Four foodies share their favourite Passover desserts...
PESACH FLAPJACKS OR WAFFLES
Sharon Glass
The cooking teacher and cookbook author says: “These waffles are gluten-free and easy to prepare, and you can vary the toppings to suit your taste from healthy berries to cream and syrup.”
Makes 4 large
4 jumbo eggs, separated
80ml sunflower oil
250ml plain yoghurt
125ml sugar
160ml matzo cake meal
60ml potato starch
Beat egg whites until they make soft peaks. Set aside. Beat egg yolks with the sunflower oil until light, about 5 minutes.
Add the yoghurt and continue beating.
Gradually add dry ingredients and then fold in the egg whites.
The batter will be thick. Pour the batter into a pre-sprayed frying pan or waffle maker. Cook until bubbles appear and they are set on the bottom. Then turn and cook on the other side until golden and brown.
Serve with syrup and cinnamon sugar.
Note: To make flapjacks put spoonfuls of mixture into a lightly oiled frying pan and cook until bubbles appear, then flip and cook the other side.
MERINGUE AND BERRY ICE CREAM
Fay Lewis
Cookbook author Fay, who now lives in Boston, says: “l love this dessert because Passover is such a busy time for cooks, it’s good to have a dessert that can be prepared in advance and have it ready to whip out of the freezer at a moments notice.”
Serves 8-10
Meringues
5 jumbo egg whites
5ml salt
150g castor sugar
150g sifted icing sugar
10ml fresh lemon juice
Berry ice cream
500g mixed berries
750ml non-dairy cream
60ml castor sugar
10ml vanilla essence
honey to serve
MERINGUES: Preheat oven to 100°C. Using an electric beater, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks start to form. Gradually add castor sugar and icing sugar, beating after each addition. Add lemon juice and beat for a couple of seconds.
Spoon or pipe meringue on to a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 100°C for 1 hour, then at 50°C for another hour. Switch off oven and leave meringues, with the door closed, for 2-4 hours.
ICE CREAM: Coat a 1.5-litre loaf pan with cooking spray and line with cling wrap, leaving enough to fold over top of ice cream.
Place some berries into the base of loaf pan (these will be the top of ice cream when turned out). Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla to soft, peak stage.
Fold in meringue and remaining berries. Spoon into the loaf pan, give it a shake to remove any air bubbles and cover with overhanging cling wrap.
Place in freezer for 3 hours or until frozen.
TO SERVE: Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving. Turn out of loaf tin. Pile extra berries on top and drizzle with honey. Slice and serve.
* Save time by using bought meringues.
FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
Richard Pearce
The executive chef at Totally Kosher Catering says: “These are the easiest brownies you will ever make and my family look forward to enjoying them every Passover.”
Serves 8-10
4 eggs
375ml sugar
250ml oil
60ml cocoa
250ml potato flour
125ml chopped nuts
Ganache
100g cocoa powder
150g sugar
50g margarine
200ml water
100ml non-dairy cream
extra chopped nuts for decoration
Beat the eggs and sugar well. Add oil, cocoa, potato flour and nuts. Pour into a greased and lined baking tray.
Bake at 170°C for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow the brownies to cool. Cut them into squares and pour over chocolate ganache.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts to decorate.
GANACHE: Put the cocoa, sugar, margarine and water into a saucepan and heat gently until well blended and smooth.
Cool and stir in the cream.
DECADENT LAYERED MOUSSE CAKE
Sharon Lurie
Cookbook author Sharon, whose family look forward to her creating something unusual every Passover, says: “This decadent dessert can be prepared well in advance and freezes really well.”
Serves 6-8
Peanut butter biscuit base
125ml peanut butter
125ml sugar
1 egg
3ml kosher baking soda
5ml vanilla essence
100g slab chocolate frozen and roughly crushed
Hazelnut meringue
4 egg whites
180ml castor sugar
45ml cocoa powder
100g roasted hazelnuts, crushed
Chocolate mousse
300g dark chocolate
8 extra large eggs, separated
60ml sugar
60ml extra sugar
PEANUT BUTTER BASE: Line the base of a 20cm spring form tin with tin foil.
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Spoon on to base of the tin. Spread evenly and bake at 180°C for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.
HAZELNUT MERINGUE: Beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Add the sugar, two spoonfuls at a time. Beat until thick and glossy. Fold in the cocoa and nuts.
Spread the mixture on to 2x20cm circles marked on non-stick baking paper, allow space for spreading.
Bake at 140°C for 30 minutes, then switch off oven and leave to dry out.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE: Melt chocolate over a pot of boiling water.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the chocolate and mix well. Beat egg whites with the extra sugar until stiff and shiny.
Add 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until well incorporated. Refrigerate until set.
Layering the dessert: Divide the chocolate mousse into four portions.
Place one portion directly on onto the biscuit base still in the spring form tin.
Place one meringue on top of the mousse. Add another layer of chocolate mousse. Then another meringue layer. Top with a layer of chocolate mousse.
Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge and run a knife around the cake tin, before releasing the spring. This should help the cake come away from the sides.
Place the cake on a serving plate. Spread the remaining mousse around the sides of the cake.
Refrigerate and just before serving decorate with grated or shaved chocolate and a dusting of cocoa powder. - The Star