I Metro

AROUND TOWN

Sharing Secrets

Prominent Jewish women reveal heirloom Passover recipes.

Estie Tolwin of Huntington Woods

Heidi Budaj of West Bloomfield and Robin Trepeck of Huntington Woods

T

hey've been passed down from generation to generation,
from grandmothers to granddaughters and mothers to
daughters. Now, some of Metro Detroit's most promi-
nent Jewish women are sharing their treasured family Passover
recipes with the whole community.
Doreen Hermelin of Bingham Farms,
Florine Mark of Farmington Hills and
Beverly Liss of Bloomfield Hills opened
their private cookbooks and revealed the
secret ingredients in several heirloom
dishes during a March 29 event called
"Secret Passover Recipes of Detroit's Great
Jewish Women:" About 90 women gathered
at the Jewish Community Center in West
Bloomfield to get in on the secret, watch a
Robin Schwartz
demonstration, and taste the delicious food.
Columnist
"The story of Passover and the lesson
it holds for us is to nurture our families

and our community to the fullest potential," said Estie Tolwin of
Huntington Woods, associate director of Aish in the Woods. The
organization, which aims to "tie every Jew to a pride in his or her
heritage;' co-sponsored the event with the JCC.
"Doreen cooks the whole seder herself for about 135 people and
makes about five recipes of this kugel," said Tolwin [see recipe in
sidebar on right]."Both she and Florine demonstrated traditional
family recipes and shared some Passover memories. Beverly Liss
was slated to do a demo but rushed to Chicago for the birth of her
twin granddaughters, so Heidi Budaj, the JCC's director of Jewish
life and learning, stepped in and prepared her recipe."
Participants went home with cookbooks just in time for their
own Passover seders. Spotted in the crowd were: Fran Newman,
Kim Bernzweig, Robin Trepeck, Abby Kushner, Rachel Karp
and Rebecca Salama, all of Huntington Woods; Michelle Saulson
of Franklin; Alaina Kronenberg of West Bloomfield; and Laura
Rosen, Carolyn Berg, Risha Ring and Lisa Korotkin, all of
Farmington Hills. E

Florine Mark of Farmington Hills and Conni Gustafson of Grand Blanc

A22

April 9 2009

Doreen Hermelin of Bingham Farms

Passover Farfel Kugel
— Doreen Hermelin
2 cups matzo farfel
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. fat or margarine
4 (plus) apples
Optional - chopped nuts or slivered
almonds and 1 cup raisins
Directions: Cover farfel with warm
water, then drain. Add beaten eggs,
sugar and salt. Cut or chop 3 apples
into small pieces and mix in. Pour fat
around 9x13 pyrex baking dish. Add
mixture to baking dish. Slice remain-
ing apple (or more if needed) to cover
the top of the pudding completely.
Sprinkle with nuts (optional). Brush
with diluted honey or apricot jelly so
top will brown. Bake at 350 degrees
for 45 minutes. Slice when hot.

Chocolate Macaroons
— Beverly Liss
3/4 cup sugar
21/2 cups shredded coconut
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks/
semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt
Directions: Heat oven to 350
degrees. Line a baking sheet with
parchment paper. In a large bowl,
combine sugar, coconut, egg whites,
chocolate chunks, vanilla and salt.
Mix. Dampen hands with cold water.
Form 11/2 tablespoons of mixture
into loose shape and place on bak-
ing sheet. Place one inch apart.
Bake until golden brown (about 15
mins.) Remove macaroons and let
cool slightly before moving to a wire
rack. (This recipe should be doubled
because they get eaten very quickly!)

