Sweet & Sour Poached Salmon

Recipe from Joy of Kosher

1 onion, thinly sliced
⅓ cup sugar
2 lemons, sliced
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
2 bay leaves [optional]
2 cups water 4 salmon fillets

Bring all ingredients, except salmon, to a boil, lower to a simmer and add the salmon into the pot.

Cover and cook on low for twenty minutes. 

To prevent salmon from falling apart, allow to cool before transferring.

Fish Curry

2 tblspn olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 cup tikka paste

270ml can coconut milk

750g boneless, skinless fish fillets, cubed - perch or flathead or other firm fish

150g green beans, trimmed and halved

60g baby spinach leaves

steamed basmatic rice, pappadums to serve

In a large frying pan, heat vegetable oil on high. Saute onion and garlic 3-4 minutes, until onion is soft.

Add paste to pan, cook stirring for one minute, until fragrant.  Stir in coconut milk, bring to boil on high.

Stir fish and beans into sauce. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes.

Stir spinach through curry for final minutes of cooking to wilt.  

Serve with steamed rice and pappadums.

Pesach Almond Macaroons

4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar

2 cups ground almonds

Beat egg yolks well. Add sugar, and beat until mixture is lemon colored. Add the ground almonds and mix thoroughly. Chill for one hour in the refrigerator. 

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Take small pieces of the mixture and shape into small balls - note, these cookies spread..  Place the macaroons on a greased baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Top with half an almond. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. 

Potato Kugel

10 large potatoes
4 large onions
3 eggs
1/2 cup lite olive oil
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper

Oil two medium sized baking trays.

Grate or process potatoes and onions.  Beat eggs and mix with grated vegies.  Add flour, salt and pepper.

Cooking uncovered for 1hr at 190 and then covered on 130 for 2-3 hrs works best!

Strawberry IceCream - Pesach

4 egg whites

750g frozen berries
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice

Separate your eggs. Reserve yolks for another recipe.

Beat your egg whites until you have stiff peaks.

Blend up your frozen fruit until you have a smooth puree.

Add your lemon juice and sweetener to your blended fruit. If using different fruit, add less lemon juice and sweetener at first, then adjust to taste.

Gently fold in the pureed frozen fruit mixture into your egg whites, and try to incorporate it as evenly as possible.

Freeze in plastic container.

Hazelnut Cake

350g hazelnut meal
6 eggs
5/8 cup caster sugar

Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow.  Mix in ground hazlenuts.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.   Quickly fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixure, then add the remaining whites and fold in until no streaks remain.
Pour into a 9 inch springform. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 75 mins or until top of cake springs back when lightly tapped.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing
250g icing sugar sifted
125g butter at room temperature
100g melted chocolate
Cream butter and melted chocolate together and gradually mix in icing sugar. If too stiff add a drop of milk.

Lemon Almond Sponge Cake for Pesach

Author: Jamie Schler 

The Lemon Almond Sponge Cake 
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest and juice from ½ lemon
¼ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup ground almonds
½ cup potato flour
Pinch salt + few drops lemon juice for whites
Handful slivered blanched almonds to decorate, optional

The Warm Lemon Sauce 
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 Tbs potato starch
2 Tbs butter, cubed and softened

Instructions 

Prepare the Lemon Almond Sponge Cake: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Have ready a springform pan – I used a 7 ¼ inch-diameter x 4 inch-high springform but a regular 8-inch pan is fine, too. 

Separate the eggs; place the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in a medium bowl, preferably plastic or metal. Add a pinch salt and a few drops lemon juice to the whites and set aside. 

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks for three or four minutes until thick and pale. Add the sugar and continue beating until thick and creamy. 

Beat in the zest and juice of ½ a lemon and the vanilla extract until well blended and thick. Quickly beat in the ground almonds. 

Using very clean beaters, beat the egg whites on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to high; beat the whites until thick, glossy and peaks hold. Do not overbeat until the whites are dry. 

Using a spatula, gently but firmly fold the stiff whites into the lemon almond cake batter in 3 additions. Fold in the potato flour with the third addition of the whites in order to avoid overworking the batter. Fold in the whites just until all the lumps of white have disappeared. 

Gently pour the batter into the springform pan. Dust with a couple of tablespoons slivered almonds. Bake in the preheated oven 30 – 45 minutes, depending on your oven and pan size. The cake is done when puffed, set and golden. Gently press on the top of the cake and it should feel set, much like an angel or sponge cake. A tester inserted in the center should come out dry. 

Remove the pan from the oven onto a cooling rack and allow to cool before unmolding. Carefully run a long, thin blade around the sides to loosen the cake while still warm. 

Prepare the Warm Lemon Sauce by first bringing the water to a boil. 

Sift the cornstarch or potato starch into the sugar in a medium heatproof bowl and stir. Whisk in the boiling water then, when smooth, return to the pan and continue cooking over low heat, whisking or stirring, for 8 to 10 minutes until thickened to the consistency of a sauce. 

Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a cube at a time until the buttered is melted and incorporated and the mixture is smooth. 

Strain through a mesh strainer if necessary. Store in a jar in the refrigerator; to reheat, simply put the gelled sauce in a saucepan and heat very gently over low, stirring or whisking constantly, until pouring consistency (not too runny) and warm. Strain. Serve warm.