Stone's Chocolate Covered Matzah

Attention all chocolate covered matzoh lovers...there's no need to look any further for an awesome Passover snack. Allyson Stone is open for business and is taking customized orders for the holiday. If you want white, milk, or dark chocolate...Stone's Chocolate Covered Matzoh is for you. She can also do a mix if it's too difficult to choose one type. 

Packaged in adorable mason jars, this is the perfect gift for family, friends, or just a treat for yourself!

Allyson is an entrepreneur and baker all wrapped in one. She's been making her famous chocolate covered matzoh for family and friends for 12+ years, and realized that the public has been missing out!

How to order?  Email Allyson (she's very friendly!): Allysonstone28@gmail.com

Prices:

Pint: $12.00 (plus shipping)

Quart: $20.00 (plus shipping)

Oh yeah, did I mention that she ships nationwide? This NYC baker can ship to your California home. That's right, convenient and delicious. 

~Suggestion from the baker: To help maintain that crunch, store it in the fridge~ 

For all Kashrut questions, please email Allyson.

Wine for the Holidays

Passover is in 9 days, and meal preparation is coming into full swing. When planning out your dishes, a vital element to take into account is WINE. Pairing the wrong wine with a dish, can ultimately change the taste of your food. I had the opportunity of attending City Winery's Grand Wine Tasting in New York last week, and tasted many amazing wines, cheeses, dips, and sausage.

I've listed my top 10 favorite wines from the event, and paired them with Seven Bites recipes.

1. Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat

Grown in California, this wine carries a bold orange peel, grape and apricot flavoring. If you like any beverage with citrus, then this smooth and full-bodied textured wine should be the next bottle you open.

This wine can be paired with dessert or sharp cheeses.
Example: Strawberry 'Cheesecake' Parfait 

2. Moses Celebration Cava Brut

This Spanish wine speaks for itself. My first sip felt like a celebration. The grapes are fermented and aged for months, which gives this wine its crisp bubbly texture.

This wine can go well with any part of your Seder!

3. Moses Date Vodka 

Okay fine, you caught me. I didn't just try wines at the wine tasting. Wine tends to put me to sleep, and if it does the same thing to you as it does to me, then I suggest switching things up with Moses Date Vodka. It's made with natural ingredients, and infused with sweet red dates.

4. Carmel Moscato di Carmel

In photo number 4, the woman is holding a delicious semi-sweet wine with a hint of peach and citrus flavors. This is best served chilled and with dessert.

Example: Inside Out Chocolate Covered Strawberries

5. Recanati Shiraz 

Recanti Shiraz encompasses layers of raspberry and plum flavoring intertwined with traces of spice, nutmeg, and mocha.

This wine can be paired with roasts, grilled meats, and tuna steak.

Example: Red Wine Top of Rib

6. 2012 Malbec Reserve

If you're looking for a deep flavored wine, then Malbec Reserve has your name on it. This wine is infused with a smokiness flavoring and a hint of dark chocolate and cherry spice.

This can be paired well with a red meat.

Example: London Broil

7. Agua Dulce Cabernet Sauvignon

This complex, bold wine has a red berry fruit filled flavoring, with many additional citrus layers such as  candied fruit, and black plum.

Agua Dulce can be paired with a steak or hearty stew.

Example: Veal Stew 

8. Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon

I love this wine for its mixture of flavors. Infused with dark berries, this Cabernet Sauvignon embodies rosemary and herb flavoring, giving this wine its rich, yet soft taste.

This wine can be paired with a bold flavoring dish.

Example: Apricot Glazed Duck Confit

9. Tura Rose Valley 'Semi Sweet Red Wine'

The aroma of this wine is all I can think about.  The deep citrus flavors made me feel as if I could individually taste each piece of fruit my glass.

Tura Rose Valley can be paired with a salty and/or meat dish.

Example: Chuck Steak

10. Gush Etzion Spring River Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 

This wine is a full-bodied red wine blend. Basically, everything I can ask for in one glass. This has a subtle spicy cedarwood revealing currant and blackberries.

This wine can be paired with any type of barbecued meat/poultry or sharp cheese.

Example: Sweet n' Smokey Chicken

~Happy Passover~

Lindsay

Apricot Glazed Duck Confit

We used Grow & Behold's Duck Legs  for this recipe. The classic way for duck legs to be prepared is "confit", which is a French culinary method of cooking the duck in its own fat. This slow-cook technique allows the duck to become very tender and rich tasting.  All of Grow & Behold's products are Glatt Kosher and pasture raised. As soon as the birds are large enough to be moved outside, they spend their entire lives on grass. They live in spacious, movable pens  that are moved each day allowing them to access a growing salad bar of natural food. The birds are also fed a special blend of non-GMO food. 

