3. Fold in dry ingredients into eggs until well mixed
4. Place in small balls on greased baking paper on a tray, flatten with a fork and decorate with almonds
5. bake at 180 degrees C for around 15-20 minutes (until golden brown - I left the ones in this pic a leeetle too long!) and cool
Plava
*12 eggs, separated
*2 cups sugar (can lessen depending on taste)
*Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
*1/4 cup cold water
*1 cup matza meal (cake meal)
*I cup potato flour (sifted together with the matza meal)]
*Cinnamon and icing sugar
1. Beat yolks with sugar till thick and creamy
2. Add liquids and grated lemon rind, then stir in sifted dry ingredients.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture lightly
4. Line a deep square or oblong pan with paper and pour batter in
5. Optional complicated part: Mix cinnamon and icing sugar with a little water (not too thick) and drizzle in lines down length of mix, then drag a knife across width ways to make a pattern
6. Bake at 160 degrees C - when edges are crisp and middle has a knife come out from it clean.
7. Cool (on a rack if possible)
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