My Seder for Three
Celebrating Passover Away From Home


Stefanie Berry Special to The Washington Post

April 12, 2000; Page F1 I didn't anticipate calling in sick on Passover. But I also didn't have any idea how much time it would take to make a Seder--at least not until the night before. It was then I realized that even though it would take hours of cooking I couldn't ignore my favorite Jewish holiday, knowing friends and family back home would be celebrating. It was five years ago and I was living in Boston, unable to return to Washington to participate in my family's Passover Seder, commemorating the flight of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. No invitation to someone else's Seder dinner had come my way, so what choice did I have but to make one myself? I called my mother for some family recipes. She seemed surprised. "I wouldn't even have thought of preparing a Seder all by myself when I was your age," she said.

But it couldn't be that hard, could it? I'd seen it done many times while helping out in the kitchen, and this one was going to be tiny--nothing like those at home with 20 or more at the table. This Seder would be just for me and two guests: my brother (who also lived in Boston) and my then-boyfriend.

The night before Passover, I went to the store for haroset ingredients: apples, nuts, Manischewitz. Haroset represents the mortar Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids and temples of Egypt. Making it was easy because over the years it had become my job to prepare the blend of fruits and nuts for my family's Passover table, to the point that my mother acted as if she couldn't make it herself.

"What am I going to do about the haroset?" she asked, letting me know I was missed. "Fly it in along with me," I joked, knowing it was too late for that. She'd have to rustle up some without my help, while I had to work on everything else.

But there I was, the morning of Passover, with much left to be done. My plans had been ambitious, and I realized I was in way over my head, even though I was planning on matzoh ball soup from a mix and gefilte fish from a jar. So I played hooky. There seemed no other option.

I drove around Brookline, a suburb of Boston with several Jewish shops, looking for the necessary foods, symbols of the Passover tale: along with the haroset, I would need bitter herbs, parsley, a shank bone and roasted egg. I felt a bit lonely, but it was wonderful to walk through and explore a Jewish market, bustling with activity as others bought their Passover goods too. I found my ingredients but hung out a bit longer, just watching the action, smelling the smells, getting in the Passover spirit.

I stopped in a Jewish gift shop and looked at Seder plates (specially decorated dishes with sections that hold the ceremonial foods), but they seemed too expensive and something I might not need again for a long while. I'd make do without one. Instead, I bought a children's book that told the Passover story. It seemed a simpler option than a traditional Haggada, a Passover book read at Seders that tells the story of the Jews' miraculous exodus. We'd pass it around, each reading a page.

Browsing was fun, but I needed to get back to my apartment to prepare the meal.

Passover (this year on April 20) is, after all, a holiday centered mainly on food, in some ways similar to Thanksgiving. While the essence of these holidays differs, with Passover celebrating Jewish freedom and Thanksgiving celebrating a bountiful harvest and survival through a difficult year, on both holidays, everyone wants to eat what's familiar. So, new dishes served at a Seder aren't always well received, as my mother found out the time she made Sephardic haroset (from dried apricots almonds, dates and orange juice) as an alternative to our traditional Ashkenazi haroset (made of apples, walnuts and wine). We only nibbled on the new version but heaped the familiar one on our plates.

And then there was the year Mom decided to go upscale with the gefilte fish, making it from a Wolfgang Puck recipe she clipped from the New York Times rather than relying on Mother's Gefilte Fish (the only store-bought Passover dish we serve). Puck's version turned out to be light and fluffy, more like a mousse than the dense, saltier version we were used to. The verdict? None of us liked it (not even Mom). It seemed too refined, too delicate.

So I knew that, especially being away from home, it was the family recipes that would give me and my brother a bit of that familiar holiday feeling.

Two of our must-make dishes weren't created specifically for the holiday, but with just a bit of tweaking, we turned these favorite recipes into ones suitable for Passover. For Sherried Chicken we dredge chicken breasts in matzoh meal instead of flour. The result is moist and delicious chicken that is always a hit.

Finding a good Passover dessert isn't easy. Too often, cakes made with matzoh meal turn out like bricks. Our solution yields one of the best desserts I know, a rich chocolate mousse in a meringue shell, topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Mom's Chocolate Angel Pie is simply delicious, for Passover or any other occasion. Usually, a quarter teaspoon of cream of tartar is used to help stiffen the egg whites, but it must be omitted for Passover because it's considered a leavening.Even without it, the dessert tastes wonderful. And happily, the mousse filling can be made a day ahead. (This dessert would not work for people who keep kosher, because of the cream).

And while made-for-Passover sweets (they must contain no flour) are on shelves in every grocery store, I grew up with the notion that such products were an easy way out of sacrifice, somehow lessening the meaning of Passover by making it too simple to observe.

So, to keep tradition, I made Chocolate Meringue Cookies. A jarful of these chewy, flourless treats can be emptied in mere moments. Of course, you can make them year-round, but my family saves them for Passover.

