A Few Dates Later

Dear Love at First Bite:

Well, Excuse Me, Ms. Oh-So-Nouveau at Passover Time, but I thought charoses was supposed to remind us of, you know, slavery, building pyramids with bricks (that's what the apples are for--and yes, I know some people use dates.  [Sigh.]) and mortar (that would be the walnuts) and the blood, sweat, and tears that went into doing that work (that's what the wine is for), but what do I know?  I guess out on the West Coast anything goes--but strawberries and blueberry jam?  Really?  Sounds like fruit compote or pie filling to me.

Fan of Tradition

Dear FOT:

Thank you for sharing.  The great thing about charoset, which is how it's often spelled these days, is that you can put in pretty much whatever you want, especially in my kitchen. You do need something to symbolize the bricks (that's what the strawberries were doing) and mortar (that's why the banana was involved) and something to bind them together (that's where the blueberry jam came in), preferably with a little juice to symbolize the blood, sweat and tears you mentioned.  (Saw them years ago at the Fillmore East.  Awesome.)

Should I tell you about the amazing charoset at Rosa Mexicano the other night with coconut?  (Also starring almonds, dates, tangerines, pomegranate seeds, and rose apples.)   Maybe not.

Anyhoo, below is another newbie you might appreciate. 

Citrus, Walnut, and Oh, Those Dates! Charoset:

A couple of soft dates (like Medjool), pits removed
A few firmer dates (like Deglet Noor and dried Yellowtail Medjool), pits removed
3 organic kumquats (sweet rind, tart center)
1 large and three small organic sweet kumquats
A healthy handful of walnuts, chopped
1/4 organic lemon
Ground ginger
Cinnamon

Chop dates and, if you can, mash the Medjool.  Slice the kumquats, rind and all, and remove the seeds, chop into small pieces, reserving the liquid.  Combine everything (yes, that includes the kumquat juice) in a bowl and squeeze the lemon over the mixture.  Grate the lemon zest into the bowl.  Toast the walnuts and add them, then sprinkle the ground ginger and cinnamon over all and mix.  

Enjoy!

Oh, and FOT:  Just between you, me, and the NSA:  Anytime you combine fruit with nuts and some kind of liquid, you are dancing in the neighborhood of fruit compote.  And would this be yummy inside the right pie?  Sure.  But not this week.  So here's a piece of matzo.  Try it.
©2014, 2015 Laynie Tzena. 

Old and New Friends

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver, and the other, gold.

--Author unknown

The lure of the distant and difficult

is deceptive.  The great opportunity

is where you are.

--John Burroughs

Hello, brown bowl.  Brown, shimmery bowl.  You might as well wear a tag saying, "Stoneware."  You've been sitting patiently under the beige bowl with the blue rim and above the blue-and-white one that rarely sees the light of day, even though it, too, is very pretty.

It's true.  I reach for the Pyrex most of the time.  Like to see what I'm doing.  But today, making a brand-new charoset with strawberries in it, I reached for you.

* * *

Isn't it always the way?  We reach for the familiar or try to get that person we think is swell to see, finally see that we are alive.

"Hi!" we say.  "It's me!", all but jumping up and down like puppies.

But one day, for some unknown reason, we wake up and say, "Hey!  What about the brown bowl?  Let's try that."

And it's perfect, and claims its place in our life.

We do, nonetheless, keep our friends.  We just expand the circle a bit.  It's a big world, you know.

Have some charoset.  Put it in a bowl you wouldn't ordinarily use.  It's Passover, after all.  Escape from the narrow places.  Try some new things.

Strawberry-Blueberry-Banana-Pecan Charoset:

Half a dozen organic strawberries
Half a banana, or more, to taste
Handful of organic pecans*
1-2 teaspoons of that Reddington Ridge Farm wild blueberry jam 
your friend brought back from Maine** (Thanks, Helen!)
A couple shakes of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Toast the pecans and chop them.  Slice the fruit or, if you want to make cleanup super-easy, use scissors.  Combine everything but the blueberry jam in that beautiful and so rarely used bowl, then add jam to taste.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  If you want to make it it a bit less sweet (or just like how lemon brings flavors together), squeeze a quarter of a lemon over the charoset and stir it again.

Enjoy!

*If you use the little pieces of pecan lounging towards the bottom of the bag, you'll be right in line with today's program, as they're not as snazzy-looking as the whole ones.  Plus, you'll have a lot less chopping to do.

**"Do you have any extra jam?"

Yes.  How soon can you get here?

"Is the blueberry jam Kosher for Passover?"

No, it is not.  If you want to leave out the jam, just add some more banana, a couple of dates, or some honey.

©2014, 2015 Laynie Tzena.