It’s one thing to virtually relive the suffering of one’s enslaved ancestors thousands of years ago, in order to appreciate one’s liberation now.

But it’s quite another to wait through the recitation of the entire Haggadah (especially if the singers in one’s family are tone-deaf, like those in mine) – the story of the release of Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt – before being greeted with desserts which, sans the five forbidden grains, often taste like they’d been abandoned in the dessert for 40 days and nights.

Over Passover week, many Jews will abstain from five grains – barley, oats, wheat, rye and spelt. And over the period, their favored carb will be matzah, an unleavened bread, and a reminder of the dispatch with which their freshly liberated ancestors had to flee Egypt.

Well, after the recounting of the slavery, the boils, the frogs and the locusts, unpalatable desserts can be a bit of a letdown. So, over the past 15 years, it has been my personal mission to create edible and tasty (yet five-grainfree) sweet offerings for Passover. Like this chewy, rabbi-approved toffee brittle, this orange torte, and the family favorite and enormously photogenic layered chocolate cake.

In the latest experiment, I combined a layer of nutty cake with softened fruit and fruit coulis and top it with whipped cream. Not for the meek (or the *meat eating) but meant to be served straight out of the oven, and into the cakehole, after a speedy slathering with cream 😉

Happy Holidays, Chag Sameach, and Happy Easter, to all our readers.

For this Almond and Berry Torte, you’ll need:

  • ground almonds, 1 1/4 cups
  • potato flour, 1/4 cup
  • six eggs, separated
  • butter/margarine (suitable for Passover, at room temp), 1 stick
  • coconut oil (virgin, no less), 1/4 cup
  • sugar, 1 1/2 cups
  • salt, 1/2 tsp
  • fresh berries, about 1 to 1 1/2 cups
  • whipping cream, 1 cup
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F
  2. Whisk egg whites in one bowl till stiff
  3. In another bowl, whisk butter, coconut oil and sugar till creamy
  4. Add egg yolks, one by one, and continue to combine
  5. Add a third of the ground nuts, whizz, the next third, whizz, until you’ve used it all up
  6. Gently fold in the egg whites
  7. At this point, you may add some flavoring – a couple of drops of almond essence, or some zest, or both
  8. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes
  9. Lower the heat to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes
  10. Allow to cool
  11. Make a coulis by simmering an extra cup of berries in a pan with a tablespoon of sugar, squishing them gently and keeping aside to cool
  12. Whip the cream till stiff, adding a tablespoon or two of sugar and some vanilla essence or lemon zest
  13. Scatter fresh berries over cooled cake, pour the coulis over it, and finally the whipped cream on top
  14. Decorate as you desire
  15. The cake keeps for several days outside the fridge and tastes better with time. If you wish to bake it ahead, save steps 11 – 14 until just before serving.

(I list the ingredients generically but please substitute fat, flours and nuts for their Kosher-for-Passover peers) *for those keeping strictly kosher, dairy products aren’t consumed with meat products.

7 replies on “Passover Sweets (or Sufferance?)”

  2. The best I can say is Happy Passover, but it’s no less sincere. Have a peaceful and reflective holiday.

  4. LIKEWISE!! Please pass the Matzoh We went out last evening for a last meal, Pre-Passover. We went to Livingstein to Try “Irvings”. It hopes to emulate Famous Deli and / or Village Pantry in South Orange. or Gary’s in Maplewood, or Clairmont Diner in Verona, or Stanley’s in Springfield… others from days gone by. However…sorry to say … it was just awful. With over 40 tables and 4 diners at 7:00PM ~ We shoulda guessed what we were in for.
    Extremely bad service, so-so food, and nobody seemed to care! On the way home, we passed Eppes-Essen. It was packed solid, with a small line outside waiting to get in. Live / Learn! A very happy Passover to all.

  5. Bernadette, I just finished making your matzoh brittle recipe. Last year’s trial run was such a success I was required to bring it again!

  6. When Irving’s first opened, they made big deal out of copying Katz’ in NYC. They claimed even to have had the slicers/counter people trained there. Last time I was there (it was also empty) the girl who made my sandwich sliced the pastrami on a machine. Might just as well have gotten it from the Brookdale Shop Rite.

    Hey. It’s in a lousy location, in a mall that’s almost entirely vacant, I’m not surprised the owners are struggling. It was always mobbed when it first opened. I honestly don’t know whether the quality disappeared first, or the customers. Either way: it’s a shame. It was great when it first opened.

  7. That Mall is bow TOTALLY empty, except for Irvings.
    I noticed that other diners each had a small dish pilled high with cole slaw. Our waiter brought us ONE, to be shared and it was half empty.
    Later, I was pretty sure it was someone elses that had left half and when the table was cleared someone placed it where another person did not realize that – & brought it to us !!!!

    Yes, the Pastrami was machine sliced, and did not look like normal pastrami, somehow. With a glass (menu says you get a bottle) of Boylan’s root beer and a diet puksi for the wife and tax & tip it was $31.00
    Gulp !

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