Sweet On Cooking

For $25, you can
impress family
and guests
throughout the
year with Marcy
Goldman's new
baking cookbook.

CHANUKAH JELLY
DOUGHNUTS (SOUFGANIYOT)
MAICES 2 TO 2 1/2 DOZEN
DOUGHNUTS, DEPENDING
ON SIZE
Easy to prepare in advance (the dough
can be refrigerated the day before fry-
ing), these plain or jelly-filled dough-
nuts are a favorite treat in Israel and a
sweet alternative to the traditional
Chanukah latkes, or potato pancakes.
No one ever says no to doughnuts, and
this two-biteful variety fits any appetite
perfectly. You can sprinkle fine sugar
over the doughnuts or fill them with
jelly, as is more traditional.

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to The Jewish. News

otato latkes are the "It" food
of Chanukah. A mere utter
of - Chanukah," and most
thoughts not only zoom
into the historical -rededication" mode
which defines this eight-day festival;
but they also envision a plateful of
latkes. It's easy to add to the miracle of
the oil when there's the miracle of the
latke to reflect upon — hot, crispy,
delicious.
But to limit your repertoire to a
singular culinary note is an injustice to
both your palate and the other food
traditions that represent this celebra-
tion. It's here where Marcy Goldman's
A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking
(Doubleday, $25) can enlighten.
Treasury dishes up baking, i.e., breads
and sweet endings for each Jewish hol-
iday's baking customs.
Goldman gives us Soufganiyot,
fried jelly-doughnuts that are custom-
arily served this season, especially in
Israel. She also includes treats made
with cheese, another Chanukah cus-
tom. Recipes like Chocolate Cream
Cheese Rugelach and Halvah Filo
Cheesecakes get fusion revisions.
Other recipes rely more on decoration
and packaging to skew them toward
specific holidays. Kids' Chanukah
cookies, for example, are simply sugar
cookies besprinkled with candy or
decorated for the season.
Besides the 180 recipes, there are
plenty of useful baking tricks, hints

po

11/20

1998

1122 Detroit Jewish News

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A New cookbook explores a vane
of fewish baking traditions.

and holiday information. Among
these tidbits are holiday dates and
seasons, traditions, explanations of
why certain foods are befitting cer-
tain holidays, and helpful cooking
notes peppered throughout regarding
ingredients and baking methods.
Goldman provides useful discourse
about ovens, parchment paper, pots,
pans and kitchen tools.

So are Soufganiyot going to replace
the latke as the food symbol of
Chanukah? It's doubtful. But contrary
to what many may think, one cannot
live on latkes alone (even with sour
cream and applesauce).
The following recipes from
Goldman's book will illuminate your
Chanukah table while offering deli-
cious twists on tradition.

Dough
1/2 cup warm water
5 tsp. dry yeast
1/3 cup plus a pinch of granulated
sugar
1 cup warm milk or water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted
vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/4 - 5 cups all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Filling
2 cups jam or jelly of your choice,
at room temperature (optional)
Granulated or confectioners' sugar
(optional)
Dough: In a large mixing bowl, stir
together the warm water, yeast and
pinch of sugar. Allow the mixture to
stand for a couple of minutes to allow
the yeast to swell or dissolve. Stir in