The Everything Kosher Slow Cooker Cookbook (36 page)

Choose a thick pasta, like rotini or ziti, for this hearty sauce.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in purée

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

1 pound pasta, cooked

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley (for garnish)

1. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high. Add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to stir for 30 seconds.
   
2. Push the vegetable mixture to the sides and add the ground beef. Stir, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Scrape the meat mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta and parsley. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours. Serve the sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired, before serving.
   

Chicken Tetrazzini

After just a few “tweaks” this normally treif (nonkosher) dish can be served in a kosher home.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons unbleached flour

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes

¹
⁄
₂
pound white button mushrooms, sliced

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups Chicken Stock or Vegetable Broth (see
Chapter 4
)

¹
⁄
₂
cup almond or rice milk

¹
⁄
₄
cup dry sherry (optional)

1 pound uncooked spaghetti, broken in half

¹
⁄
₂
cup frozen peas, defrosted

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground black pepper

1. In a 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, flour, and the chicken breasts. Top with the mushrooms and pour in the stock or broth. Cover and cook on low for 4–6 hours.
   
2. Stir in the almond or rice milk, sherry (if using), spaghetti, peas, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 20–30 minutes or until the spaghetti is done.
   

CHAPTER 13

Desserts

Sweet Ricotta Strata with Plumped Fruit

Cinnamon and Sugar Almonds

Sabra Compote

Monkey Bread

Warm Rice Pudding

Cherry Sauce

Double Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Cake

Pareve Carrot Cake

Pumpkin Challah Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Green Tea Tapioca Pudding

Red Lentil Payasam

Date Pudding

Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Apple Brown Betty

Berry Cobbler

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Strawberry Pandowdy

Summer Blueberry Slump

Chai Tapioca Pudding

Ginger Poached Pears

Creamy Hot Fudge Sauce

Banana Bread

Easy Applesauce

Bananas Foster

Dried Fruit Compote

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

Rocky Road Candy

Mocha Truffles 3 Ways

Pumpkin Pudding

Peach Melba

Mexican-Style Flan

Sweet Ricotta Strata with Plumped Fruit

Similar to a bread pudding, but not quite as sweet, this breakfast strata tastes great when served alongside a fresh berry salad. Plump dried fruit by soaking it in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6

Cooking spray

4 cups cubed baguette (white or whole wheat)

¹
⁄
₂
cup plumped dried cherries, chopped

¹
⁄
₂
cup plumped raisins

6 large egg whites

3 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon sugar

¹
⁄
₂
cup part-skim ricotta cheese, drained

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt

Fresh Berry Salad

Combine
¹
⁄
₂
pint each of washed fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Add 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh mint. Gently mix to combine and serve.

1. Spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place half of the baguette cubes in the cooker. Sprinkle on half of the cherries and raisins. Repeat with remaining half of baguette cubes and fruit.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg yolks, sugar, ricotta, and salt together; pour over bread mixture.
   
3. Cover and cook on the high heat setting for about 1
   ³
   ⁄
   ₄
   –2 hours, or until set. (Do not cook on the low heat setting for a longer time.) Let stand for 5–10 minutes before serving.
   

Cinnamon and Sugar Almonds

These nuts make a very addictive treat! They’re great for
shalach manot
baskets. Use margarine in place of butter for a pareve version.

INGREDIENTS | YIELDS 12 OUNCES

12 ounces unsalted whole roasted almonds

¹
⁄
₂
cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1. Place the almonds into a 4-quart slow cooker.
   
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir until completely combined.
   
3. Cook on low, uncovered, for 2–3 hours (or on warm setting, covered), stirring occasionally.
   
4. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cool completely.
   

Sabra Compote

For a nonalcoholic version, substitute 1 teaspoon grated orange peel for the orange liqueur.

INGREDIENTS | YIELDS 8 SERVINGS

1 (15-ounce) can sliced peaches, drained

1 (15-ounce) can dark sweet cherries, drained

1 (15-ounce) can pear halves, drained

1 (15-ounce) can apricot halves, drained

¹
⁄
₂
cup mixture dates and dried plums (prunes)

¹
⁄
₄
cup light brown sugar, packed

¹
⁄
₄
cup orange juice

2 tablespoons Sabra liqueur

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon cinnamon

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground ginger

1. Place all ingredients in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3–4 hours. Serve warm or chilled.
   

Sabra

Sabra is a kosher-for-Passover chocolate-orange liqueur imported from Israel. Sabra is also the term used for a Jewish person born in Israel.

Monkey Bread

This pull-apart bread is a lot of fun. Set on a table and let everyone tear off a section to eat.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated biscuits

¹
⁄
₂
cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¹
⁄
₄
cup unsalted butter, melted

¹
⁄
₄
cup chopped nuts

Refrigerated Biscuits

Refrigerated kosher biscuits may be difficult to find, but they do exist. One source is Whole Foods.

1. Place a heat-safe trivet or crumbled balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker. Set aside.
   
2. Remove biscuits from their cans according to the directions. Tear each biscuit in half and gently roll between hands to form a ball.
   
3. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together.
   
4. Dip each biscuit ball in melted butter, then in sugar mixture. Place into a heat-safe pan or casserole dish that fits into the slow cooker. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the biscuits.
   
5. Cover top of pan with several layers of paper towels. Cover slow cooker and heat on high for 3–4 hours.
   

Warm Rice Pudding

This version is reminiscent of the warm rice pudding, with its thick layer of custard on top, sold in Jewish dairy restaurants in the Bronx years ago.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 8

Cooking spray

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¹
⁄
₃
cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon kosher salt

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups cooked long-grain rice

¹
⁄
₂
cup raisins

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups Cherry Sauce (see recipe in this chapter), warmed

1. Spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
   
2. Combine remaining ingredients except cinnamon and cherry sauce in the slow cooker; mix well.
   
3. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly over surface, then re-cover and cook on low for 2 more hours or on high for 1 more hour (pudding will not be completely set in center). Turn off slow cooker. Let stand, covered, for a half hour to let pudding firm up.
   
4. To serve, divide rice pudding among 8 serving bowls. Ladle cherry sauce over pudding. Serve warm.
   

Cherry Sauce

Tapioca starch creates a more translucent gel than when flour or cornstarch is used. And it has no “flour-y” taste, either. Serve over Warm Rice Pudding (see recipe in this chapter) or ice cream.

INGREDIENTS | YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 4 CUPS

2 (15-ounce) cans sweet cherries in heavy syrup, undrained

²∕³ cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons tapioca starch

1. Stir together all the ingredients in a 3- or 4-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3–4 hours. Sauce will be thin. Transfer to a covered container and store in the refrigerator (up to 5 days) where it will thicken as it cools.