The delay in posting was due to technical difficulties. Yes, it’s quite technically impossible to overcome food coma, at least for me. Has anyone found a cure? Passover Seder on Monday night and Tuesday night is the probably cause, but I can’t promise to refrain from this dangerous activity. Isn’t there like a morning after pill for over-whelming meat consumption? I guess Korean BBQ for lunch didn’t help. In all seriousness, Passover Seder is full of wonderful foods that are symbolic and carry on the traditions. Without getting into too much detail (which I probably can’t on this subject) Haroseth Balls (sometimes Charoset) represent the mortar used when Jews were enslaved in Egypt.
There are as many recipes for Haroseth as there are for cherry pie, and most American Jews use an apple and nut mixture. It often contained red wine, an ingredient my mother-in-law avoids (tannins give her migraines). Though they are Ashkenazi Jews, Bonnie (my MIL) adopted a more Moroccan-style, using dried fruits. Now, she’s been using this recipe (a combination of two she read in the papers 30 years ago) for as far back as Lon can remember.
This recipe is super easy and keeps well in the fridge. It’s also extremely forgiving. A little more of this, a little less of that, is fine. You can come up with you’re own tradition. If you like dried fruits and nuts, you’ll like this. It’s like that plate you get at wine bars, tossed into a food processor, and made into a ball. Yum!
Haroseth Balls
~about 2 dozen pieces
- 12 dried apricots
- 6 large pitted dried dates
- 6 large dried black figs
- 3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, divided
- 2 tablespoons honey
- scant 1/4 cup sweet white wine (like muscat)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions –
1. Put apricots, dates, figs, and 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until fine. Add the honey and process until you get a paste. Add sweet wine and cinnamon, processing until well combined.
2. Remove the paste from the food processor and form into 3/4″ balls. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts with sugar and lay in a shallow bowl. Roll balls in the walnut/sugar mixture. Refrigerate until firm in an airtight container. Serve cold or room temperature. Stores for at least 1 week.
interesting, never saw haroset prepared that way. i usually just eat it by doing a fine chop and spreading on matzah.
Interesting. We might try this, seems like a good candy for the kids. btw, I made my own maror this year. Horseradish, vinegar, sugar, salt. I hand grated have the horseradish with a micro plane and pureed the rest with a blender. Outstanding.
i know woefully little about the passover traditions, but that doesn’t stop me from craving these! all that thick fruit sweetened with honey and cinnamon sugar simply CAN’T be bad!
These look so yummy, I bet I would love them. I think I may be making these very soon.
Mom always makes her own maror. She can’t fathom spending $4 on a bottle of horseradish when she can grate it up and add beets for color. Cheaper & tastier!
Thanks everyone, hope you’re all enjoying your weekend!