Passover's Sweet Celebration

Passover, one of the most important Jewish holidays, is deeply rooted in tradition and symbolism and is often marked with a great feast known as Seder.

The Passover Seder is observed on the first two nights with lavish meals and special foods. Use pure honey to add a sweet twist to traditional favorites such as Kugel, Haroset and Matzo to include at your Passover table.

Yam & Potato Kugel with Orange Essence Prune Haroset

Ingredients:
Kugel:
2 medium fresh yams
2 medium russet potatoes
3 eggs
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. matzo meal
1 Tbsp. margarine
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper

Haroset:
1 cup orange essence prunes (or regular prunes)
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup dried apricots
2 small red delicious apples, cored and quartered
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup sweet kosher wine or sweet white wine

Kugel Topping:
1 cup Prune Haroset
1/3 cup orange essence prunes
1 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup apricot jam

Kugel:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 9x9-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Thinly slice yams and potatoes; place in separate bowls, cover with water. Whisk together eggs, onion, matzo meal, margarine, salt and pepper.

Drain water from potatoes and yams. Arrange potatoes in baking pan to within 1/2-inch of edges; top with yam slices. Pour egg mixture over yams. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 1 hour or until potatoes are soft when pierced.

Haroset:
Meanwhile, in food processor bowl, place all ingredients for haroset. Process until coarsely chopped or to desired consistency. Reserve 1 cup haroset for Kugel topping; serve remaining haroset with matzo crackers.

Kugel Topping:
In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for topping. Remove foil from potatoes and spoon topping over kugel. Bake uncovered, 10 minutes. Cut into 8 squares.

Makes 6 servings.

Matzo Strawberry Tart

Ingredients:
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Matzo Tart Shell, recipe follows
4 cups halved fresh strawberries


Combine honey and lemon juice; mix well. Brush bottom of tart shell with mixture. Fill tart shell with strawberries. Drizzle remaining honey mixture over berries.

Matzo Tart Shell: Cut 1/3 cup shortening into 1 cup matzo cake meal until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine 1/3 cup water and 1 Tablespoon honey; mix well. Sprinkle over matzo mixture. Mix lightly to form dough; shape into ball. Press dough into 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow pastry to firm up. Bake at 400°F about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Makes 1 tart shell.

Tips: Prepare tart shell, honey glaze and strawberries. Fill tart shell and glaze strawberries just before serving to prevent shell from becoming soggy.

Makes 8 servings.



About the Author:
Tami Rose lives in North Carolina with her husband and 2 children. She is always on the lookout for fun, easy recipes that any age group can make. She is the Assistant Administrator on the MomsMenu.com forums. You can find her there under the username of "ajrsmom".