New Hanukkah Classics
No Hanukkah table would be complete without the symbolic (and delicious) fried foods we all look forward to year after year. And while we agree that holidays are all about tradition, why not add a few modern twists to your menu this year? Here are three recipes destined to become new Hanukkah classics from the FOOD52 community.
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GOLDEN PANKO LATKES WITH SOUR CREAM AND CHIVES
We have a soft spot for cooks who tinker with classic recipes, retooling the periphery without over-altering the core. That's what Micki Barzilay did with her latkes. The panko coating amplifies the dry-leaf crispness you want in a latke. And Yukon Golds have plenty of moisture and sugar so once they're fried up, they toast handsomely on the edges, while at the center of the pancake, the potato strands remain silky and discreet. - Amanda & Merrill
Serves 4-6
6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and grated (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
4 tablespoons finely chopped chives, or more to taste (divided use)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons pastry flour (or substitute 1 tablespoon AP flour + 1 tablespoon cake flour)
3 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup canola oil
1. Wash, peel and (medium) grate Yukon gold potatoes. Squeeze and drain excess potato liquid once grated.
2. Add salt, white pepper, and 3 tablespoons of finely chopped chives. In a separate bowl beat 2 eggs till frothy.
3. Add eggs to potato mixture. Add in flour and mix thoroughly. Form into patties about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick and cover with the panko breadcrumbs so you no longer see the potato.
4. Before you begin the frying process, mix the sour cream together with another tablespoon (or more to taste if you wish) of the finely chopped chives and refrigerate.
5. Using a large skillet, heat oil which should cover the bottom of skillet and 1/2 way up the sides of the patties. Test first by dropping a teaspoon of mixture into hot oil. It should quickly fry but not so hot it burns. Once you've cooked the potato pancakes serve hot immediately along with the cold sour cream & chive mixture.
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JUDY RODGERS' ROASTED APPLESAUCE
This recipe comes from Judy Rodgers' must-own Zuni Café Cookbook and -- as with everything she serves at the San Francisco institution -- she keeps it smart and simple, balancing quickly caramelized apples only as needed. - Genius Recipes
Makes 3 cups of applesauce
3 1/2 to 4 pounds apples (Rodgers uses crisp eating apples, like Sierra Beauties, Braeburns, Pippins, Golden Delicious or Galas)
Pinch of salt
Up to 2 teaspoons sugar, as needed
About 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
A splash of apple cider vinegar, as needed
1. Heat oven to 375 F.
2. Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Toss with a little salt and, unless they are very sweet, a bit of sugar to taste. If they are tart enough to make you squint, add the full measure of sugar. Spread in a shallow baking dish that crowds the apples in a single layer. Drape with slivers of the butter, cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil, and bake until the apples start to soften, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on your apples.
3. Uncover, raise the heat to 500 F, and return the pan to the oven. Leave the apples to dry out and color slightly, about 10 minutes.
4. When the tips of the apples have become golden and the fruit is tender, scrape them into a bowl and stir into a chunky "mash. "Season with salt and sugar to taste, then consider a splash of apple cider vinegar to brighten the flavor. (Try a drop on a spoonful to see if you like it.)
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>> RELATED: The most beautiful dessert ever: Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze.
We first fell in love with the concept of churros for Hanukkah -- a spicy-sweet twist on the traditional doughnuts, or sufganiyot. Then we tasted Cordelia's version and decided we needed this recipe around for the other 357 days of the year. A light, golden shell and eggy sponge-like interior, swabbed in any of Cordelia's festive trio of sauces, will make you forget every leaden state fair churro you've ever met. - Amanda & Merrill
Makes 20-25 churros
Churros:
1 cup of all purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup of water
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup of sugar for dusting the churros
2 teaspoons of cinnamon for dusting
Vegetable oil for frying (about 3 cups)
1. Put the water, 2 tablespoons of sugar and the butter in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the flour and mix quickly and firmly with a whisk until ball is formed.
2. Take of the heat and mix in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Let the dough cool down a bit and then transfer to a pastry piping bag with a big star tip. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan (oil should be about 2 inch deep) until very hot, but not smoking. Squeeze the dough into the hot oil in sections of about 4 inches. Fry the churros for 2-3 minutes on each side until they puff up and deep golden brown on the outside. Fry 4-5 doughnuts at the time, do not crowd the pan too much.
4. Spread the 1/2 cup of sugar (and the cinnamon if you want) in a shallow dish. Take the churros out of the oil, let them drip the excess oil for a little bit on a plate with a paper-towel and then transfer to the sugar and roll the churros in it until cover well. Serve immediately with the sauces on the side.
Sauces :
3/4 cup of Nutella
1/4 cup heavy cream
1.5 cup of frozen strawberries (or fresh)
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice from half a lemon
Small can of sweet condensed milk
1. Nutella sauce: Warm the Nutella and the heavy cream in a microwave for 2 minutes until the Nutella is soft and melted. Mix well before serving.
2. Strawberry sauce: put the strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. The sugar should caramelize a bit and the strawberries are soft and break down. Put in a food processor with vanilla and lemon juice and process until very smooth.
3. You can serve the sweet condensed milk as is or cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes while mixing until reduced down and caramelize.
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>> RELATED: Churros aren't your style? Get a recipe for Cardamom Doughnuts
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