Holiday latkes redux

Noshing

TAMI BICKLEY
Associate Editor

Hanukkah begins in 10 days (Sunday, Dec. 9), which means it's time to buy chocolate gelt and dreidels for the children; polish and remove the old wax from our menorot; and grease up our frying pans. There is no room for anything low in fat or cholesterol this time of year, when latkes and other goodies are the focal point of gatherings during the eight-day holiday.

Each year many of us receive or read about new latke recipes - some including fruits or vegetables; those made with sweet potatoes; and cheese. Even good old white potato latkes can be made dozens of different ways. To each his own when it comes to the fried potato pancake.

And let us not forget other Hanukkah fare such as Bimuelos (fried honey puffs) and Soofganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts).

Fruit Latkes (Pareve)

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup orange juice
1 can pie sliced apples or
1 can pineapple chunks
oil for frying
powdered sugar

Sift together dry ingredients. Add egg and orange juice. Beat well. Batter will be heavy. Add the well-drained fruit of choice. Drop by spoonfuls into deep oil at 375 degrees. Fry until brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve hot.

Recipe from Princess Cruise line

Ricotta Latkes (Dairy)

One 15-16-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
4 large eggs or 1 cup egg substitute
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2-1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup flour
butter or margarine or canola oil for frying
For dipping, jam, applesauce, yogurt or fresh fruit

In a food processor or in a blender (done in batches), put cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Process until combined. Add melted butter and process briefly. Add flour and process until batter is very smooth, like thick cream. Scrape down sides of container during processing. Preheat a nonstick griddle or shallow skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease griddle. For each latke, spoon a 1 1/2-2-Tbsp. amount of batter onto griddle. The batter will spread to about 3 inches in diameter. Keep latkes at least a 1/2 inch apart. Cook about 3 minutes or until a few bubbles have appeared on the surface of the pancakes. The tops should be slightly dry and the bottoms will have a splotchy pattern. Use a pancake turner to turn the latkes. Cook briefly on second side just until they are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is used, greasing the griddle between batches. Serve the pancakes warm or at room temperature with desired toppings.

Recipe from "The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook" by Gloria Kaufer Greene (Random House, $27.50 hardcover)

Hanukkah Bimuelos (Pareve)

Batter

1 packet (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water, divided
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 large egg or 1/4 cup pareve egg substitute
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Honey Syrup

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

For frying or garnish

Vegetable oil
Ground cinnamon (optional)

For the batter, mix together the yeast, 1/2 cup water and sugar in a medium bowl. Let the yeast mixture rest for about 5 minutes or until frothy. Stir in remaining batter ingredients until smooth. The batter should be loose and sticky. Cover the bowl loosely and let the batter rise for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare honey syrup by mixing together all ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring only until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat slightly and boil syrup, uncovered and undisturbed for 5 minutes. Remove it from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

When the batter has risen, stir it down. Put 1 1/2-2 inches oil in large saucepan. Heat oil until it's very hot, about 375 degrees. Dip a teaspoon into oil, then use it to scoop up a portion of the batter. Gently drop the batter into the oil. (Keep your opposite hand lightly moistened with water in case you need to nudge the batter off the spoon. Be careful not to drop water into hot oil).

The dollup of batter will puff up to almost twice its original size. Make more puffs, but do not crowd pan. Fry puffs, turning occasionally with slotted spoon or tongs, about 3 minutes or until they are browned on all sides, very crisp and cooked in the center. (If oil is too hot, the outsides will brown before the insides are cooked.)
Drain on paper towels. Then drop one or two at a time into cooled syrup. Use a different spoon or tongs to turn the hot puffs in the syrup until they are completely coated. Lift puffs and drain excess syrup. Put coated puffs on a large plate. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Recipe from "The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook" by Gloria Kaufer Greene (Random House, $27.50 hardcover).

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