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Tag Archives: jewish

Penina & Tommy’s Wedding Cake

11 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by Nicole Small in chocolate, dairy free, dessert, dessert recipe, frosting, Jewish, recipe, sweets, Wedding

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

baked, chocolate, dairy free, dessert, dessert recipe, food, food blog, food blogger, jewish, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, sweets, vegetarian, wedding, wedding cake

2012 was a great year for me, full of personal growth and a lot of learning and improving as far as my culinary knowledge goes. It ended with quite the bang! My dear friends from university got married the last weekend of December, and I had the great honor of making their wedding cake. I had practiced before, specifically with my best friend’s birthday cake over the summer, but as the time grew near for me to start on the cake I got some serious jitters. Not only was I about to make the biggest cake that I had ever made, but it also had to be dairy-free for their strictly kosher wedding. Here’s a look at the process, as well as the amazing outcome!

red velvet cake ingredients

Ingredients for the cake batter

cake layers

The layers are finally baked, wrapped, and ready to freeze!

cake with frosting

The first layer of frosting is on! This is called the “crumb layer” because it holds all of the crumbs in place so that the pretty layer of frosting can go on top.

phoenix wedding cake

Finally the best part- decorating!

wedding cake phoenix

kosher wedding cake phoenix

kosher red velvet cake

The bride and groom cutting the cake

wedding cakes phoenix

wedding cake recipes

wedding cake recipe

Cake destruction

chocolate wedding cake recipe

The saddest sight I ever laid eyes on

dairy free red velvet wedding cake

Too delicious for words

Although I was terrified to tackle this project, it was actually so much fun! I would definitely do it again. Since it took me forever to find a good dairy-free red velvet cake, I wanted to share my recipe with you. I made some small changes to a pre-existing recipe, which you can find here.

Dairy-Free Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

1½ cup + 2 tbsp dairy-free butter substitute (Smart Balance or Earth Balance)
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup dairy-free milk substitute (Soy, Almond, Mocha Mix for a parve cake, etc)
1 oz (typically 1 bottle) red food coloring
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare two 9″ round pans: spray each pan with cooking spray, then cut a round piece of wax paper to fit on the bottom of the pan. Spray the wax paper as well.

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside. In another bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter substitute and sugar until fluffy. Add each egg one at a time and mix thoroughly. Alternate adding the dry mixture with the milk substitute until it is all incorporated. Next, add the vanilla and the red food coloring.

Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once the cakes are done, turn them out on a cooling rack. Frost with a dairy-free frosting, either homemade or store bought (there are a few dairy-free and parve frostings to choose from at your local grocery store).

Enjoy!

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Apple Butter Challah

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Nicole Small in Holidays, Jewish, recipe

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

apple, autumn, baked, challah, food, food blog, food blogger, holiday, holidays, jewish, jewish recipe, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, vegetarian

As should be expected, any holiday, get-together, or even the smallest event is a reason for me to cook something extravagant. It could be Thursday night with a bottle of wine and my best friend and that’s a good enough reason for me, so clearly Rosh Hashana had to have something special. I had recently given in to my Smitten Kitchen addiction (I really spend far too much time clicking the “Surprise Me!” link and reading recipes on her website) and fell in love with her recent recipe for Olive Oil, Sea Salt & Fig Challah. Of course I aspired to make it for Rosh Hashana, I even stood in Sprouts for maybe 30 minutes contemplating the difference between seriously four kinds of figs- why do they have four different kinds of dried figs?!

Amidst my rushing about to recreate the latest SK masterpiece, I also had an idea of my own. I didn’t know if I liked figs (now I know- I do), so I wanted to make another Challah that I knew I would like, and I wanted to incorporate apples. But how?

apples

For days I pondered… Then, it dawned on me: Apple Butter. The perfect solution!

apple butter

Let me tell you about my love for apple butter. But soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and apple butter is the sun.. but for real, apple butter is delicious. And ridiculously easy to make. So much so that I am already planning my next batch, and you really have no excuse to not bust out your crock pot at this very moment.

So, with this revelation, I made three challahs for Rosh Hashana. Yes, three! My love for homemade challah runs deep. I made Smitten Kitchen’s Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Fig Challah; Plain Challah with sesame seeds (for the discriminating tastes in the house); and the glorious Apple Butter Challah with Cinnamon Sugar. Oh, it was majestic.

challah

I first learned how to make challah from my Rabbi’s wife in college. Chaya taught me so many things about life, love, and Jewish cooking and for all these things I will be forever grateful. Her carrot kugel cannot be matched (I have tried countless times). Her baked chicken is always perfect and juicy and amazing. And her challah is to die for! So, lucky you, that’s the recipe I used! Coupled with my apple butter, it was a combination that I will not soon forget. Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Butter

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

12 Apples (normal sized ones that seem slightly heavy)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2/3 cup Water

Directions

Peel and core each apple. Roughly cut the apples into 1/2″ cubes and place in a large bowl. To the apples, add brown sugar and spices. Mix well to coat the apples. Add apples to your crock pot with 2/3 cup water. Set on low for 15 hours (this is best done overnight). Stir occasionally.

apples for apple butter

easy apple butter

Apples, after about 12 hours

After 15 hours, blend until smooth with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can blend it in batches using a regular blender. Prop the lid of the crock pot open with a wooden spoon and let simmer for 2-3 more hours until the mixture has thickened. During this time be sure to stir occasionally. Then, shut off the crock pot and let it sit (with the lid still propped open). When it has cooled enough to be manageable, transfer the apple butter into canning jars or glass tupperware. It can be frozen as well.

apple butter

Chaya’s Challah

Makes two Challahs

2 packages dry yeast
2 cups water, between 110-116 degrees F
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
6.5-7 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve a tsp of the sugar 1 cup of water. Add yeast and let the yeast foam for 5-10 minutes.

