CHAROSET
At our house on Passover, we make massive quantities of charoset, a sticky sweet concoction made of fruits and nuts. Charoset is meant to mimic the mortar enslaved Israelites used to fuse bricks together in ancient Egypt. And because we enjoy it so much in the days after Passover – we purposely make more than we have to so we can create our two favorite desserts: Charoset Ice Cream Bomb and Charoset Ice Cream Parfait. Both use the Ashkenazi (more apple-centric and thus juicier) version of charoset, the crumbled coconut or chocolate macaroon cookies leftover from seder — and even some days old red wine that might be laying around in the fridge.
Basic Ashkenazi Charoset
- 1 tsp. butter (or oil)
- ½ cup shelled nuts (almonds, walnuts or cashews)
- 6 apples (Granny Smith, Macintosh or any hard apple)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup past peak red wine
- In a small skillet heat oil or butter.
- Sauté nuts until they begin to brown.
- Chop nuts coarsely in a food processor.
- Add apples to food processor bowl, pulse to desired texture taking care not to over-chop.
- Transfer mixture to a large non-metal bowl.
- Add sugar, cinnamon and wine tossing gently with wooden spoons.
- Cover tightly and refrigerator overnight.
- Adjust sugar and cinnamon the next day.
Charoset Ice Cream Bomb
Cookware needed: any type of mold, Bundt pan or angel food tube pan
- 1 qt. vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup charoset, chilled
- 12-14 macaroons, coarsely chopped
- Sprigs of mint for garnish or fresh berries for topping
- Grease mold with butter or non-stick oil spray.
- Line interior of pan with plastic wrap leaving a slight overhang.
- Crumble macaroons, pressing firmly into bottom of the pan, about ½ inch deep.
- Empty softened ice cream and 1 cup of charoset into mixing bowl.
- With a hand mixer, quickly blend charoset into ice cream.
- Spread mixture on top of macaroon base.
- Return to freezer to firm up for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Remove from freezer and dip the base of the mold (dome top) into a pan of warm water.
- Place a serving platter on top of mold, invert pulling gently on the plastic until released from mold.
- Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut into 1” slices and serve immediately garnishing with macaroon and mint sprig.
Charoset Ice Cream Parfait
Cookware needed: martini or Champagne glasses to make individual parfaits
- Press crumbled macaroons into the bottom third of a Champagne or martini glass.
- Add ice cream mixture and top with crumbled macaroons.
- Return to freezer until solid. Decorate top with fresh berries and mint sprig.
