The Food Maven Diary
[Archives]
Nachas and Chremslach
(Note: Nachas is a Yiddish word that means prideful joy. It is generally used to express the feeling one gets when a child does something honorable. I have no children, so I have to derive nachas from my own accomplishments.)
I suppose I should be flattered. I suppose I am. New York magazine has just named me one of NYC's Honorary Italian Mammas. If you'd like to see the whole list, click here: Honorary Mammas.
One more bit of bragging: My book, Naples At Table, is being used by Family Services of San Francisco as the inspiration for a gala fundraiser in early May. They will be using my recipes, and giving autographed copies of my book as a door prize (or auction item, I'm not sure). In any case, I am flattered. I only wish I could be there. They have invited me, but I can't fit any more travel into my schedule.
And now the Chremslach
A couple of weeks ago, Matthew Goodman was a guest on my radio program. He is the other "food maven." He writes a column by that name for the English language edition of the Forward, the Jewish newspaper, and his big Jewish cookbook, Jewish Food: The World at Table has just been published by HarperCollins. It's a wonderful book, with essays on all the different Jewish communities in the world, on ingredients that play an important role in the Jewish/kosher kitchen, and, of course, many delicious recipes. He made me a little lunch while he was here – you realize, I hope, that my new program is broadcast (Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.) from my home kitchen. Of all the exotic dishes I could have asked Matthew to cook, I chose something familiar from my childhood -- chremslach, a form of matzoh meal pancake. It's been a long time since I've eaten them, a Passover specialty. And they were fabulous.
Cottage Cheese Chremslach
with Strawberry Compote
Serves 4 to 6
For the compote
3 cups coarsely chopped strawberries (fresh or thawed frozen)
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon Cointreau or other liqueur (optional)
¼ cup sugar, or to taste
For the pancakes
8 eggs
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups matzo meal
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ cups whole milk
Butter for frying
Make the compote: Combine the strawberries, water, liqueur (if using), and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
Make the batter: Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the remaining pancake ingredients and whisk until a uniform batter forms.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Make the chremslach: Butter a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of the batter into the hot skillet or onto the griddle, making a pancake about 4 inches in diameter. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Place on a baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the oven.
Repeat until all of the batter has been used, re-buttering the fry surface as necessary to keep the pancakes from sticking. Serve hot, drizzle with the warm strawberry compote.
Arthur's Two Cents: Remember, the thinner the batter, the thinner the pancake. Play with the texture until you get the result you want, adding a little more milk, or even water, as desired. If left to stand for any length of time, you will definitely need to thin the batter down with more milk. Although good strawberries will give a gorgeous strawberry sauce, the pancakes are also good plain, or with a sprinkling of granulated sugar. Or maple syrup. Or honey. Or, forget the sweet versions, use more salt and pepper and some fried minced onions.
