November 22, 2007
Chanukah menu dishes up a travelogue of treats
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1 cup sugar1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Flour for rolling out dough
Prepare the chocolate filling and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend margarine and sugar and beat until light in color. Add egg, orange juice and peel and beat to combine. Gradually add flour, baking powder and beat until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough into four parts and knead each part into a smooth ball. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Working with one part of the dough at a time, sprinkle work surface generously with flour and using a rolling pin, roll out dough to one-quarter-inch thick, moving dough around and check underneath to make sure it is not sticking.
Cut out star shapes, using a six-pointed star cookie cutter. Cut out holes from the centers of half of the star cookies, using a one-quarter-inch diameter circular cookie cutter, resembling a ring in the center (these will be the top of the sandwich).
Place the cookies one inch apart on greased baking sheets or silicone baking mats, and bake for seven minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.
Allow the cookies to rest on baking sheet for two minutes after removal from oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble the cookie sandwiches: Lay the cookies on your work surface and spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of chocolate filling on the cookies without the holes. Carefully place the cookies with the holes on top of the chocolate filling, pressing gently. Once filled, the cookies should be served within a day.
Makes about three to four dozen.
Chocolate Glaze Filling
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon seedless preserves (raspberry or apricot)
1/4 cup espresso coffee
In a large glass bowl or measuring cup, add semisweet chocolate, preserves and coffee. Place in a microwave or over simmering water and heat until melted, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Gnoccho Fritto (Fried Dumplings)
Ristorante Muraglia
Conchiglia d'Oro
Via Aurelia, 133
17029 Finale Ligure Varigotti (SV)
Tel: (019) 698-015
Chopped Liver Nut Bars
Osteria La Francescana
Chef Massimo Bottura
Via Stella, 22
41100 Modena
Italy
(059) 210118
Baked Eggplant
L'Europeo di Mattozzi
4, Via Marchese Campodisola
Naples
Tel: (081) 552-1323
Judy Zeidler is the author of "The Gourmet Jewish Cook" (Morrow, 1988) and "The International Deli Cookbook" (Broadway Deli, 2002). "Judy's Kitchen" appears on Jewish Life Television. Her Web site is members.aol.com/jzkitchen.
