Showing posts with label Chanukah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chanukah. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Potato Pancake Ideas from A to Z: Creative Recipes for #Haunukkah #Latkes from Cleo Coyle




Potato pancakes are a treat any time of year. They're also a classic Hanukkah food. With the first night of the eight-day festival coming up this Sunday evening (12/2), Marc and I are sharing A to Z twists on the classic recipe.

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Yule, we send you our warmest wishes for these cold, dark months...


CLICK HERE or on the photo above
to get the recipe for our
Blue Velvet Cupcake Menorah!

Now for some latke fun...
👇


Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
by clicking here and here.


A Note from Cleo

After we first shared this recipe, a few years ago, we were honored to learn that the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center included it in their roundup of creative latke recipes.

The recipes ranged from A to Z, literally. Our recipe was filed under G for Garlic, as in "Roasted Garlic & Herb Latkes," which we are happy to share with you again in this post. And if you're looking for additional creative twists on the classic potato pancake, we've got you covered...

Potato Pancakes from A to Z

For links to these creative recipes, click here*...


A is for Apple Latkes (or Artichoke Latkes)
B is for Latkes with Brussels Sprouts (or Butternut Squash)
C is for Cauliflower
D is for Duck Fat
E is for Eggs Bendedict Latkes or Eggplant Latkes
F is for Fennel-Lemon Latkes

G is for Garlic (That’s ours!) 
Cleo Coyle’s Roasted Garlic and Herb Latkes 

H is for Hatch Chile
I is for Indian Spiced
J is for Jalepeño Latkes
K is for Kale
L is for Leek
M is for Mushroom
N is for Nut
O is for Olive
P is for Parsnip
Q is for Quinoa
R is for Root Vegetable
S is for Smoked Salmon
T is for Turnip
U is for Ube Yam
V is for Vodka
W is for Latke Waffles
X (you’ll have to guess that one)
Y is for Yam
Z is for Zucchini

Again, for links to these creative recipes, click here*

*With thanks to the Oshman Family 

🍴

To download our "G" recipe
in a free PDF 
that you can
print, save, or share, 
click here.

Cleo Coyle's  

Roasted Garlic & Herb Latkes



Our twist on the classic latke recipe features the sweet-savory taste of roasted garlic with aromatic notes of rosemary and scallion. Crispy on the outside with layers of flavor on the inside, these babies are absolutely delicious. Serve the pancakes plain or with sour cream on the side. 

This recipe was originally featured in our 8th Coffeehouse Mystery, Holiday Grind, which was also the first series entry that Marc and I wrote with a holiday theme. As a special gift to our readers, we included an extra-large recipe section with holiday treats, a glossary of coffeehouse terms, and instructions on making your own specialty coffee drinks at home. So you can eat and drink with joy! 

~ Cleo

Yield: Makes 2 servings or about nine 3- to 4-inch latkes; for family-size meals, you’ll want to double, triple, or quadruple this recipe and have two frying pans working at the same time.

Ingredients:

10 garlic cloves, roasted and smashed

3/4 cup finely grated onions
(2 to 3 medium size onions)

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

2 teaspoons salt

1½ pounds Idaho baking potatoes (about 3 medium russet potatoes)

1 large egg, beaten with a fork

Canola or light olive oil

Sour cream (optional topping)


Step 1—­Prepare aromatics: First, preheat the oven to 250°F. In a large bowl, combine the garlic with the onions, scallions, rosemary, and salt.

Step 2—­Grate potatoes: Do not peel your potatoes. Grate by hand with a simple box grater, or use a food processor. Add the grated potatoes to the bowl of aromatics and stir well.

Step 3—­Press out moisture: Place the potato mixture in a large sieve and press down to strain out moisture. Getting rid of excess moisture will help you cre­ate latkes that are crisp and golden brown.

Step 4—Add egg: Now return the mixture to the bowl and stir in the egg to finish your latke batter. Cook immediately.

Step 5—­Fry pancakes: Place a heavy frying pan over me­dium heat and add oil, at least ½ inch deep. As our beloved barista character Esther says, “Don’t freak over the amount of oil. It’s the temperature of the oil that makes for greasy latkes, not the amount of oil. Besides, the mitzvah is the oil!” When the oil is hot enough, begin cooking. (See the note at the end of this recipe on judging when the oil is hot enough.)


Pack potato mixture into a ¼ cup measuring cup. Turn the mixture out onto a plate in a little mound. Do this four times. Place the four mounds in quick succession into the hot oil and immediately flatten each mound into a 3- to 4-inch pancake. (Flattening is important or you may have latkes that are cooked on the edges but raw in the mid­dle!) Cook each pancake for about 3 minutes on the first side, until the bottom is golden brown. 



Now flip and cook the other side 1–3 minutes until it’s golden brown, too. Do not flip more than once, but do press each pancake a few times with your spatula during the cooking process to make sure the centers cook. Drain in a single layer on paper towels. Keep finished latkes warm in the 250-degree F. oven while you’re cooking the rest of the batter. Serve warm with sour cream!



