Golden White Cranberry Charoset

*Photos by Rebecca
Golden= Golden Raisins for a special sweetness
White=White Concord Manischewitz Wine
Cranberry= Craisins for color and sweetness

I'm celebrating freedom this Passover by taking liberties in the way I make the traditional apple/nut dish that is symbolic of the bricks and mortar the Jews used to build pyramids when we were enslaved in Egypt years and years and years ago. And, I'm allergic to nuts, (and made it to the store too late to find true deep red Manischewitz wine in time for Passover), so that helped with this new-age and nut-free twist on my favorite Passover dish, Charoset!

(Connection to entertainment? I'll be taking it to Jen's house, where she is hosting a large group for the first-night seder tomorrow night, and therefore, I consider this a recipe for a dish I'll be taking as a guest in the house of someone who is entertaining)

Ingredients:

• 1 package golden raisins (can you believe WF didn't carry them, and hasn't for about a year and a half?? WTF, WF!)


• 1 package Craisins (dried cranberries, or a few ounces from the bulk department in most grocery stores)


• About 15 apples for batch that fills a large serving bowl or dish (I prefer a mix of Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Jazz apples..they are the sweetest...if you haven't had one of these varieties, I Rebeccammend them!)


• 1 bottle of Manischewitz Cream White Concord Wine or any other Kosher for Passover sweet white wine


• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon


• 2 tablespoons of honey (there should be enough sweetness, but apples and honey just go together :))

Instructions

1. Cut apples into slices, and then cut the slices in half, and place in a food processor.


2. Alternate adding golden raisins and craisins in each time you add more apples to the processor.


3. Grind the apples/dried fruit mixture in the food processor until there are no larger pieces left.


4. Add to your bowl for refrigeration or serving dish.


5. Repeat Steps 1-4 until all apples are diced.


6. Add about 1 cup of the sweet white wine, or to taste, and toss throughout with a spoon (try not to add tooo much, to avoid soggy-ness)


7. Add about 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, or to taste and toss throughout with a spoon (this, combined with the sweet wine is what creates the memorable taste of charoset, so don't forget the cinnamon!)


8. Add about 2 tablespoons of honey and toss throughout with a spoon.


9. Cover your bowl or dish tightly since apples oxidize when cut open and exposed to the air (I used this as a science fair experiment for about 4 years in a row as a kid!), and will turn brown.


10. Refrigerate before serving...tastes best if you let it refrigerate overnight to soak up all the flavors.


11. Serve and enjoy!

Why "The Rebeccammendations"?

Since collecting hobbies is my ultimate hobby, I was just uploading pictures of my latest kitchen creation (hamantashen) to Flickr, a photo-sharing website, where I post my photography, and realized I didn't have another avenue through which to share these pictures. I decided to combine all of my interests into this blog, with a focus on the art of entertaining others and yourself! I had some friends in town this weekend, and often have family coming to visit me and my younger sis, Allyson, who also lives in Austin, and am usually the restaurant reservation maker and adjuster (I always make dinner reservations for 7:30 PM to avoid crabby and hungry family members, and never fails, we always push them to 8 PM because no one is ready in time)! So, I will try to use this blog to provide my "Rebeccammendations" on restaurants, Austin sites to see, even top spots from my travel adventures, music, crafty ideas, and of course, recipes for all occasions! And, I'll try to incorporate my photography to give you a visual of these ideas as I go along. I hope these "Rebeccammendations" help you plan and entertain for any event!

Also, feel free to comment and ask for "Rebeccammendations" when you're in a bind, and I'll try to help!

Purimtashen!

This year I decided to make Hamantashen for Purim this year, even though this was all I did to celebrate! Julie, my resourceful and giving older sister, sent me an easy recipe just in time for the holiday! It had only 4 ingredients, so I was ready to bake disaster-free! If you feel like replicating these delicious treats for Purim, or just for fun, see the recipe below! *Photos by Rebecca Otis-click on pictures to link to Flickr.

Ingredients (for 6-8 hamantaschen - but we made way more!)
1. 1 package (3 oz) Philly Cream Cheese, softened
2. 1 cube (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, softened
3. 1 cup flour, sifted (*NOTE: I needed to use lots of flour to make the dough less sticky, and added extra before rolling out on the parchment paper after refrigerating)
4. 1/3 cup sugar
5. Filling of your choice (apricot's the best, really)
6. Parchment paper

Directions
1. Cream the above ingredients
2. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour, overnight is fine too!
3. Roll 1/4 in thick on lightly floured waxed paper
4. Use a 3 or 4 in circle cookie cutter
5. 1 teaspoon of filling on each circle
6. Pinch into triangles!
7. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
8. Bake in preheated over 350 - top rack 15-20 minutes
9. Bite into and enjoy!