Friday, April 17, 2009

Chocolate Toffee Matzo


I came across this recipe on Epicurious a few years ago. It is originally from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. The recipe is called “My Trademark, Most Requested, Absolutely Magnificent Caramel Matzoh Crunch.” Hysterical, but so accurate. The first time I made it I got so many ohhhs and ahhhs. Now, my family really does request it. I usually make a few batches to bring with me to Seders, to give out to Jewish friends as gifts, and to have at our own Seder. We have both milk and dark chocolate lovers so I make a batch of each. If you are still looking for something to do with that extra matzoh, look no further…

Ingredients

  • 4-6 unsalted matzohs
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate (*I don’t measure the chocolate but I think I use about double this amount. I recommend Ghirardelli chocolate chips)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large (or two smaller) cookie sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment — on top of the foil. This is very important since the mixture becomes sticky during baking.
Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces.
In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan).

Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh.


While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set. (*I find it easier to freeze it first and then break it into pieces with my hands – it is a mess to cut when it is still warm)

Brisket

Mom’s Brisket

My mother’s brisket is my favorite (sorry dad). It is flavorful, tender and delicious. When I was little I went through a no red meat phase, but I always made an exception for “Jewish” red meats, including corned beef and of course brisket. Since brisket is usually a family recipe my mom has made some revisions and come up with her own. Below is approximately what we’ve come up with.

Happy Brisketing!

Ingredients:

  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • 2 medium onions (in large slices)
  • 1-2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
  • 1+ cups of red wine
  • 1 beef bouillon cube
  • Carrots (optional)
  • Shallots (optional)
  • Potatoes (optional)
  • Mushrooms (optional)
Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Season the brisket (we used about a 6 lb brisket) generously on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sear the meat on the stove top until both sides are brown. Transfer the meat to a roasting pan. In the same sauce pan, add a little bit of vegetable oil and sauté the onions until golden and tender. Add the onions to the roasting pan as well.

Dissolve the beef bouillon cube in just enough hot water for it to break up. Add enough tomato sauce, red wine, and bouillon to cover the meat. (We gave my sister the hard jobs like dissolving bouillon!)


Cover with tin foil and cook for 1-2 hours. Place the meat on a cutting board with a beveled edge to catch the juices (or in our case using a cutting board in a cookie sheet did the trick). Cut thin slices of brisket, remembering to cut against the grain!! Transfer the cut brisket back into the roasting pan and add in desired vegetables. Cover and cook for an additional 2 hours or until very tender.

Brisket can be eaten that day, refrigerated, or even frozen. Re-heat at 350 degrees for about an hour before serving.


Unfortunately in the midst of serving Passover dinner I forgot to take a photo of the finished product... We served it with carrots, shallots and halved mini red and white potatoes. Yum.