NOTE ON OIL TEMP: If your oil is too hot, you’ll burn the latkes. If your oil is too cool, your latkes will be greasy. Test the oil with a drop of water. When it dances or bounces on top of the oil, it’s ready. If the oil begins to smoke, it’s too hot! Also keep in mind that if you crowd the pan with too many latkes, the oil temperature will drop dramatically, so don’t fry too many at once—­for big batches, have two pans going at the same time. 





May your holidays be bright!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author
of 
The Coffeehouse Mysteries 


Alice and Marc in Central Park. 
Together we write as Cleo Coyle. 

Learn more about us here.
Friend us on facebook here.
Follow us on twitter here.
Visit our online coffeehouse here


🔍

Now a National Bestseller!


"A magnificent cold case 
mystery." ~ Fresh Fiction

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound * BAM 



"He is hardboiled in the tradition
of Philip Marlowe, and she is a genteel
Miss Marple; yet the two opposites
make an explosive combination..."

—Midwest Book Review



Get a free title checklist,
with 
mini plot summaries,




To learn more about the 
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries
and meet Jack Shepard,
our PI ghost by clicking here.






Our NEW Coffeehouse Mystery!

 *

Amazon * B&N

IndieBound * BAM

*
"A gripping and entertaining mystery"
--Library Journal (Starred Review) 
*
"Penetrating insights" --Kirkus Reviews 
*
"Sure to delight" --Publishers Weekly



This culinary mystery includes
25 delicious recipes! To get the
Free Recipe Guide, 
click here.




Cleo is now working
on her next book!

Don't miss her news...


To sign up for Cleo Coyle's
Coffeehouse Mystery Newsletter
and get the latest news on
Cleo's books, 
bonus recipe,
and 
fun giveaways!


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Dr. Who Wedding Cake from a Cupcake Menorah + Chipotle Cranberry Sauce by Cleo Coyle


Doctor Who Cake design
and photo by Laine Barash

This is one busy week! We are celebrating Chanukah, Thanksgiving, and the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, the longest running sci-fi TV show in history. Am I going to cover all of that ground in this post? You bet'cha!




http://www.cleocoylerecipes.com/2013/11/Blue-Velvet-Cupcakes-Chanukah-Menorah-Cleo-Coyle.html
To get my recipe for
Blue Velvet Cupcakes in a
"keeper" PDF document,
click here.

First up the Festival of Lights, which begins at sundown tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 27) and is observed by the kindling of lights on a unique candelabrum (a menorah). One additional light is added on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night.

Last year, I posted a recipe for Blue Velvet Cupcakes that I used to make a tasty cupcake menorah. If you'd like that recipe, click here.  










And this recipe led to the one below:
a Tardis blue Doctor Who Wedding Cake!


THE BLUE WEDDING CAKE STORY: Last year, after I posted my Blue Velvet Cupcake recipe, one of our many very kind blog followers, Laine Barash, remembered it when her daughter announced her plan to get married.

But this wasn't just any marriage. This was a story of two hearts broken and mended; two souls lost and found. Johanna tells their story in her own words below...



“Chris and I married in 2001. Neither of us were especially nice people at the time. I started to change and he did not. It got really bad. We separated...and the divorce was final 1/11. I didn't speak a word to him. Then one day I agreed to meet him for coffee. I could see instantly the changes he had made. And with each day since then I am more proud of the man he has become. The man he was meant to be. And I'm grateful, I never stopped loving him. Just knew that we all deserved better. So we've both made a ton of changes. We both have a long way to go, but we have direction. And each other. And our son. And God. So I'm proud to go through life as his wife!” ~ Johanna Rothberg Banfill (photo by Shana Rothberg)

After Chris lost his wife and then turned himself around to win her back, the couple decided to officially re-tie the knot on their original anniversary, November 13. 

Of course, I was touched by their story and delighted to hear that Laine was able to use my recipe to inspire her creation of a very special wedding cake, a Doctor Who cake of Tardis blue


Why a Doctor Who cake? 

Because the bride and groom are huge fans of the show and the bride requested it. 

Why Tardis blue? 

Because TARDIS is the name of the ship Doctor Who uses to explore the universe (TARDIS = Time And Relative Dimension In Space). And the ship is disguised to look like a blue British police box. (When the series first aired back in 1963, these boxes were a common sight in Britain.) 

In the wider universe, blue is commonly associated with harmony and faithfulness, which means this beautiful slice of cake is perfect for a wedding like Johanna and Chris's...

Photo by Laine Barash

Laine Barash
Laine's Tardis Blue
Doctor Who
Wedding Cake

Recipe courtesy Laine Barash for the wedding
of her daughter, Johanna, and son-in-law, Chris

Directions: To make the cake, follow Cleo Coyle's Blue Velvet Cupcake recipe (click here for the recipe) with these adjustments:

1 – Use two cake mixes, for two 8-inch square pans and two 10-inch square pans. 




