Taking on Passover Breakfast

Preparing breakfast is a real challenge for the home cook during Passover, since the use of flour is forbidden during this eight-day period. But I love breakfast, and over the years I have created many Passover dishes that my family enjoys at the morning meal. Passover begins at sundown on March 27.

Try starting breakfast with a bowl of cold fruit soup made with freshly squeezed orange juice. Use blood oranges, now in season; they yield a strikingly beautiful raspberry-colored juice. You may not think of serving orange juice in this manner, but it is delicious. Simply pour the juice over sliced strawberries, which are at their sweetest this time of the year.

One breakfast challenge in my house is attempting to satisfy everyone’s tastes. Our daughters and their families, who live in Oregon, stay with us during the holiday, and finding something everyone likes to eat is almost impossible. I tried buying the usual Passover dry cereals for the grandchildren, but they did not go over very well.

But they all love my Matzo Farfel Granola. It has become a popular snack, and sometimes the kids combine the granola with milk and sliced bananas. I now make it year-round and use dried fruits that vary from cranberries to chopped apricots.

One breakfast treat comes from leftovers. I always bake several different sponge cakes for our Passover Seders, and I like to use slices the next day to make Passover French Toast. A little sweeter than the traditional kind made with bread, it has a light, airy consistency. It’s delicious with fruit preserves.

For something more different yet, thin slices of fruitcake are a nice treat with your morning latte or cappuccino. This fruitcake recipe, which I adapted for Passover, came from Sandy Krusoff. She makes her fruitcakes for friends three or four times a year, and this year we were lucky to receive one. The ingredients, a combination of dried fruits and nuts, remind me of the charoset we serve at our Seder.

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Matzo Farfel Granola

Active Work Time: 10 minutes

Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

2 cups matzo farfel

1 cup unpeeled almonds, cut in half

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup diced dried apricots

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil the foil.

Combine the farfel, almonds and coconut in a large bowl. Pour in the honey and oil and mix well. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to a platter and cool. Add the raisins and apricots and toss well.

About 4 cups. Each 1/2 cup: 369 calories; 23 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 3.28 grams fiber.

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Passover Orange Sponge Cake

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours

Use slices of this to make French toast for breakfast.

1 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup oil

6 eggs, separated

1/2 cup matzo cake meal

1/2 cup potato starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Blend 3/4 cup of the sugar and the oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. The mixture should be light yellow and fluffy.

Sift the matzo cake meal, potato starch and salt together. Add them to the yolk mixture alternately with the orange juice, lemon juice and orange and lemon zest.

Beat the egg whites in a bowl until soft peaks form; add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat until stiff enough to hold a peak. Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the batter into a 10-inch tube pan.

Bake the cake until it is golden brown, it springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in it comes out dry, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven; immediately invert the pan and let it cool. Loosen the sides and center of the cake with a sharp knife and unmold it onto a cake plate.

12 servings. Each serving: 191 calories; 129 mg sodium; 103 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.

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Sandy’s Fruitcake for Passover

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours

1 1/2 cups whole almonds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, melted

2 cups pitted dates, thinly sliced

2 cups dried apricots, quartered

1 cup golden raisins

1 1/2 cups toasted walnut pieces

3/4 cup matzo cake meal

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon potato starch

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds in a baking pan and toast until light brown, shaking the pan once or twice, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Brush a 9x5-inch loaf pan with the melted butter and line with parchment paper.

Combine the dates, apricots, raisins, almonds and walnuts in a large bowl. Combine the cake meal, sugar and potato starch and mix well. Add the fruit mixture and mix evenly. Beat the eggs and vanilla to blend, then stir into the fruit mixture. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and spread evenly, pressing the batter into the corners of the pan.

Bake the cake until golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan. Peel off the paper and let cool on the rack.

Wrap in plastic wrap and foil. Refrigerate the cake at least 1 day or up to 2 months. To serve, place the cake on a wooden board and cut into thin slices with a serrated knife.

12 slices. Each slice: 495 calories; 26 mg sodium; 57 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 72 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 7.55 grams fiber.