Queen Esther Cookies

Queen Esther Cookies

Queen Esther Cookies are a buttery, light poppy seed cookie – perfect for Purim. This year, Purim begins at sundown on February 25. On the Hebrew calendar it is always the 13th of Adar.

Every year I look forward to making and eating these treats. And while I could easily make them anytime, I like that there are certain things I only make for certain holidays, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Purim or Pesach.

Purim, which is also called the Feast of Lots, commemorates saving the Jews of Shushan in ancient Persia, from extermination. While a tale of classic anti-Semitism, it is nevertheless a joyous festival. In non-pandemic years, both adults and children would dress up in costumes and party hard in celebration. A Purim Spiel, which is a humorous skit or play, would often be performed.

We Jews are commanded to eat, drink and be merry and to listen to the reading of the Megillah Esther. Every time the evil Haman’s name is mentioned, we all boo and hiss and wave our noisemakers to show that we are not afraid.

The Book of Esther reminds us of the brave actions of Esther and Mordecai. Mordecai refused to bow down to the evil Haman, advisor to King Ahashuerus. And Esther remained faithful to her religious traditions and the Jewish People while married to the King, who did not know that she was a Jew.

Chag Purim Sameach!

Queen Esther Cookies are named after the woman who spoke to the King on behalf of her People despite the real danger to herself. Esther revealed Haman’s evil plot to destroy the Jews (and that she herself was a Jew). She was able to convince the King to reverse his decree, thereby saving the Jews of Shushan.

It is customary to give out baskets of food and treats to the poor, although over time, it has also become common to make them for friends and family. These cookies are always a welcome addition, along with the more well-known Hamentaschen. Both recipes come from The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook by Gloria Kaufer Greene.

Redolent with vanilla and almond extract, Queen Esther Cookies, also known as Mohn Kichelah, which simply means poppy seed cookie in Yiddish, keep well in an airtight tin or container. So enjoy them even when the holiday is over! And you don’t have to be Jewish to love these little beauties.

Recipe

Yield: Makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on size

Queen Esther Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Scant 1/3 cup poppy seeds

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

Happy Purim!

Directions

These can be made by hand, but it is much easier to use either a standing mixer or a food processor.

Cream well the butter (margarine) and sugar until they are light and fluffy – about 3 minutes. Mix in the water, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Then pulse in the poppy seeds and baking powder.

Add the flour and mix to form a very stiff dough. These cookies can be made into a dropped cookie or rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter, which is what I do. If you are planning to roll them out, then form the dough into a thick disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight. It should be quite firm. If you are making drop cookies, then use the dough immediately.

Queen Esther Cookies

When you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment and coat with non-stick spray. You can also use a Silpat, which doesn’t require any spray.

Roll out the refrigerated dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. You can cut out the cookies free-hand or use a cookie cutter in any shape that you like. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting out cookies until all of the dough is used up. If the dough begins to get too soft to handle, simply place it in the fridge until it firms up.

Place the cut-out dough onto the baking sheets about 1/2-inch apart. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until they are lightly browned at the edges. Ovens vary and it will also depend on how thinly you actually rolled out the dough etc. Mine ended up taking about 16 minutes this time…. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Queen Esther Cookies

I have never made these as a drop cookie, but the instructions say to drop by teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Then flatten the mounds slightly with a fork, your fingertips or the bottom of a glass. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Queen Esther Cookies

Tahini Swirl Brownies

Tahini Swirl Brownies

Tahini Swirl Brownies – fudgy, rich and deeply decadent. Don’t we all need them now? The temperatures have dropped into the single digits (we’re talking Fahrenheit!) It’s been snowing. And, yes, there is still a pandemic going on. I don’t know about you, but sometimes all you can do is eat chocolate – the extra dark, rich and not overly sweet kind. You know, the one that’s good for depression. Yes, that one.

