Putting The Season's Bounty To Good Use

(Cross-Posted on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner)

At least insomnia is good for something.

I was unable to sleep last night so I began trolling the internet at 3 a.m. (the internet never sleeps....) for something new and different to make for the shalom zachor of a very good friend who just had her FIFTH (!!!) boy. I chanced upon this post over at Life In the Carpool Lane: CHOCOLATE DIPPED CLEMENTINES. What a deceptively simple, yet elegant idea! And to make matters even better, clementines which are abundant right now, also happen to be on sale this week for $4.99 a box.

Here is my adaptation of her recipe:

Ingredients:

clementines

semi-sweet chocolate chips

sweetened shredded coconut

• Peel and section the clementines
• Melt good quality chocolate over a double boiler and stir
• Dip each clementine section halfway into the melted chocolate and then in a bowl of shredded coconut
• Put the pieces on wax paper in the fridge to set

These taste as good as they look, and they look like something you might find in a gourmet shop.

Beaver Tails - a different kind of Chanuka donut....

I have a really great friend, Perla, who happens to also be Canadian. Whenever she has a party she makes sure that Beaver Tails are on the menu, and the first time I tried these donuts, it was love at first taste. Apparently they're really big in Montreal, where she's from. This is my version. Enjoy warm with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar!

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water
5 teaspoons dry yeast

1 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon + 1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 cups flour
oil for frying


Topping

2 cups white sugar, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. When the yeast is foamy (looks like beer), stir in remaining sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil and salt.
3. Add flour gradually to make soft dough. Knead 5-8 minutes (by hand on a floured surface or with a dough hook), adding flour as needed to form a firm, smooth, elastic dough. Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Gently deflate the dough, and pinch off a golf ball-sized piece of dough. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the ball out to an oval. Set aside to rest covered with a tea towel, and continue with remaining dough.
4. Heat about 4 inches of oil for frying in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). If you do not have a deep fryer, a wok or Dutch oven will work. Test a tiny bit of dough and see if it sizzles and swells immediately. If it does, the oil temperature is where it should be.
5. Just before placing the beaver tails in the oil, stretch the ovals out into a tail shape, thinning and enlarging them as you do. Carefully place the tails in the hot oil one or two at a time. Fry, turning once, until the tails are a deep brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove using tongs and drain on paper towels.
6. Place 2 cups of sugar in a large bowl, and stir in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Toss beaver tails in the sugar bowl while they are still hot. Shake off excess.

Lebkuchen

(Cross posted on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner)

I've had readers ask for more recipes.

I've had other readers ask for more posts with German Jewish themes.

I've had different readers ask for more controversial posts (OK, you guys are out of luck this time...).

I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone with this recipe for lebkuchen, a traditional German spice cake with the consistency of a brownie.

Enjoy it this Chanukah courtesy of yours truly:

Lebkuchen

1 stick margarine
4 eggs
1 pound brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 package vanilla sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 package ground walnuts -- (7 ounces)

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
hot water -- if needed
Topping:
nonpareils

Mix together all ingredients. Pour into greased 9" x 13" pan.

Bake at 325° for 30 minutes or more until it looks like brownies.

Mix glaze ingredients and ice while hot! Sprinkle with nonpareils.

Ever So Yummy Corn Bread

1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup corn meal
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil (I use canola)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Beat egg and milk together. Add flour, corn meal, both sugars, oil, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Pour into a greased pan (I usually use one of those circular pans). Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Honey Chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, cut into 8 pieces

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.
   
2. Rinse chicken, pat dry and place in prepared pan.
   
3. In a small bowl, mix together honey, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic powder and pepper and pour over chicken.
   
4. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hour until slightly browned.