Luckily I'm a guest, so I'm just making a cake! Cynthia Rodan's orange almond cake.

I'm so behind.....I still have to shop. Luckily I'm hosting the 2nd night.
Matzoh ball soup
Charoset
Steamed Salmon with some kind of herb butter sauce (suggestions welcome)
Hard Boiled Eggs
Some kind of veggie dish
Maccaroons (Jill Zarin's recipe is my fave)

Others are bringing:
Brisket
Tsimmes
Veggie Kugel
Veggie dish
Fresh Fruit
Dessert from Bent Fork

At 8pm, the brisket was at 190F. A little low normally, but this beast is like butter, seriously, I can nearly spread it like nduja.

Yield is not good on those prime briskets, though: the label was 15.36lbs, trimmed a couple pounds off the edge, final weight 7lbs even.

JoelF wrote:Yield is not good on those prime briskets, though: the label was 15.36lbs, trimmed a couple pounds off the edge, final weight 7lbs even.

This is nearly the same weight ratio I found with my corned beef. I started with a point cut near four pounds and yielded two pounds once it was finished. It may just be the nature of this cut of meat.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:

JoelF wrote:Yield is not good on those prime briskets, though: the label was 15.36lbs, trimmed a couple pounds off the edge, final weight 7lbs even.

This is nearly the same weight ratio I found with my corned beef. I started with a point cut near four pounds and yielded two pounds once it was finished. It may just be the nature of this cut of meat.

Regards,
Cathy2

So, for science, I did research: According to this site, brisket yields about 43%, so I'm actually beating the odds, and the prime didn't lose its weight due to excess fat, although the water pan was at least a quart of tallow this morning.

JoelF wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:

JoelF wrote:Yield is not good on those prime briskets, though: the label was 15.36lbs, trimmed a couple pounds off the edge, final weight 7lbs even.

This is nearly the same weight ratio I found with my corned beef. I started with a point cut near four pounds and yielded two pounds once it was finished. It may just be the nature of this cut of meat.

Regards,
Cathy2

So, for science, I did research: According to this site, brisket yields about 43%, so I'm actually beating the odds, and the prime didn't lose its weight due to excess fat, although the water pan was at least a quart of tallow this morning.

“Jerry, tell ‘em about the shrinkage.”
—- G. Costanza

I'm used to 12-16 immediate family members for Passover (no cousins). This year it's going to be only 5. My mom wants to cook everything as usual but not this time. One of us has major dietary restrictions from health issues which leaves 4. I'm on a special diet myself but I can still eat some of it. A very weird night. From what I hear at the minimum it's matzah ball soup (chicken available), brisket, asparagus, broccoli/peas/cheddar/crispy onions casserole, and dessert. I wish our brisket was smoked like some of yours.

Mr. CE is Jewish, I'm not, we love to entertain and after a very disappointing Mon Ami Gabi seder last year, decided we'd host our first seder this year. So we did a relatively secular second-night seder primarily for non-Jews. (And while there was nothing leavened, we disregarded meat/dairy rules.)

Given this was our inaugural effort, we did some catered, some from scratch:
1st course:
Matzo ball soup
Obligatory sips of Manischewitz before pulling out the good wine

2nd course:
Chopped liver (Manny's)
Gefilte fish with regular and beet horseradish (Manny's)
Pickles
Matzo
Haroset
Hard boiled eggs

3rd course:
Brussels sprout salad

4th course:
Brisket (Smoque)
Stewed chicken with dried fruit and preserved lemon
Kugel

5th course:
Eton mess

Dinner was for 9 people, about half of whom had never before attended a Passover seder, but it was a hit with everyone, particularly a 3-year-old guest who got to hunt for the afikomen and Easter eggs, and got a chocolate bunny for finding the afikomen.

It was not an easy or inexpensive dinner, and we have about a week's worth of leftovers, but I think we'll absolutely consider hosting one again next year.

Another Seder in the books. It went very well, and as a cook I was quite happy with my results. We had:
Hard-boiled eggs
Aunt Louise's gefilte fish
Matzo ball soup (made by my brother)
Navarin of lamb (stew with carrots, snow peas, and pearl onions from Silver Palate)--this came out really well once I cooked it much longer than the recipe called for. I don't know if this was because I more than doubled the quantity or because I had local farmed lamb from Homestead Meats. (Thanks to moetchandon for hooking me up!)
Roasted asparagus
Tiny new potatoes
Hazelnut torte
Flourless chocolate cake (from my cousin)
Matzo caramel chocolate crunch

Whatcha making this year?

