Tribute to Passover

In an homage to my good friend Beany (as well as an extreme fit of jealousy at the stories of her awesome family seders) I've decided to devote this weekend's experiment to creating a few passover friendly dishes. First I tried a classic, the apple cake but I wanted something less fluffy cake-y than the original. Its always more spiced tasting than apples so I opted for a bit of an almost clafoutis. For those who have never given it a try its half way between a custard and a cake that lets the fruit shine through.

Since my crazy grocery delivery messed up and delivered two boxes of matzoh meal I decided to use some of the extra and created veggie puffs. My recipe uses carrots and leeks but you can use any veggie you'd like. The original recipe seemed rather bland to me so I added a bit of umami with a touch of miso. Chinese jewish? These turned out better than I hoped. Lightly crusty crisp on the outside and tender delicious on the inside. Beany, I hope you try one at your seder one day.

Apple Clafoutis

1/2 cup matzoh meal (whir this in the processor to get a more flour like consistency)
1/3 cup sugar (use a little more or less depending on the sweetness of your fruit)
1 tblsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/3 cup almond milk (clafoutis usually calls for milk but I wasn't sure how kosher that was)
4 large apples (peeled, quartered, and sliced thinly)

Mix the first four ingredients together. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk until well blended. Add in dry ingredients and mix together. It should be lump free and about pancake batter consistency. Stir in the apples. It will look like apples barely coated in batter. Don't worry! Pour into a silicon pan lightly spritzed with oil (you can can pan possibly buttered that you think you can unmold easily from). Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes. Cake should be firm when poked in the middle with your finger. Let cool until its warm but no longer hot before unmolding. I served mine a la mode with real frozen vanilla yogurt (the tart good for you kind, not the faux ice cream) and a bit of honey on top but the cake is quite good just on its own.

Veggie Puff

1lb carrots (cut into 1/2 inch thick slices)
1 stalk leek (sliced thinly)
2 tsp red miso
1 egg
1 tblsp oil
1/3 cup matzoh meal

Add carrots, leeks, and miso into a pot with just enough water to barely cover the veggies. Simmer until the carrots are very tender soft. Drain. Mash until smooth. Add egg, oil, and meal. Stir until well blended. Using a spoon (or in my case a cookie scoop) create little domes on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes until the outsides are dried and crisp. Serve warm.