The Hanukkah Plan

Hanukkah being a holiday of tradition, not much changes from one year to the next. For instance, the biggest difference in our celebration this year will be that our remodeled dining room now has enough space for everyone to sit at the same table. Grandchildren will no longer be relegated to the kitchen. Hanukkah begins at sundown Dec. 3.

The highlight of every Hanukkah party is latkes, of course. I remember when I was growing up, being with our extended family of uncles, aunts and cousins, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the little potato pancakes. And, afterward, the great desserts.

Now, at our home, when everyone arrives, we greet them with crisp, hot latkes, fried in the oil that commemorates the story of the one-day supply of oil that burned for eight days.

Every year I try to throw in one Hanukkah surprise. This year’s is a dessert that’s a fried sweet latke. It is a mixture of shredded potatoes with cinnamon and glazed apples, sprinkled with powdered sugar just before serving.

Other than that, the menu is traditional. I always serve sufganiyot, which are traditional in the Middle East during Hanukkah. This recipe is a little different, inspired by a ricotta-filled pastry I enjoyed in Italy. Kids can’t resist these deep-fried, sugar-coated, doughnut-like goodies.

My family still loves the chocolate Hanukkah cake made by my Aunt Betty, who was a fabulous baker. When I was very young and spent the summers at her home, I would help her bake, rather than play with my cousin and her friends. Spicing the chocolate with cinnamon and cloves was Aunt Betty’s magic touch.

You can bake this cake in advance and store it in the freezer, and no one will have a clue that it wasn’t baked the same day. I am forever grateful to my cousin Rochelle for finding this favorite cake recipe in my aunt’s recipe file.

Another dessert, schaum tart, was my mother’s favorite, not only for Hanukkah but for any special dinner. Rich, light and airy, these meringue tarts were one of her specialties. I had thought my mom had created the recipe, but I have since discovered that it came from my grandmother, who brought it with her from Russia.

My mother was the only one who could ever remove the tarts from the baking tins in one piece, but years later I figured out her secret technique and have now mastered the light touch of handling them.

These cupcake-shaped meringues are hollow in the center with a soft, sugary, marshmallow-like bottom; when they’re layered with whipped cream, crushed pineapple and bananas they’re a special treat. If you don’t want to serve a dairy dessert, skip the whipped cream.

Dessert Potato Latkes

In earlier times olive oil was the only acceptable frying oil for Hanukkah because it was the oil used in the temple. Today, however, any oil is acceptable. I use safflower, sunflower or peanut oil for deep frying, but I always use olive oil for frying latkes.

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, seeded and diced

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 baking potatoes, peeled and shredded

2 eggs

1/4 cup matzo meal

1/2 teaspoon salt

Oil

1/4 cup powdered sugar, for garnish

* Melt butter in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Saute until apples are glazed, about 4 minutes.

* Combine potatoes, apple mixture, eggs, matzo meal and salt in large bowl. Mix well.

* Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in nonstick skillet. Spoon 1 tablespoonful potato mixture per latke into oil and flatten each with back of spoon. Cook until golden brown, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes a side. Drain on paper towels. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

24 latkes. Each latke: 85 calories; 65 mg sodium; 20 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.10 gram fiber.

Italian-Style Sufganiyot (Frittelle di Ricotta)

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes plus 1 hour standing

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound ricotta cheese

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Oil

* Beat eggs in large bowl until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add ricotta and blend.

* Combine flour and baking powder and fold into egg mixture a little at a time. Cover bowl with towel and let batter rest 1 hour at room temperature.

* In deep fryer or saucepan, heat about 2 cups oil over medium heat and drop a few tablespoons batter into hot oil. When fritters turn golden, 3 to 4 minutes, transfer to plate and blot excess oil off with paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter. Roll fritters in remaining 1 cup sugar and serve hot or cold.

About 4 dozen. Each fritter: 63 calories; 31 mg sodium; 22 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.01 gram fiber.

Aunt Betty’s Chocolate Spice Cake

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons nondairy margarine, melted

1/2 cup finely ground walnuts

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) nondairy margarine, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup orange juice

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Toast walnuts on baking sheet in 350-degree oven until golden and fragrant, about 15 minutes.

* Brush 10-inch fluted tube pan with melted margarine. Sprinkle with ground walnuts.

* In bowl of heavy-duty electric mixer, beat room-temperature margarine and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, until well blended.

* Sift flour, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and salt in medium bowl. Spoon flour mixture into margarine mixture alternately with orange juice until completely blended. Stir in melted chocolate, toasted walnuts and vanilla.

* Beat egg whites on high speed until stiff, 2 to 3 minutes; fold into batter.

* Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean and cake begins to shrink away from sides of pan, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack. Carefully loosen sides and center of cake from pan and invert onto cake plate. Garnish with Chocolate Glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

1/2 cup apricot or strawberry preserves, strained

1 tablespoon fruit liqueur, optional

* In top of double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water (or in microwave), melt chocolate, coffee, preserves and liqueur, if using. With wooden spoon, stir constantly until mixture is melted and well blended. Let cool before glazing cake or transfer to glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve hot or cold.

16 servings. Each serving: 449 calories; 226 mg sodium; 53 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.80 gram fiber.

Mom’s Schaum Tarts

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

3 tablespoons butter or nondairy margarine, melted

3 egg whites

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved

4 bananas, thinly sliced and diced

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

* Brush melted butter into 12 muffin cups.

* In large bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar with vinegar and vanilla, beating until firm peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon meringue into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 250 degrees until light golden, about 1 hour. With your fingertips, carefully remove meringues, lifting them from muffin cups by twisting gently. Transfer to large platter to cool.

* Combine pineapple and bananas in bowl. Beat cream until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and continue beating until stiff, 2 to 3 minutes more.

* Combine reserved pineapple juice and 2 tablespoons sugar in small saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat; simmer until reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

* Just before serving, carefully cut off meringue tops with small sharp knife and set aside. Use back of large spoon to make an indentation in soft centers of bottoms. Spoon layer of pineapple and banana mixture into each meringue, then add layer of whipped cream. Add 1 more layer of fruit and another of cream. Replace tops lightly and garnish with 1 teaspoon whipped cream and fruit. Drizzle pineapple sauce around each tart. Serve immediately.

12 tarts. Each tart: 334 calories; 58 mg sodium; 63 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.39 gram fiber.

Cake platter and Menorah in Aunt Betty’s Chocolate Spice Cake photograph on cover from Audrey’s Gift Shop at the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles.

Ziedler is the author of “Master Chefs Cook Kosher” (Chronicle Books, $24.95) and “The 30-Minute Kosher Cook” (William Morrow, $22)/