2 – When you mix up the batter, increase the amount of coloring gel paste. For Cleo's Blue Velvet Cupcakes, she suggests 1 to 2 teaspoons of Wilton brand Royal Blue gel paste (pictured). For the Tardis Blue Doctor Who Cake, increase that to one full ounce (one jar) of Royal Blue gel paste per cake mix, and a tiny glop of violet. (That's 2 ounces of gel paste total and 2 tiny glops of violet for the 2 cake mixes that create the batter for your four layers of wedding cake.)



3 – When you divide the batter among the pans, you will notice that they are not as full as usual, and that’s okay. Bake these layers at 300° F. and they will bake up more level, which means you will not have to slice off any domes to even them out. Frost, top with a Doctor Who cake topper and serve to oohs and ahhs galore!





Blessings and
Congratulations to you,
Johanna and Chris!


*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

Finally, this week, we are also 
celebrating Thanksgiving!



http://www.coffeehousemystery.com/userfiles/file/Chipotle-Dip-Cleo-Coyle.pdf
For my Smoky, Zesty Chipotle
Dipping Sauce recipe, click here.
A few months back, I shared my favorite recipe for smoky, zesty Chipotle Dipping Sauce (click here for the recipe). 

I use it for veggies and chips, but also to make Chipotle Tuna Salad and Chipotle Turkey Salad, a good use for turkey leftovers this weekend!

About the same time that I first posted this recipe, I decided to make a Chipotle Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving.

This little decision led to weeks of debate at the Coyle household. I thought it was a great idea. Marc (my husband) thought nobody would like a recipe that radically changed traditional cranberry sauce.

Then, last week, The New York Times came out with its Thanksgiving menu, and (wouldn't you know it), they suggested a "spicy" cranberry sauce with jalapenos and cayenne. Ha! (Do culinary minds think alike or what?)



This jazzed up tuna salad sandwich was made with
my Chipotle Dipping Sauce. This weekend, I'll be
mixing it with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey to
make Chipotle Turkey Salad.
Pictured below is an even better idea: Use my Easy Chipotle Cranberry Sauce recipe for your traditional Black Friday turkey sandwich

When Marc finally tasted it, he admitted the Chipotle Cranberry Sauce on the cold turkey sandwich brought a nice zing to the roasted meat. 

The smoky, spicy flavor notes of the chipotle paired beautifully with the sweet-tart taste of the cranberries. Now he wants to try the sauce with some Indian dishes as a revved-up chutney. Sounds good to me...I'll keep you posted!



Cleo Coyle's
Easy Chipotle
Cranberry Sauce

Although I had been planning a "spicy" cranberry sauce for months, the NY Times beat me to the punch. Still, I think mine is a better recipe. Why? It's so much easier! The Times version has several ingredients and steps. You're welcome to their version. But I'll stick with  my way. It's a snap...

1. PREPARED SAUCE VERSION: Whether you're using canned cranberry sauce (whole or jellied) or you're using prepared homemade sauce, all you have to do is warm it in a small saucepan until it loosens up and becomes more liquid. Now open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (pictured). Dip a spoon in and measure out one teaspoon. Stir it into your warmed cranberry sauce. Taste...if you'd like it hotter, add more. If you'd like it even hotter, chop up a chipotle pepper and stir it in. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and serve. I use it on cold turkey sandwiches with mayo.

2. FROM SCRATCH VERSION: Follow the directions you like best, using whole cranberries, water, and sugar. Your favorite recipe may also include orange juice, orange zest, and/or fresh or dried and ground ginger. Once you begin the cooking process with the cranberries, open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Stir in one teaspoon of the sauce for a mild spicy flavor. Add another teaspoon or two for a hotter version. For the very hot version, chop up a few peppers and stir them in, as well. Finish cooking the sauce, cool, and serve.

Just be sure to warn your guests 
which sauce is traditional and which is spicy...
and please do have a...








Happy Chanukah! &
Happy Thanksgiving!




~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice). 
Friend me on facebook here.
Follow me on twitter here
Visit my online coffeehouse here.







To view the
Coffeehouse Mystery
book trailer, click here.
 





Coming
December 3rd...


A Coffeehouse Mystery
by Cleo Coyle 



*Starred Review*
--Kirkus

"Top Pick"
--RT Book Reviews


"...a highly satisfying mystery."
~ Publishers Weekly



The Coffeehouse Mysteries are bestselling
works of amateur sleuth fiction set in a landmark
Greenwich Village coffeehouse, and each of the
13 titles includes the added bonus of recipes. 




The Ghost and
Mrs. McClure


Book #1 of 

The Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries
, which Cleo writes
under the name
Alice Kimberly

To learn more, click here.