Dessert in the Desert? Chocolate Tortes for Passover

by Julie Gale

(April 13, 2005) I always feel a combination of great excitement and great anxiety when Passover is approaching. It’s wonderful to prepare your home and family in the welcoming of spring and the holiday that celebrates freedom. Preparation is very personal, from an all- encompassing cleaning of the house of all traces of non-Passover foods to a simple substitution of bread products for matzo products.

The excitement comes from the anticipation of celebrating the many rituals and traditions surrounding the holiday and the anxiety comes from making certain that everything is ready in time.

The seder plate at the center of the table must contain horseradish (or bitter herbs) that represent the bitter times in Egypt, parsley that represents spring, haroset (a paste of apples, nuts, cinnamon and sweet wine) that represent the bricks the Israelites had to make for Pharoah, a roasted egg, symbolizing the rebirth of spring, and a roasted bone, symbolizing the offerings at the Temple.

The table must also have dishes of salt water for dipping the parsley and hard-boiled eggs, matzo for eating and also for hiding (called the afikomen, literally the dessert) which the children will find after the seder, enough sweet Kosher wine for 4 or 5 glasses per person, a special glass for the Prophet Elijah who visits every seder, an empty chair for the stranger, pillows for reclining at the table, and I am sure there is something I have forgotten. And therein lies the anxiety …. what did I forget?

The length of the seder is also a personal thing, my grandparents’ seders lasted hours, my parents’ seders lasted only minutes, and our seder takes about an hour and a half. My husband takes his role as leader quite seriously, making sure that nothing important is left out of the Haggadah or “telling” of the story.

After the reading, the singing, the tasting, and a little crying (my father always sheds a tear when we sing about the little goat in the marketplace, Had Gadya), we are finally ready to eat. Dinner is almost always the same at our house; gefilte fish, beet salad, matzo ball soup, roasted capon, brisket, potato pudding, steamed asparagus, and chocolate tortes for dessert. Even though these tortes are soufflé-like in preparation and texture, they are very forgiving and can be prepared ahead of time and put into the oven about a half hour before you are ready to serve them.

With these tortes, it’s easy to have a "zissen Pesach"- a sweet Passover.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE TORTES

• Non-stick spray
• 6 Tbs. margarine (or butter for a dairy meal)
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 eggs, separated
• 10 Tbs. sugar
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using popover pans or deep cupcake tins, spray thoroughly with non-stick spray.

Melt the margarine (or butter) and chocolate in a metal bowl over boiling water until smooth.

Mix the egg yolks and 6 Tbs. of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until it is pale yellow and very thick, about 5 minutes, adding the vanilla at the end. Stir in the chocolate mixture to combine. Place the mixture into a very large bowl.

Into the clean bowl of the mixer, place the egg whites and beat until foamy. Add the rest of the sugar and beat until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until no white can be seen. (The mixture can be made ahead a few hours, stored covered in the refrigerator at this point and then whipped up again briefly before baking. The tortes won’t be quite as high, but will taste the same.)

Fill the tins about halfway and bake about 25 minutes or until the centers are set but still soft.

Serves 6

Ethnic Cooking with Julie Gale

1. Thurs., Feb. 10- 10-12 PM VALENTINE’S DAY:Champagne Chicken, Salad of Hearts, Chocolate Pots de Crème

2. Thurs., Feb. 17 - 7-9 PM CHINESE NEW YEAR: Hot & Sour Soup, Mu Shu Chicken, Spun Apples

3. Thurs. March 3 – 12:30-2:30 PM COOKING LITE: Stuffed Zucchini, Ratatouille Chicken, Roasted Fruit

4. Tues. March 15 –7-9 PM SAINT PATRICK’S DAY:Glazed Corned Beef, Braised Cabbage w/ Bacon, Soda Bread

5. Thurs. March 24 – 10-12 PM COOKING FOR COMPANY: Easy Hors D’oeuvres, Chicken Kiev, Sacher Torte

6. Sun. April 3 – 7-9 PM MEN’S NIGHT OUT: Mexican Layered Dip, Chili, Free-form Apple Pie

7. Thurs. April 14 – 7-9 PM PASSOVER SPECIALTIES Matzo Ball Soup, Gefilte Fish, Chocolate Torte

8. Tues. May 3 – 3:30-5:30 PM - KID’S COOKING Homemade Pasta , Tacos, Homemade Ice Cream

9. Thurs. May 19 –7-9 PM - TEENAGER CLASS Homemade Pizza, Vegetarian Sushi, Killer Brownies

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