I’ve been binge watching YouTube cooking shows and I came across one called Milk Street. The host is Christopher Kimball, who I had never heard of before, although he is the co-founder, editor and publisher of America’s Test Kitchen. Not the most dynamic of hosts, if I am being honest. However, I happened to turn on the episode where they were making these brownies. Having made Ottolenghi’s Tahini and Halva Brownie before, which my husband liked more than I did, I was curious what these were like. I was immediately attracted to the simplicity of the ingredients and the process in this recipe. So I decided to try the Milk Street version. And I am very glad that I did! Can you say scrumptious?

By now, no one is surprised to see tahini in dessert recipes. Actually, I’m kind of surprised that I haven’t come across tahini ice cream in the US. It’s ubiquitous in Israel and I’m a fan. Tahini is kind of like peanut butter’s more sophisticated sister. Don’t get me wrong, like most Americans I grew up loving peanut butter. As a child it was Skippy’s or Jif. Now that I’m older, I prefer the kind without any sugar or other additives. But there is a lovely slight bitterness to tahini that cuts through the sweetness and pairs beautifully with chocolate. Tahini enhances the earthiness in the chocolate in much the same way that adding coffee does.

There is nothing terribly tricky about this recipe, but you must use quality ingredients. You want a good bittersweet chocolate, which is no less than 64% cocoa and probably no more than 70%. And a quality Dutch-processed cocoa. I happen to love Valrhona for baking, but there are many fine cocoas available. As important as the chocolate elements are, the tahini you use is equally essential. Some brands are very bitter and taste simply awful. Two brands that I like are Soom and Seed & Mill, both of which are easily available online. (And no, I do not get paid to promote products. I probably should, but I don’t.)

Once your ingredients are assembled, the rest is pretty straight-forward. I did follow the instructions about swirling the tahini on top, but I think next time I might choose to just marble the chocolate through the tahini mixture instead. You probably can’t go wrong either way. Frankly, the only difficult part of this recipe is waiting until the brownies have cooled sufficiently before cutting and eating them. They smell simply wonderful!

You don’t need an excuse to make these, but I think we all probably have several at the ready. It’s been an awful year and we’re still in for a long haul. So treat yourself and your friends and loved ones. Make these tonight. I promise that you’ll thank me.

For other delicious brownie recipes:

Fudgy Brownies with Beets and Walnuts

Tahini and Halva Brownies

Java Brownies (Still my personal favorite)

Recipe

Yield: About 15 Brownies (A little goes a long way)

When I first read that an 8-inch pan yielded 15 brownies, I thought they were crazy. But the fact is that 2-inch brownies are really the right size. These are quite rich. And if you decide to eat two – well, I won’t tell.

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, plus more for the pan (I don’t generally use salted butter and unsalted seemed to work just fine for me.)

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped or shaved (I used a 70% cocoa. I would not go lower than 64% or higher than 70%.)

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (223 g) granulated white sugar

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (180 g) tahini

1/3 cup (47 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour

Sea salt flakes for garnish (Optional – I didn’t use them or feel the lack, but if you really like adding salt to everything, go for it.)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. with a rack in the middle position of the oven. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 pieces of foil, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Lightly brush with additional butter.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, just melt the butter. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and cocoa until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until slightly thickened – about a minute. Whisk in the tahini. Fold in the flour until just incorporated.

Transfer 1/2 cup of the tahini mixture to a small bowl. Add the chocolate mixture to the remaining tahini mixture and fold in until fully combined. Alternatively, do not set aside the tahini, and simply take the chocolate mixture and marble it through the tahini mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. If you decided to set aside the 1/2 cup of tahini, dollop it over the top into 6 puddles. Using the tip of a sharp knife, drag it through the tahini dollops, first in one direction and then the other. (I admit that I am no expert in this, but it still worked out pretty well.)

Bake just until the edges are set but the center is still slightly moist. Ovens vary, so start checking at 25 minutes. I baked mine for 28 minutes, but even a couple of minutes less would have been okay. Cool on the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. The longer they cool, the easier they are to cut. Cut into about 2-inch squares. Enjoy.

