[Sca-cooks] charoset

[Suey]

Susan Lin wrote:
> I have made this before - I used to teach religious school and I made it
> for my 7th graders when I taught:  Jewish Food Traditions.
>
> Did you add the vinegar to the recipe?  It's not supposed to go into the
> charoset but to be sprinkled on top.  If it is too soupy then strain it as
> Guenievre suggested and then add some additional nuts and dates - it should
> be sticky but not soupy.  Then moisten your hands and roll into balls, roll
> in the sugar and put in a dish and sprinkle the vinegar over - it is a very
> interesting taste.
>
> Shoshanah
I am terrible about following my own concoctions! I completely forgot 
the vinegar!
Thank you so much for your suggestions.
When ready to give this recipe another go this pm, the Sca daily post 
was not yet on line.
Yesterday, in desperation, I added more chestnuts, dates and almonds to 
the recipe but I forgot fry the almonds. Today, when I retrieved the 
mixture from the frig, it was still too soggy for rolling. On line I 
found suggestions like adding matzoh dough. In an attempt to avoid a 
quick run to the supermarket, I put the mass in a saucepan for one last 
try and mashed it around for 1/2 hr squeezing out the humidity from the 
mass. Then I let it cool and refrigerated it again for an hour or so. 
Then I had the right consistency to roll it.
So my adaption of Gitlitz' recipe will be published in my blog "castaña" 
on 6 September. I like it. I will try a splash of vinegar tomorrow. . .
In the meantime, this pm, I made "Moorish Gourds" found in Nola. Its an 
otherwise boring recipe for fall gourds and onion soppes, which comes to 
life with the last minute editions of beaten eggs and cheese. -It is so 
good! That recipe will be published on 5 September in the blog called 
"cascauallo."
Of late, I like my recipes: http://www.medievalspanishchef.com/
I cannot tell you often enough that this adventure is a far cry from the 
movie Julia and Julie. I made one recipe 3 times before figuring out 
that is was a meringue. - One thinks he is fine beginning the week with 
3 doz eggs but when meringue disasters occur over and over, I feel like 
Apicius going bankrupt rotten eggs . . . !!!
Thank you all for your support and following,
Suey
How about you?
>
> On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I tried to copy this recipe from Gitlitz and messed it up. I think I did
>> that by grinding too much.
>>
>> Anyway, now how can I dry it up now?
>>
>> I put the mixture in the frig for the night but when I check it, it is too
>> liquidy to make balls like truffles.
>> It is so expensive I can't throw it out.
>> How can I dry it up enough to make balls out of the mass and roll them in
>> powdered sugar?
>> Thanks so much for your advise, I am desperate,
>> Suey
>>
>> A Drizzle of Honey, The Life and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews,
>> by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson.
>> St. Martin's Press 1999
>> (I got it from Amazon.com)
>>
>> The title kind of says it all. In honor of upcoming Pesach, (Passover) here
>> is a charoset recipe.
>> **Diego Diaz Nieto's Haroset Balls** (this recipe is from before 1594)
>> (makes 15 1" balls)
>>
>> 2 apples cored, and finely diced
>> 6 Tbsp chopped almonds
>> 6 Tbsp chopped dates
>> 6 Tbsp raisins
>> 12 chestnuts, cooked and peeled
>> 3/4 tsp cinamon
>> 3 Tbsp sugar
>> 5 Tbsp white vinegar
>>
>> Place the diced apples, slmonds, dates, raisins, and chestnuts into an
>> unbreakable bowl. With a potato masher, mash all these ingredients
>> together.*
>>
>> Add cinamon and 1 Tbsp sugar and mix well.
>>
>> Place the remaining sugar in a small bowl.
>>
>> With your fingers, form the charoset mixture into small balls.
>> Roll them in sugar and put them on a plate.
>>
>> Refrigerate until serving.
>>
>> To serve:
>> Arrange the haroset balls on a plate.
>> Spoon the vinegar over them.
>> Let them sit until the vinegar is absorbed
>>
>> * Do not grind to a pulpy paste or they will not hold together
>>
>> A Drizzle of Honey, The Life and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews,
>> by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson.
>> St. Martin's Press 1999
>> (I got it from Amazon.com)
>>
>> The title kind of says it all. In honor of upcoming Pesach, (Passover) here
>> is a charoset recipe.
>> **Diego Diaz Nieto's Haroset Balls** (this recipe is from before 1594)
>> (makes 15 1" balls)
>>
>> 2 apples cored, and finely diced
>> 6 Tbsp chopped almonds
>> 6 Tbsp chopped dates
>> 6 Tbsp raisins
>> 12 chestnuts, cooked and peeled
>> 3/4 tsp cinamon
>> 3 Tbsp sugar
>> 5 Tbsp white vinegar
>>
>> Place the diced apples, slmonds, dates, raisins, and chestnuts into an
>> unbreakable bowl. With a potato masher, mash all these ingredients
>> together.*
>>
>> Add cinamon and 1 Tbsp sugar and mix well.
>>
>> Place the remaining sugar in a small bowl.
>>
>> With your fingers, form the charoset mixture into small balls.
>> Roll them in sugar and put them on a plate.
>>
>> Refrigerate until serving.
>>
>> To serve:
>> Arrange the haroset balls on a plate.
>> Spoon the vinegar over them.
>> Let them sit until the vinegar is absorbed
>>
>> * Do not grind to a pulpy paste or they will not hold together
>>
>> ______________________________**_________________
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>> Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
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>>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2012 21:59:21 -0700
> From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>
> To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Subject: [Sca-cooks]  Tenth Century Mead Recipes
> Message-ID: <503DA1A9.3080105 at daviddfriedman.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> I'm still going through al-Warraq. It turns out that he has a bunch of
> recipes for fermented drinks. Some, according to the translator, are
> permissable under Islamic law--she doesn't specify which school or
> schools--some are not.
>
> They include meads, wines, beers, ...  .
>
>