Gilda Weinfeld from Pikesville said that last year during Passover, an acquaintance sent her some homemade chocolate-covered matzoh. She said it was absolutely delicious, and when she called her friend to thank her for the gift she asked for the recipe — and her friend politely declined to give it to her.
Not to worry, Gilda, there are plenty of good recipes for homemade chocolate matzoh both online and in print. My go-to recipe for this holiday treat comes from "The Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking" by Marcy Goldman. It's surprisingly simple to make, and her basic recipe lends itself to plenty of variations. Feel free to substitute coarsely chopped white chocolate for dark, or drizzle the white over the chocolate or vise versa. I like to add a sprinkling of sea salt or kosher salt, which gives the chocolate matzoh a delightfully appealing sweet-and-salty taste. Chopped or slivered almonds or pistachios or even toasted coconut also make a nice addition. Or you can omit the chocolate altogether to make a caramel-only butter crunch version.
This highly additive dessert is great to make any time of year but especially good for Passover when there is so much other cooking to be done. You can make it ahead and even double or triple the recipe so you have some for your guests to take home after Seder. I'll bet, just like in this case, they will be calling you for the recipe.
REQUESTS:
Steven Catlett from Baltimore would like to have the recipes for the crab cakes and creamed cole slaw that were sold at the long-ago closed Haslingers take-out restaurant that was located in the shopping center at Hillen and Belvedere avenues. He said the crab cakes paired with their cole slaw was fantastic.
Alice McKeehan from Elkhart, Ind., is trying to locate a recipe she has lost for Twinkie cake. All she can remember about it is that the base was made with split Twinkies.
If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request, write to Julie Rothman, Recipe Finder, and The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278 or email baltsunrecipefinder@gmail.com. If you send in more than one recipe, please put each on a separate piece of paper and be sure to include your name, address and daytime phone number. Important: Name and hometown must accompany recipes in order to be published. Please list the ingredients in order of use, and note the number of servings each recipe makes. Please type or print contributions. Letter and recipes may be edited for clarity.
Dish Baltimore
Chocolate-covered matzoh
4-6 unsalted matzoh sheets
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Line a large cookie sheet (or two smaller sheets) completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the sheet with baking parchment — on top of the foil. This is very important because the mixture becomes sticky during baking. Line the bottom of the cookie sheet evenly with the matzohs, cutting extra pieces, as required, to fit any spaces. In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely. Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350°. Bake for 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove the pan from the oven, lower the heat to 325°, and replace the pan). Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with the chopped chocolate or chips. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then spread the melted chocolate over the matzoh. If using nuts, sprinkle on top of melted chocolate. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the refrigerator until set.