I have been tasked with gifilte fish and homemade horseradish sauce as usual.

thinking of tackling homemade gefilte fish - recs?

I PM'd you. I think my recipe is copyrighted and I cannot post here.

annak wrote:thinking of tackling homemade gefilte fish - recs?

See my recipe for my Aunt Louise's version above (post #11, p. 1 of thread). Easy to make and always a hit with everyone. I have to make extra for family members to take home after the Seder.

embarrassing but true: i haven't made matzoh ball soup in ages and i'm looking for a recipe. this thread doesn't seem to have one - any faves to pass along?

This year we will only be 15 people for Seder, and I am sticking to what has worked in the past. In addition to the obligatory hard-boiled eggs, my plan is:

Traditional apple-walnut charoset
My brother’s matzah ball soup
Aunt Louise’s gefilte fish
Smoked brisket, which is currently on the smoker in today’s ridiculous snow. We will finish it in the oven later this week, I think.
Potato kugelettes (mini-muffin sized kugel bites that I am making today and freezing)
Asparagus, served at room temperature
My mother’s hazelnut torte
Flourless chocolate mousse cake, brought by my cousin

PSA for those looking for Kosher for Passover pop: KfP Coke IN CANS is available at the Jewel on Howard in Evanston, also a variety of other canned pop including Canada Dry ginger ale, several types of Dr. Brown, Sprite, and Pepsi.

A happy Passover to all!

annak wrote:embarrassing but true: i haven't made matzoh ball soup in ages and i'm looking for a recipe. this thread doesn't seem to have one - any faves to pass along?

There is a thread devoted entirely to matzoh balls.
Vegetarian broth worthy of matzoh balls with a link at the end to matzoh ball recipe from seriouseats.

Regards,
Cathy2

Our Seder will be so small this year, just 6 of us I think.
I may just make a piece of fish to accommodate my brother and my son.
(neither will eat beef)
Of course that will make it double fish- gefilte and dinner.
It's going to be a hard one, being the first after my Dad passed earlier this month.
He always loved the holidays.

Since I resurrected the post:
Sweet and Sour Brisket
Quinoa With Thai Flavors
Sandy Stein's Sponge Cake
Spinach Matzah Lasagne
Matzah Crack
Mystery Veggies coming from my guests.

this weekend we just did desserts for hosting friends - a family traditional vanilla custard berry cream trifle, a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate creme fraiche, and toasted sugar meringues. we're currently debating the full menu for a late seder we're doing next weekend, especially whether to smoke a brisket or roast a lamb leg. thanks to LTH, gefilte fish pate is on tap!

annak wrote:this weekend we just did desserts for hosting friends - a family traditional vanilla custard berry cream trifle, a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate creme fraiche, and toasted sugar meringues. we're currently debating the full menu for a late seder we're doing next weekend, especially whether to smoke a brisket or roast a lamb leg. thanks to LTH, gefilte fish pate is on tap!

Sounds great! My crew were very happy with it again at Seder. Hope you enjoy it. Robert's Kosher Fish on Devon does a great job prepping and grinding the fish. Call ahead.

We did a 3 lb side of salmon for our main course, and no one missed the beef! LOL
It turned out awesome.
I just sprinkled it light-med with some blackening spice and za'atar
and roasted it in the oven at 400 for about 20 min
moist and juicy with a spicy crust.
It was also nice not to feel so weighed down at the end.

We made EvA's Aunt Louise's gefilte fish pate, and it was loved! What fun to discover a new excellent crowd pleaser on this site.
Our menu was:
deviled eggs
gefilte fish pate
pickle tray
charoset
homemade matzoh ball soup
cauliflower kugel
potato kugel
green salad
roast leg of lamb w mint persillade and horseradish sauce
matzoh crack
toasted coconut macaroons
custard trifle (with the yolks from the macaroons)

Next year in post carbon economies, or there won't be many next years!

