Around the Passover Table (22 page)

This is a taste of prewar Hungary, from the family repertoire of my dear friend, Judy Abrams, gifted teacher and poet. Based on ground walnuts and leavened only with eggs, this light, fudge-luscious cake has not a jot of butter or flour, making it Passover-perfect for meat or dairy meals.

To conclude a meat meal, it is delectable plain or dusted fancifully with confectioners' sugar (a Passover recipe without cornstarch follows) or glazed with a simple chocolate icing.

For a dairy dish, cover the torte in swirls of lightly sweetened whipped cream or serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side, accompanied by a steaming cup of strong cappuccino.

Enjoy this beautifully moist and virtually no-fail torte not just on Passover, but year round. When well wrapped (without icing), it keeps very well, tasting even better a day or two after it is made.

As with all nut pastries, be sure the walnuts you are using are very fresh-tasting.

³
⁄
₄
cup sugar (if using half semisweet and half sweet chocolate) or
³
⁄
₄
cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (if using all semisweet chocolate)

6 ounces fine-quality chocolate, preferably half dark sweet (sometimes labeled German's Sweet Chocolate) and half semisweet, but all semisweet is also delicious; cut into small pieces

6 large eggs, separated

6 ounces shelled walnuts (1
³
⁄
₄
to 2 cups)

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

Optional accompaniments: Passover Confectioners' Sugar (recipe follows) or Chocolate Icing (recipe follows); heavy cream, freshly whipped to soft drifts and barely or very lightly sweetened; or vanilla ice cream

Optional garnish: walnut halves

HAVE
all ingredients at room temperature.

LINE
the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan with parchment or wax paper.

PREHEAT
the oven to 350°F.

IN
a heavy-bottomed 2- or 3-quart saucepan, combine
¹
⁄
₂
cup of the sugar and
¹
⁄
₂
cup water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Continue boiling and stirring until all the grains of sugar have completely dissolved and the mixture forms a simple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

IN
a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until light and thickened, about 4 minutes. Grind the walnuts with the remaining sugar and the matzoh meal in a food processor using the pulse motion and stir into the egg yolks. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly.

USING
clean beaters, beat the egg whites in another bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually fold the whites into the chocolate-walnut mixture, incorporating them gently but thoroughly so that no whites are visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and almost set but still a little gooey in the center. A wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge should come out clean.

REMOVE
the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. When completely cool, unmold the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan (or release the springform); invert onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the torte at room temperature.

IF
desired, lightly dust with Passover confectioners' sugar. For a lovely, simple presentation, place a doily or a stencil—handmade by you or, even better, your children—over the torte, then sprinkle with the sugar. Carefully remove the doily or stencil.

OR
glaze with the chocolate icing. Lay long strips of wax paper or foil on a cake plate or serving platter and place the cake on top. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Using a spatula, evenly spread the glaze over the top and sides. Now, pull out and discard the paper or foil strips—the plate will be clean and ready for serving. If you'd like, garnish with a few walnut halves attractively placed in the center of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to set the glaze, but bring it to room temperature before serving.

THE
plain or frosted torte is heavenly with generous dollops of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Passover Confectioners' Sugar

IN
a blender, mini-food processor, or clean coffee grinder, whirl 1 cup minus
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoon regular granulated sugar until it is powdery. Place in a small bowl and stir in
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon potato starch. Sift before using. (Recently commercial Passover confectioners' sugar, made without cornstarch, has appeared in some stores with large kosher-for-Passover sections. If available, by all means use it here.)

  

Chocolate Icing

yield:
scant 1 cup

6 tablespoons (
³
⁄
₄
stick) unsalted butter or margarine

6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

MELT
the butter or margarine slowly in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. When half is melted, gradually whisk in the chocolate, stirring well as it melts. After all the chocolate has been added, stir in 2 tablespoons water and beat well until the glaze is completely smooth. Let the mixture cool about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

  

Rich Fudge Brownies

yield:
16 to 20 squares

“Is it done?”

“No, it's not done.”

“Don't overcook it. You overcook it, it's no good. It defeats its own purpose.”

Robert DeNiro, as the boxer Jake LaMotta, and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, in the film Raging Bull, may have uttered those words about a steak. But when I'm baking chocolate—either brownies or my Passover Hungarian torte—that's pretty much the subtext when my daughter Alex begins her “I think it's ready” monologue.

The purpose of chocolate, she has explained, is its moist fudginess. When baked to the cakey stage, it tastes not only dry but also less chocolatey.

So whether you snatch these brownies from the oven so underdone they require wet napkins for fingertips and lips, or make them just a little “rare,” don't overbake them. The brownies are wonderful anytime of the year.

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 cup granulated light brown sugar

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled,
³
⁄
₄
cup oil (choose avocado, walnut, or other mild, unflavored variety), or 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted kosher-for-Passover margarine, melted and cooled

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon kosher-for-Passover vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons kosher-for-Passover coffee-flavored liqueur

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (do not use Dutch-process cocoa)

¹
⁄
₂
cup matzoh cake meal

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons finely ground expresso coffee or instant expresso powder

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt (omit if using margarine)