I cooked all day, and had barely finished when my brother and boyfriend showed up and we began the evening, reading the book while sitting around the table, my makeshift Seder plate our centerpiece. It wasn't fancy--no crystal or china--but that didn't matter. This was what I wanted--to sit at a Passover table and feel a sense of togetherness, family and tradition.

Having done it once by myself makes me appreciate my family's Seders here in Washington all the more. My mother is head chef, my father leads the Seder and family and friends sit around the dining room table set with my late grandmother's familiar china. All I need to do is make the haroset.

Haroset

(6 to 8 servings)

What's fun about this recipe is that you can add more or less of each ingredient to taste. I like to go heavy on the wine! Just be sure to improvise gradually so as not to overdo a good thing. If you are serving a large Seder, you may wish to double--or even triple--this recipe.

4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped or shredded

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (about 3 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sweet fortified wine (my favorite is blackberry Manischewitz)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, toss together the apples and nuts. Add the wine and toss to coat. Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix well. (You should have about 3 1/2 cups.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to let the flavors meld.

Per serving: 174 calories, 3 gm protein, 16 gm carbohydrates, 9 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 7 mg sodium, 3 gm dietary fiber

Mom's Sherried Chicken

(6 servings)

When it's not Passover, Mom makes this chicken recipe using flour instead of matzoh meal.

For the chicken:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup matzoh meal

Garlic salt to taste (optional)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)

For the sauce:

6 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups dry sherry

6 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the chicken: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter and oil.

Meanwhile, place the matzoh meal in a shallow bowl. If desired, season the matzoh with garlic salt to taste. Lightly dredge both sides of each chicken breast half in the matzoh, shaking off any excess.

Place the prepared chicken in the skillet, being careful not to crowd the pieces (may have to cook the chicken in batches). Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides but not quite cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large shallow baking dish. Set aside.

For the sauce: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the sherry, soy sauce, lemon juice and ginger, increase the heat to medium-high and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven, uncovered, until tender and cooked through, spooning the sauce over the chicken occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and pass the remaining sauce on the side.

Per serving: 317 calories, 36 gm protein, 8 gm carbohydrates, 12 gm fat, 107 mg cholesterol, 5 gm saturated fat, 272 mg sodium, trace dietary fiber

Chocolate Angel Pie

(8 to10 servings)

Over the years, my family has adapted this recipe from "Thoughts for Buffets" (Houghton Mifflin, out of print) to our own liking. In fact, we enjoy the filling so much that we generally double the amount, as we have done here. Sometimes we serve it on its own as a chocolate mousse.

If you don't want to serve dairy on Passover, you could make individual meringue shells using this recipe, fill them with fresh fruit and drizzle with raspberry sauce.

For the meringue shell:

Nonstick vegetable spray oil

4 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)

1 cup sugar

For the filling:

12-ounce package chocolate chips

4 egg whites

8 egg yolks

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

About 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, shaved into curls or grated

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a 10-inch pie plate with the nonstick spray.

For the meringue: In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, if using, until soft peaks form and the meringue is stiff but not dry. Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly, and continue to beat until the meringue is smooth and glossy.

Spread the meringue in the prepared pie plate, smoothing it evenly over the bottom. Bake the meringue in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Set the meringue aside to cool (may store overnight at room temperature).

For the filling: In the top of a double boiler or in a small saucepan set over simmering water, melt the chocolate chips. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg yolks together with the melted chocolate until well combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 1 cup of the cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Fold the beaten egg whites and vanilla into the chocolate mixture. Then fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours (may refrigerate overnight).

To serve, spread the chilled filling into the meringue shell.

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, whip the remaining 1 cup cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Sprinkle the pie with the chocolate. Cut into slices and serve with a dollop of the reserved whipped cream.

* Note: Uncooked eggs may be contaminated with salmonella and should be avoided by young children, the elderly and anyone with immune system deficiencies.

Per serving (based on 8): 618 calories, 10 gm protein, 57 gm carbohydrates, 43 gm fat, 295 mg cholesterol, 24 gm saturated fat, 90 mg sodium, 3 gm dietary fiber

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

(Makes about 18 cookies)

We've enjoyed these Passover cookies since I was a child. They're crisp on the outside and fudgy on the inside. I often double the recipe. From "Never in the Kitchen When Company Arrives" by Therese A. Morse (Doubleday, out of print).

Nonstick vegetable spray oil

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with the spray oil.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly, and continue to beat until the meringue is smooth and glossy. Add the somewhat cooled chocolate, vanilla and nuts and mix well.

Drop the meringue mixture by the tablespoonful about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Per cookie: 100 calories, 2 gm protein, 12 gm carbohydrates, 6 gm fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 gm saturated fat, 7 mg sodium, trace dietary fiber

Stefanie Berry is senior editor of Washington Flyer magazine.