BAKED TREATS FOR SHABBAT

• Text, photos, styling & food prep: PASCALE PEREZ-RUBIN

When I sit down to make my weekly Shabbat menu, I always take into consideration the specific dishes my family members love.

I like to prepare tried-and-true recipes but also love to give them a little twist, such as a different texture or style of presentation.

This week, I bring you recipes for some of my family’s favorites, but each with a little adaptation to my normal preparation.

The first recipe is for honey garlic rolls. I usually prepare them as twists in the form of the number 8, but in this recipe, the rolls are round, like little tennis balls. The dough balls are baked all squished in together, with a bit of egg wash on top. Right when they come out of the oven, I brush the balls with an olive oil, garlic and herb concoction that makes them absolutely mouthwatering.

The second recipe is for mushroom puff pastries, which I serve as a late breakfast on Shabbat morning, together with a few salads, fried eggplant slices and hard-boiled eggs. This time, however, instead of making small triangle-shaped burekas, I use a large piece of pastry dough to make a loaf. This saves a lot of time.

The third recipe is for biscotti, which are crispy cookies that are perfect for dipping in a piping hot cup of coffee or tea. The biscotti, which are packed with dried fruits and nuts, have a very long shelf life.

Biscotti originate in Italy, and there are endless variations. All you need, to make biscotti, is to mix a bit of flour together with eggs, sugar, spices, dried fruits and nuts. The recipe I bring you today calls for hazelnuts, almonds and raisins.

Form the dough into loaves with wet hands. After baking them, let the loaves cool down, then slice them and bake again until they turn golden brown.

Shabbat shalom.

GARLIC DINNER ROLLS

Use a pan with a 24-26 cm. diameter.

3 cups flour, sifted

1 Tbsp. dry yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar or honey

¼ cup oil

1 cup water at room temperature ½ tsp. salt

Egg wash:

1 egg, beaten, mixed with 2-3 drops oil

Topping mixture:

½ cup olive oil

6 parsley stalks or 4 rosemary sprigs,

chopped finely

6 garlic cloves, chopped finely

Salt and pepper, to taste

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, yeast and oil. While mixing, gradually add the water. Knead the dough for 2 minutes until well mixed. Add the salt and knead for another 4 minutes.

Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in volume. Separate the dough into 15 balls.

Arrange the balls on a tray that is greased and lined with baking paper so that there is a little bit of space between each one. Place the tray in a warm spot and let the balls rise for another 10-15 minutes. Brush with egg wash.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the rolls comes out dry. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

To prepare the toppings, mix the herbs together with the garlic and olive oil. Brush the mixture on top of the rolls while they are still hot. Pour the remaining mixture on top of the rolls. Serve at room temperature.

Level of difficulty: Easy.

Time: 1 hour, not including time to let dough rise.

Status: Parve.

NUT BISCOTTI

Makes 50 cookies.

3 cups flour, sifted

1 packet of baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 packet vanilla sugar

1-2 drops vanilla extract

3 XL eggs

½ tsp. salt

1½ cups sugar

2 Tbsp. liqueur or orange juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1½ cups hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts 1½ cups almonds or pistachios

1 cup light raisins or cranberries

Mix all the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together, then mix the ingredients from the two bowls together.

Wet your hands, then form 2 or 3 loaves. Place them all on a tray lined with baking paper.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 35 minutes or until the center has hardened, but the color is still light. They should definitely not be dark. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Slice into pieces that are ½-1 cm. thick.

Place the pieces on the tray and bake for another 20 minutes at 150° until they begin to brown. Turn them over and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Level of difficulty: Easy-medium.

Time: 75 minutes.

Status: Parve.

MUSHROOM PUFF PASTRY

Use a 22 cm. x 25 cm. oval pan.

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. oil

2 onions, sliced into rings

1 basket small mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. corn flour, mixed with ¼ cup

water

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 package (400 gr.) butter pastry dough,

defrosted overnight in the fridge 3 Tbsp. flavored bread crumbs

200 gr. Parmesan, grated (or a mixture

of cheeses)

Egg wash:

1 egg, mixed with 1 tsp. olive oil

Topping:

¼ cup sesame seeds

Heat butter and oil in a large pan. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the corn flour, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Lower the flame and cook for another minute or two until the mixture thickens. Remove and let cool.

Flour your work surface and then roll out the pastry dough. Place the dough on an oiled oval pan, letting the dough hang over the edge of the pan. Cut the leftover dough into thin strips. Make 4 braids with the dough strips that are 2 cm. thick. Sprinkle the dough with the bread crumbs, then add the mushroom mixture. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Next, place the braids on top, from one end to the other, and press to connect them all together. Use a fork to make marks around the edge of the dough. Brush the edge and the braids with the egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200° for 15 minutes or until it turns golden brown. Serve hot.

Level of difficulty: Medium.

Time: 30-40 minutes.

Status: Dairy.