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas – the name says it all. If you are looking for a fresh, bright, vegan dinner option, you can’t go wrong with this dish. All it needs to dress it up is some simply steamed rice or other grain of choice. Millet anyone?

I came across this recipe and gave it to my husband to prepare. For about 34 years of our 36-year (and counting) marriage, my husband never cooked. Since retirement, though, he has begun baking bread, making pizza from scratch, preparing the absolute best fruity Dutch Babies and making the occasional stir-fry or curry. Andrew has now added Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas to his repertoire.

While we are definitely omnivores – except for things we simply don’t like – our meals tend to be very veg-forward. And often we enjoy a purely vegan meal. I wish that I could say that I do it for some well-thought-out philosophical and moral stand. But I can’t.

Yes, I have been eating organic and recycling since long before they became fashionable. And, it’s true that I have never been a huge meat eater and gave up on veal about 40 years ago when I read about the inhumane conditions that calves endured. (I have twice eaten veal from farms where calves are humanely raised in the past 5 years.) But mostly I make and serve vegan meals frequently because we like them. And as someone who cooks all of the time, they challenge – and inspire – me to explore new flavors and seasoning.

Unlike TV chefs and most food writers, I’m not going to make orgasmic “Wow, amazing!” faces and noises or say that this is the most incredible thing that I have ever eaten. It isn’t. But I will say that if you are looking for a new, somewhat flexible and relatively easy-to-prepare vegan meal, this is a good place to start. You can swap out the sugar snap peas for asparagus or green beans, if you prefer, or based on what looks best at the market. Next time we make this, mushrooms will be added.

So whether you make this dish in order to feel virtuous (or make your doctor happy) or out of conviction, or simply because you want to try something new and delicious, you can’t go wrong with Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas.

Recipe

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

1 (14 -ounce) block of firm or extra-firm tofu, drained

3 Tablespoons neutral oil (we used Canola) plus more if needed

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

About 12 ounces of fresh sugar snap peas (if you want more, go for it)

About 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and grated (I prefer grating my own, but sometimes, you go with what you have even if it means out of a jar.)

2 large garlic cloves, grated or crushed

1 can (13 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk

1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I always use low-sodium)

1 Tablespoon full-bodied molasses or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup toasted cashews

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

4 to 6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn if large

Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Directions

Slice the tofu in half horizontally and leave on paper or tea towels to dry well. (If you prefer, you can also press the tofu for 30 minutes under a weighted plate.) The tofu needs to be dry to get a good browning.

Once dry, cut the tofu into cubes about 1 to 1.5 inches in size. Season the tofu with salt and black pepper.

In a large skillet (cast iron is great here) or wok, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium high heat until it begins to shimmer. Place the tofu cubes in the pan and sear the pieces on each side. Don’t move them around a lot or you won’t get good color. This can take about 12 minutes and is the fussiest part of the recipe. Once browned, remove the tofu to a plate.

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

Add another Tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the snap peas (or asparagus or green beans). Cook, stirring occasionally until the snap peas are blistered and tender – 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and set aside.

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

Toss the peas with the rice vinegar, scallions, mint and red pepper flakes, if using.

Ginger Coconut Tofu with Cashews and Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

Heat the remaining Tablespoon of oil and add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Do not burn! Pour in the coconut milk, soy sauce and molasses. Simmer, stirring frequently until the sauce reduces some, and its color deepens. This takes between 6 to 8 minutes. The sauce should begin to coat a spoon. Now stir in the cashews, add back the tofu and toss until everything is well coated with the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste, if necessary. Serve over rice or other grain alongside the sugar snap peas.

NOTE: Raw cashews can be toasted in a 350 degree F. oven on an ungreased sheet pan. Toast until you just begin to smell them. This takes about 12 to 15 minutes. Check them after 10 minutes. You can also toast them in a dry skillet on top of the stove, moving them around frequently. Once nuts burn, they are pretty useless, so go by look and smell. And know that nothing happens, nothing happens – and then boom! they are brown.