Recipes for Shabbat

Shavuot

By Eileen Goltz

OK, it's holiday time once again and Shavuot is its name.

For those who don't read Hebrew the word Shavuot means "weeks" and it
marks the end of the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot (AKA the counting of 'Omer' ) . On the first night of Shavuot (this year Thursday, May 16), Jews throughout the world join together in the centuries-old custom of staying up all night learning Torah. One of my favorite explanations for this
tradition is that the Jewish people did not rise early on the day G-d gave
the Torah, and that it was necessary for G-d Himself to awaken them (so I'm
saying the children of Israel weren't too dissimilar from a typical
teenager). To make up for their behavior, Jews have adopted the custom of
remaining awake all night and studying.

One of my favorite Shavuot customs is the eating of dairy foods.

Some scholars say that with the giving of the Torah the Jews became obligated to observe the laws of Kashrus. As the Torah was given on Shabbat no cattle could be slaughtered and utensils be koshered, so on that day they ate dairy.

Another reason is that the Torah is likened to milk. The Hebrew word for milk is chalav. When the numerical value of each of the letters in the word chalav are added together - 8; 30; 2 - the total is forty. Forty is the number of  days Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah. My favorite explanation, however, is that someone's ancestor was looking for an excuse to try a new ice cream or cheesecake recipe.

ICE CREAM CRUNCH (dairy)

Using a large ice cream scoop, make four 1/2 cup scoops of ice cream. Place the ice cream balls in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and store in freezer until they are firm (at least 1 hour). For  coating: In a small mixing bowl toss together crushed cereal and melted  butter. Quickly roll frozen ice cream balls in cereal mixture. Return to pan. Cover and freeze till ready to serve. To serve: Stir together honey and cinnamon. Place ice cream ball on a plate and drizzle 1 teaspoon honey mixture over the top of each. Serves 4.

FRIED ICE CREAM (dairy)
This recipe taste like the ones you get in some Mexican restaurants.

Mix the crushed corn flakes and nuts and cinnamon in a wide bowl. Sprinkle some of this mixture on the cookie sheet or freezer proof plate (this keeps the ice cream from sticking to the plate). Using a large ice cream scoop, make 6 to 8 1/2 cup scoops of ice cream. Roll each in the corn flake mixture covering completely. Freeze until very hard. Heat the oil to about 400 or until a bread cube dropped into the oil browns in about 45 seconds. Place 1 frozen ball at a time into the hot oil for about 5 seconds, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain very briefly. Immediately place the ice cream ball on a chilled plate. Repeat with the other ice cream balls. Drizzle with honey and top with whipped cream or any other garnish you like. Serves 6 to 8.

EZ BAKED ALASKA (dairy)
The name Baked Alaska originated at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City in 1876, and was created in honor of the newly acquired territory of Alaska

Slice cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place on layer of freezer-to-oven  serving plate. Spread strawberry ice cream over first layer. Top with second cake layer; spread pistachio ice cream over cake. Top with third cake layer; freeze until firm.

Preheat oven to 500. Beat egg whites (at room temp) and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Remove cake from freezer; quickly spread meringue over entire surface, making sure edges are sealed to plate. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes or till meringue peaks are browned. Slice dessert, and serve immediately.

CENTENNIAL CHOCOLATE BAKED ALASKA (dairy)

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 8-inch round pan. In medium bowl, stir together cake mix and sugar; add 1/3 cup water, melted chocolate and egg, beating until blended. Add oil and remaining 1/4 cup water; beat until smooth and well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Cover; freeze until firm. Meanwhile, line 2-1/2 quart dome-shaped bowl with foil. Soften ice cream and pack evenly into prepared bowl. Cover; freeze until firm. MERINGUE: In large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon meringue powder and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat 5 minutes until blended; gradually add additional 1/4 cup sugar, beating until meringue is stiff and dry. Use immediately. Heat oven to 450 . Cover wooden board or cookie sheet with foil. Center frozen cake layer on foil; invert and unmold ice cream onto top. Peel off foil from ice cream. Spread meringue evenly over entire surface, covering holes and sealing edges down to foil. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or just until lightly browned. Remove from oven; serve immediately. Or, cover with cake saver lid (not foil or plastic wrap) and immediately return to freezer; serve frozen. Makes 10 to 12 servings
recipe courtesy of Hershey's company

APPLES AND MERINGUE (dairy)

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange sliced apples in a 9" pie plate. In a bowl  combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over apples; cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until apples are just tender. Remove the pan from the oven, let the apples cool in the pan and refrigerate. This may be done 1 day ahead of time. At serving time, cover chilled apples with an even layer of ice cream and place in freezer. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually add powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until mixture stands in peaks. Spread meringue over ice milk being sure to bring it to the edge of the pie plate. Place pie plate in a roasting pan surrounded with ice cubes to keep cool. Bake in a very hot oven, 500 degrees for 3 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve immediately. Serves 6

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE (dairy)

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter,  sugar, cocoa and nuts... Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/3 way up the side of a greased, round, 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the crust from the oven to cool. Lower oven to 300 With an electric mixer whip the cream cheese in mixer until fluffy. Melt the white chocolate (the microwave is great for this) and mix it into the cream cheese... Pour in the sweetened condensed milk slowly, while continuing to beat on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. Pour the mixture into prepared crust and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes, approximately. Cake should be firm (may be a touch jiggly in the middle) but not browned or cracking). Remove the cake from the oven and cool on rack. Refrigerate till cold before removing pan and glazing. You can top with sliced strawberries or the chocolate sauce of your choice.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.