Combine the yeast mixture with the remaining water, half of the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt. Once combined, add the egg and oil. Then work in the remaining flour until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5-10 minutes until it becomes elastic and has “acquired a life of its own.” It should spring back when pressed with a fingertip. Try to add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil into a bowl and roll the dough around to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour.

Section dough in half. With each half, evenly cut enough pieces for whichever braid you choose. With each piece, roll the dough out flat. Spread a layer of apple butter over the dough, avoiding the edges (fig filling shown in the images).

challah with filling 2

Roll the dough back into a log (like a cinnamon roll). Repeat this until you have enough apple butter-filled pieces of dough for your braid.

challah with filling

Proceed to braid the challah in whichever style you prefer. Place on a greased baking dish and brush with an egg wash. Allow to rise 1 additional hour.

braiding a challahbraided round challah

45 minutes through the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the challah with a second egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. When the oven is heated, bake for 30-45 minutes on a middle rack, until the interior temperature reaches195 degrees. If the top begins to brown to quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of foil.

fig challah

Smitten Kitchen recipe for a Gorgeous Fig-filled Challah

two baked challahs

Shana tova!

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Cheesy Potato & Cauliflower Casserole

07 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by Nicole Small in gluten free, recipe

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

baked, casserole, cauliflower, cheese, food, food blog, food blogger, garlic, gluten free, holiday, holidays, jewish, jewish recipe, passover, passover recipe, potato, potato recipe, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, thanksgiving recipe, vegetable, vegetarian, wheat-free

This dish is so, so yummy. In fact, I would recommend doubling or tripling it! It combines some of my favorite flavors, and I have to admit the idea is not all my own. Last night, my brilliant, new-to-cooking younger sister made a cauliflower kugel that was so delicious. I wanted to create something that was similar to her dish, but cheesier.

Cheesy Potato & Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cups thinly sliced cauliflower
1 large red potato, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled, with ends cut off
1/2 tbsp butter + 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp pesto
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top
Freshly cracked pepper
Butter, to grease baking dish

Directions

Combine olive oil and butter in a skillet. One bubbling, add thinly sliced onions and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow onions to caramelize for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Thinly slice cauliflower and potato. Reserve enough large potato slices to cover the top of your casserole, and cut the rest into ribbons. Mix cauliflower and potatoes with 2 tsp olive oil and freshly cracked pepper. Lay out on a greased baking sheet, with 5 garlic cloves (still unpeeled). Roast at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. In a bowl combine sour cream, pesto and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Set aside. When the cauliflower and potatoes are done, take the garlic cloves out of the papers and chop them up.

cauliflower casserole

In a glass bowl, mix together garlic, cauliflower and potatoes, caramelized onions and sour cream mixture. Grease a casserole dish (I used an 8″ round one) with butter. Pour the mixture into the dish, layer on the thinly sliced potatoes, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese (however much you want- go crazy!). On a middle rack, bake covered, for 15 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 15 additional minutes, rotating half way through.

cheesy cauliflower potato casseroleCheesy Potato & Cauliflower

This dish smells so yummy when it is baking- I wish you all could be in my kitchen right now! I was really craving macaroni and cheese for dinner, but since it is passover this is a great alternative. I really think cauliflower is overlooked sometimes, which is unfortunate because it is so versatile. And seriously, its so yummy that I might eat the entire casserole!

Cheesy Potato & Cauliflower Casserole

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Mushroom & Onion Sauce

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Nicole Small in gluten free, Holidays, sauce

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

food, food blog, food blogger, garlic, gluten free, holiday, holidays, jewish, jewish recipe, mushroom, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, sauce, sauce recipe, thanksgiving recipe, vegetable, vegetarian

This delicious mushroom and onion sauce was the perfect complement to our beef roast for our Passover Seder tonight. This sauce is divine and will leave you conjuring up any excuse to put it on everything that you eat. Granted, there is sour cream and butter in the sauce. If you keep a Kosher household, you can omit the sour cream and substitute olive oil for butter. This sauce is a delicious addition to asparagus, and works wonders with potatoes and chicken!

Mushroom & Onion Sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil + 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
3/4 package (about 6 or 7 ounces) sliced mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, grated or chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
Dash worcestershire sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp sour cream


Sliced mushrooms, before adding to sauce

Directions

In a small pot, heat butter and oil. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms begin to brown. Next, add the freshly grated garlic. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Add white wine, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce directly to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until it reduces by half. Add 3 tbsp water, stir, and remove from burner to let cool. An optional step is to blend partially or completely with an immersion blender. Once the sauce has cooled slightly, add the sour cream and mix well.

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