Whenever I throw a dinner party, there always seems to be one or two dishes that are standout winners. Last night's Passover Seder was no different.
After a brief reading of the Haggadah, a viewing of key scenes from "The Ten Commandments" for a Technicolor accompaniment, the downing of the obligatory vino, charoseth, salty parsley, horseradish and matzoh, and the slurping up of my homemade Matzoh Ball Soup, it became clear that there were a couple of stellar items on the menu:
*Cinnamon-Scented Carrot Tzimmes with Currants and Almonds
*Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream with Pistachios
The riff on the traditional tzimmes was my own concoction: Chunky pieces of carrot sweetened with orange juice and brown sugar, offset by savory shallots, tart currants and a nutty crunch from the toasted almonds. It certainly paid homage to Jewish cookery, but was decidedly infused with a bit of Morocco. After one taste, my friend Ben immediately asked for the recipe. So, here it is:
3 small bunches of carrots, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large shallot, sliced thin and cut into half-moon slices
2 TBSP dried currants
1 cup hot water
1 tsp. vinegar (preferably Champagne or Red Wine)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TBSP dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
4 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp. butter or margarine (use only if being cooked separately, as opposed to below a cooking chicken or roast which will give off drippings)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Soak the currants in hot water and vinegar for half-hour, until plump. Strain. Place carrots, shallots, cinnamon sticks and currants into a large baking pan.
Microwave orange juice with brown sugar and butter or margarine, until sugar melts. Mix together and then pour over the carrots, shallots and currants.
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When done, carrots should be soft enough to easily prick with a fork. A few minutes before carrots are cooked through, toast almond slices in a pan on the stove, until light brown. Place carrot mixture in a serving dish. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Top with almond slices.
Serves 6 as a side dish.
The other big culinary champ of the night, the ice cream, came from an old issue of Gourmet and was originally from the folks at Ciao Bella. And, lemme just say that this ice cream's extraordinarily complex flavor can be described in one word: Yummy!
For those of you who are as crazy as I and have an ice cream maker at home, here's the recipe:
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 cup shelled natural pistachio nuts
In a heavy saucepan combine the milk, cream, saffron and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and let cream mixture stand, covered, for 1 hour. Return pan to the heat and bring mixture to just the boiling point.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and pinch of salt together. Add the cream mixture in a steady stream, whisking and pour the entire mixture back into the pan. Cook this custard over moderate low heat, stirring until a thermometer reaches 170F.
Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl and stir in cardamom. Let custard cool completely and freeze in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's recommendations. Add pistachios during last few minutes of freezing time.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
And so, another Passover Seder has come and gone in my home. Next year, we'll unveil the 2005 vittles victors. But, no matter what the coming year brings, the Matzoh Ball Soup, Maxwell House Haggadahs, Yul Brynner, Charlton Heston and Anne Baxter breathlessly exclaiming "Moses, you crazy, impetuous fool!" are always winners in my book.
Comments