We had a vegan guest this year, and I had the entire week off, so made a couple of new dishes for him, and they were both relatively successful if anyone is in a similar position. (I also made a few adjustments for other items, such as mixing a small batch of charoseth with agave instead of honey, and roasting potatoes instead of a kugel, and grilled a big platter of veggies.) One veganized Passover staple was jackfruit "brisket". I used two cans of jackfruit in brine (perhaps would buy fresh in the future, but not on first try and while making so many other items), rinsed the jackfruit and popped out as many seeds as I could see, tossed in the brisket's spice rub, then simmered stovetop in a sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, siracha, apple cider vinegar, ginger, red wine, and veggie broth. With his input, we left the jackfruit in wedges instead of shredding, as one would do if eating on a sandwich. He loved it, as did carnivores who had never eaten jackfruit and were curious. The other new entry was matzoh ball soup. Because I have been making an Asian-inspired chicken soup with ginger-leek matzoh balls for years (tweaked from a few different recipes on Epicurious), I wanted the vegan version to be similarly flavored. For the broth, I started with homemade veggie broth, then added a lot of lemongrass, ginger, Thai chiles, and, inspired by the recent Top Chef matzoh ball soup entry, dried shitakes and kombu. The soup was outstanding! The matzoh balls were odd. Because I try to avoid kitniyot, including soy, I was unable to find a good substitute for egg as a binder. I used a recipe that included quinoa flakes (basically a quinoa version of cream of wheat, and not easy to find in stores) and advised baking the balls instead of cooking in water/broth, so they hold their shape better. To illustrate that even baking didn't keep them well composed, when I dropped the sheet tray taking them out of the oven, and half fell on the floor, they splattered and flattened rather than maintaining ball-shape. They tasted like doughy dumplings, not matzoh balls, and while I am glad I tried them and the vegan was very appreciative of the attempt, doubt they would be worth the work in the future.

annak wrote:We made EvA's Aunt Louise's gefilte fish pate, and it was loved! What fun to discover a new excellent crowd pleaser on this site.

I'm so happy to see this. And my Aunt Louise would have been delighted. Reading the menus and experiments people share makes this thread--that I started a decade ago!--one of my favorites.

With all that's going on, this will certainly be a Passover unlike any other in many of our lifetimes. Due to coronavirus concerns, my family has canceled our large Seders this year, so whatever we do, we'll be doing with strictly my immediate family.

I doubt we have many beginner cooks here but in case anyone's looking for recipes and/or inspiration, Shimon Sandler from Kosher.com emailed over a link to 42 Easy Passover Recipes for Newbies!, which is posted over at their site.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:With all that's going on, this will certainly be a Passover unlike any other in many of our lifetimes. Due to coronavirus concerns, my family has canceled our large Seders this year, so whatever we do, we'll be doing with strictly my immediate family.

I doubt we have many beginner cooks here but in case anyone's looking for recipes and/or inspiration, Shimon Sandler from Kosher.com emailed over a link to 42 Easy Passover Recipes for Newbies!, which is posted over at their site.

=R=

I am so sad to not be making a big Seder. I usually have about 20 or more people. We are considering getting together via Zoom, but I will do fewer dishes for just my husband and me.

EvA wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:With all that's going on, this will certainly be a Passover unlike any other in many of our lifetimes. Due to coronavirus concerns, my family has canceled our large Seders this year, so whatever we do, we'll be doing with strictly my immediate family.

I doubt we have many beginner cooks here but in case anyone's looking for recipes and/or inspiration, Shimon Sandler from Kosher.com emailed over a link to 42 Easy Passover Recipes for Newbies!, which is posted over at their site.

=R=

I am so sad to not be making a big Seder. I usually have about 20 or more people. We are considering getting together via Zoom, but I will do fewer dishes for just my husband and me.

We are also considering hosting via Zoom. We have a small condo and the last two years have been bursting at the seams with a table of fourteen, so the concept of a potentially larger gathering is intriguing. One of our usual guests (half-jokingly?) even suggested curbside pickup at our place! Given how frequently everything changes, and that my husband and I both work in health care, it is too early for us to commit to anything. We do, however, hope to do something to mark the holiday and share traditions with friends and family

Anyone have experience baking with matzo meal? My granddaughter can't live without Cheez-Its, looking for a recipe that might work. Maybe a non-flour recipe?

JoelF wrote:Anyone have experience baking with matzo meal? My granddaughter can't live without Cheez-Its, looking for a recipe that might work. Maybe a non-flour recipe?

https://www.wholesomeyum.com/low-carb-k ... rs-recipe/