Le Beignets bonds my family all over the world from Israel, France, and the United States. Today marks the first night of Chanukah so I’m sure, like my mother and I, my grandmother, aunts, and cousins are cooking this traditional (and sentimental) Moroccan dessert.
Butternut squash soup is one of my favorite “cold-weather” soups. Thanksgiving is a good excuse to have this delicious treat.
The following recipe is dairy, however condensed coconut milk can be used as a replacement for the heavy cream in the recipe. For those Kosher people out there enjoy this soup as an appetizer for Shabbat, Thanksgiving, or a meal for a regular weekday!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I’m sure most people already have their menus planned and guests invited. However, those last minute planners who need quick, easy, tasty recipes have come to the right page.
I happen to love dessert and I know most will agree! Pie is a pretty traditional dessert on Thanksgiving. With that said I would like to introduce you to my favorite homemade pie crust.
PIE CRUST: 5 tablespoons of melted butter (or non-dairy butter for parve) , 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs
Ever hear the saying opposites attract? In the case of tomato soup and ice cream, it couldn’t be more true! The first time I had this duo was in Rivera Maya last summer and I must admit it was love at first taste. I can’t believe it took me a year to replicate this meal!
Tomato Soup with Basil Ice Cream Rivera Maya
The following recipe is based on Ina Garten’s “Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup.” Her recipe calls for butter though I used non-dairy “butter” to keep the recipe parve. Of course, the ice cream is parve as well. I used a recipe from saver and made modifications.
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup: 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper, 2 cups of chopped yellow onions, 6 garlic cloves (minced), 2 tablespoons of non-dairy butter, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 28 ounces canned plum tomatoes (regular or with basil) and the juice from the can, 4 cups of fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, 1 quart of chicken stock.
Cut the fresh tomatoes in half lengthwise and mix with 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
Saute onions and garlic (in 2 teaspoons of olive oil), non-dairy butter, red pepper flakes until the onions brown. Then add the canned tomatoes with the juice, basil, thyme, chicken stock, the oven roasted tomatoes and the liquid from the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
Once the soup has cooled, use a hand blender or put through a food processor to obtain your desired texture.
**If you prefer to keep the recipe dairy than use butter and substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water.**
Basil Ice Cream: 2 cups basil leaves, 3 cups of coconut milk, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 6 egg yolks.
Combine the basil, coconut milk, brown sugar, lemon zest, salt and egg yolks in a blender until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and little bubbles form around the edges.
Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer.
Let cool then store in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
Pour the custard into an ice cream maker.
Once everything is ready pour the soup in a bowl and top with a scoop of ice cream. Tip: garnish with basil leaves (I did not do in this picture but it looks much better with the leaves)!