{"id":31084,"date":"2013-01-31T17:12:55","date_gmt":"2013-01-31T17:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=31084"},"modified":"2017-04-20T06:34:18","modified_gmt":"2017-04-20T11:34:18","slug":"another-way-to-show-you-care-during-shiva-lemon-confections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/food\/recipes\/another-way-to-show-you-care-during-shiva-lemon-confections\/","title":{"rendered":"An Extra Way to Show You Care During Shiva<\/em>: Lemon Confections"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please note: Eileen Goltz is a freelance kosher food writer.\u00a0<\/strong>The Orthodox Union makes no endorsements or representations regarding kashrut certification of various products\/vendors referred to in her articles, blog or web site.<\/em><\/p>\n

I had the sad experience of having to make a shiva<\/em> call (a visit to someone who has recently lost a close relative in the week following their passing) to a close friend whose father had just passed away. I wanted to bring something to the home as a way of helping feed the out-of-town family and guests.<\/p>\n

While putting together a fruit tray and a cheese platter, I had a flashback to a time when this friend’s family and mine were together celebrating a bar mitzvah<\/em>. His father was snarfing down the cookies I\u2019d made. I remember him saying that in his opinion, they were better than a store bought ones–because they were made with that extra ingredient, love.<\/p>\n

\"Lemon<\/p>\n

I knew that when I brought the cookies and relayed the story to my friend, I’d give a gift that would be much more than a way to say: I\u2019m so sorry for your loss. I\u2019d be giving my friend a memory of a time when dad was hale and hearty and full of love for his family.<\/p>\n

In my opinion, while bringing food is an important way of showing you care, I\u2019ve also found that when you don\u2019t know what to say, just sharing your favorite memory of their loved ones is the kind of gesture that means the most.<\/p>\n

When I\u2019m making a sweet tray to take to a shiva<\/em> call I try to have three or four different types of cookies and a cake so that there will hopefully be something to tempt those whose appetites are understandably, nonexistent.<\/p>\n

I prefer to make the cookies and cake myself, but if timing is an issue there is absolutely nothing wrong with picking up a cake or cookies from a bakery. It\u2019s fundamentally the desire to be there to support your friends and family that counts.<\/p>\n

Things can be confusing after returning from a funeral and sometimes no one specific is in charge of running the kitchen. You don\u2019t have to hand the tray to the bereaved; they have enough to deal with. Just make sure it makes it to the kitchen or dining room. I suggest using a disposable tray so that the family doesn\u2019t have to worry about washing or returning anything and attaching a card to the tray as a way of letting them know who gave the tray.<\/p>\n

The following recipes are all appropriate to take to a shiva<\/em> call and can be placed on a platter or left in a disposal pan (and frozen) until needed. The common ingredient is lemon. It\u2019s a soothing flavor and one that most people don\u2019t have an allergy to. You can always make the cookies with margarine to keep them pareve so that there won\u2019t be any problem serving them with any meal. Just make sure you make a note of that on the card you attach to the tray.<\/p>\n

Classic Lemon\u00a0Bars (dairy or pareve)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

10 to 12 servings<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/span>:<\/h4>\n

For the Crust<\/span>:<\/h4>\n