The traditional cookie of the Jewish holiday Purim (this year on March 16th), celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people from the Persian prime minister Haman’s plot to kill all of them in a single day. They likely originated in Bohemia 200-300 years ago. The cookie’s iconic shape represents Haman’s ears – cut off before he was hanged! The classic version has poppy seeds, but we’ve gone the walnut direction feel free to substitute with pistachios or pecans.
Ingredients
DOUGH
2 ½ sticks unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
3 cups pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
Juice from half a medium sized orange, plus its zest
FILLING
1 cup toasted walnuts (or omit and substitute with ½ cup jam)
½ cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp almond, vanilla or orange extract
1 Tbsp your favorite brandy or cognac
4 dried apricots, roughly chopped ½ cup apricot jam and ½ cup raspberry jam
Directions
To make the dough:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest until it just comes together. Add the egg, vanilla and orange juice and then add in the flour mixture until just combined. Shape into an 9” disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill.
To make the filling:
Combine all the filling ingredients except the jams into a food processor and process until combined – there should still be a little bit of “nuttiness” to the filling left. Add each jam to a separate bowl and divide the processed filling between the two, mixing jam and filling together.
Once the dough is firm, roll out on a floured surface and cut out 3” circles. Put a tablespoon of the filling in the center and brush the edge of the dough circle with water. Fold in a third of the circle three times to make a triangle, leaving the a little bit of the filling showing in the center.
Bake on parchment or buttered sheet pans at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until barely golden.
Craving those traditional “Buffalo” flavors but keeping it vegan? Try this tasty recipe from our friends at Lexington Co-op.
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets, steamed
1 cup cashews
1-15 oz can chickpeas, drained/rinsed
1/2 cup hot sauce
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 T lemon juice
2 T nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Directions
Soak cashews in warm water for 30 minutes – overnight. Drain.
Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 8”x 8” baking dish with cooking spray. Combine ingredients in food processor until smooth and creamy. Transfer dip to baking dish. Cover with foil, bake 20 minutes.
Moist and delicious, Banana Bread is a crowd-pleaser for audiences young and old. Easy to make and delicious for breakfasts and snacks, there’s a reason they even gave this quick bread its own National Day. What gives this particular recipe its winning edge? We found caramelizing the bananas gives this recipe mega-flavor!
Ingredients
1 lb ripe bananas, peeled (3-4 bananas)
1 ¼ cup brown sugar, divided
10 Tbsp butter, softened and divided
1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup buttermilk*
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted pecan or walnut pieces
Optional: ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. Grease 9” x 5” loaf pan.
In large frying pan over medium heat, add sliced bananas, 2 Tbsp butter and ¼ cup brown sugar. Stirring often, allow bananas to brown slightly. Add cinnamon and nutmeg, continue cooking 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract.
In a large bowl, add remaining ½ cup butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Beat until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add egg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
To mixture, add buttermilk, Then, alternately add flour and caramelized bananas, mixing well between additions and ending with flour.
Stir in toasted nut pieces, mini chocolate chips (if using) and pour batter into prepared loaf pan. At the 20 minute mark, using a knife, score the top of the banana bread “skin” down the center from end to end (about 1/8th of an inch in) to create that beautiful professional slash look. Bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing from loaf pan and slicing.
*Or clabber whole milk by adding ¼ tsp vinegar to it and let it sit for a couple of minutes before adding to recipe.
Gear up for the Big Game with our take on an old classic. Adding caramelized onions is a score for the home team!
Ingredients
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 cup cream cheese or neufchatel, softened
½ cup mayonnaise
1 recipe caramelized onions (see below)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Directions
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together first three ingredients until well-combined. Add caramelized onions, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Mix until just incorporated.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and stir a few times to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 2 hours, up to one week. Serve chilled with potato chips or veggie crudités.
Ingredients for Caramelized Onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced
½ tsp sea salt
Directions
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
Add salt, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 50-80 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until onions are very soft, golden brown and caramelized. Timing will depend on your type of pan, size of onions and heat of your stove.
If onions start to stick to the bottom of pan, reduce heat to low. To speed things up after 50 minutes, turn the heat higher for more caramelization. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
Garnish with green onions, chives, or parsley for a hint of green.
March can be a shoulder season for local produce, but citrus fruits are always a great choice for a spring-in-your-step dessert. Try fresh-squeezed lime juice instead of lemon and whipped cream instead of meringue for a fresh spritely and super easy DIY pie.
Ingredients
Your favorite graham cracker crust
2 large egg whites
4 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 *.
Bake your graham cracker crust in a 9” pie or 10” tart pan.
While it cools, beat egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk, lime juice and zest. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the mixture at a time, just until incorporated.
Pour into shell and bake until set in the center – about 20 minutes. Let cool on counter, once cooled, chill in refrigerator for at least two hours. You can prepare the pie up to 2 days ahead.
Whip cream and vanilla with whisk or mixer, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until medium peaks form. Spread or dollop casually on pie. Garnish with lime wedge. You can chill the pie for another 6-8 hours.
In large pot, cook apples, apple cider, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves and salt over medium heat until apples are very soft – about 1 hour.
Blend the mixture until smooth using a hand blender or by adding it in batches to regular blender.
Put puree back into pot and cook, uncovered, until thick and smooth and creamy – about an hour. Stir occasionally. It’ll also be a deep mahogany brown color.
Stir in lemon juice, transfer mixture to jars, and refrigerate.