Serving: 4

Total Time: 26 hours and 25 minutes

Prep: 30 minutes

Inactive: 24 hours

Cook: 1 hour and 55 minutes

[Kosher for Passover]

Ingredients

4 duck legs (including thigh joints)

1 cup of duck fat 

(It is unnecessary to buy extra duck fat. Please see directions for duck fat removal process) 

1 cup of Apricot Jam

1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of  rosemary

Directions

1. Meat Curing: Place salt and pepper in a large bowl. Rub seasoning over the duck, making sure to run underneath the skin. Tightly cover the bowl for 24 hours.

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Place the duck on a cutting board. First remove fat from the duck and set aside. Second, trim away any fat extending up the bone. 

3. Place duck in a cast iron pan. Set aside. (If you do not have a cast iron pan, a baking pan will suffice). 

4. Rendering the duck fat:  Cut duck fat into very small pieces. Evenly spread the duck fat in a frying pan. Cook on a low flame allowing the fat to melt. Take a spoon and remove the duck fat from the frying pan. Continue this process until you have 1 cups worth. This process should take approximately 20 minutes.  

5. Pour the duck fat over the duck. Cook on a medium low heat for 10 minutes. Flip duck over, and cook in the pan for an additional 10 minutes. 

6. In a large measuring cup, mix red wine vinegar and apricot jam together. Pour this mixture over the duck fat. 

7. Tightly cover the pan and place in the oven for 45 minutes. 

8. Remove from the oven and flip the duck over. You can take spoon fulls of the apricot mixture and pour top of the duck. 

9. Pour rosemary over chicken. Tightly cover the pan and place back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. 

Garlic Lemon Chicken

We were very excited to work with Joy of Kosher and use Grow & Behold's, Sara's Spring Chicken to make this recipe as their products are known to be of the highest quality. In addition to being Glatt Kosher, Grow & Behold's birds are pasture raised. As soon as the birds are large enough to be moved outside, they spend their entire lives on grass. They live in spacious, movable pens that are moved each day allowing them to access a growing salad bar of natural food. The birds are also fed a special blend of non-GMO food, which enhances its flavors, giving it a fresh and pure taste. When making this recipe, we highly recommend you to order your chicken from Grow & Behold. 

You can also find this recipe on Joy of Kosher's website.

Serving: 5

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes

[Kosher for Passover]

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (2.5-3.5 lb)

10 Lemons

2 cans of Chicken Broth (10.5 oz, each)

1/2 cup of Thyme

1 tablespoon of Crushed Garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place your chicken on a baking rack inside the roasting pan. 

3. Pat the chicken dry.  Using a pastry brush, generously brush the inside and outside of the chicken with olive oil. 

4. Lightly sprinkle pepper inside and outside of the chicken. 

5. Thinly slice 1 lemon and place about 4-5 of those slices inside the cavity of the chicken. [The cavity is the hollow space of the chicken]. 

6. Add 1/4 tablespoon of thyme inside the cavity.

7. Coat the bottom of your roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and line with an additional thinly sliced lemon. 

8. Using your pastry brush, lightly coat the chicken with crushed garlic. 

9. In a large measuring cup squeeze 1 cup of lemon juice. Add 1 can of chicken broth. Mix well. 

10. Pour mixture of chicken. 

11. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

12. Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees and cook for 1 hour. 

13. Remove the chicken from the over. Take the second can of chicken broth and pour over the chicken.

14. Thinly slice an additional lemon and place on top and around the chicken. Add 1/4 cup of thyme and add on top and around the chicken as well.  (you can leave the thyme on the stem if you would like).  

15. Place back in the oven for 45 minutes. 

16. Remove the chicken from the oven and tightly cover in order that the chicken doesn't dry out. Place back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. 

Chocolate Toffee Matzo

 Serving: 8

Ingredients

1. 4 pieces of matzo

2. 1 1/2 sticks of margarine

3. 1 cup of brown sugar

4. 6 oz. of chocolate chips

5. 2 teaspoons of sea salt 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Take a baking pan, and place a piece of parchment on top. 

3. Break the matzo in half and lay on top of parchment paper. 

4. Using a double saucepan, melt the margarine and brown sugar on medium-heat until it becomes a thick caramel texture. Continue to stir until it begins to bubble. Remove from the burner, making sure not to burn the caramel

5. Spread the caramel evenly over the matzo 

6. Place the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes,  immediately after the caramel has been spread. 

7. Place the chocolate chips on top of the matzo, allowing the chocolate to melt. Spread the chocolate over the caramel layer evenly and sprinkle the sea salt on top before placing in the fridge for 45 minutes

8. After 45 minutes, break the toffee into pieces and enjoy! 

Thank you Osem for providing the matzo for this dessert.  Couldn't have made the dessert without it!