RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Latkes: Cheese, Judith's #2 - dairy
"To celebrate Chanukah, potato latkes are all wrong, from a historical point of view! You should eat cheese latkes. There are a number of versions of this story but in the main, a virtuous Jewish Widow, Judith pretended to seduce the Assyrian General, by feeding him "cheesecakes" which may have been salty, as he drank lots of wine and fell asleep. Then she cut off his head, thus saving her people from the enemy. The accuracy of the history on this is real shaky, but never mind, that's the custom. "So I trotted out an old Polish recipe for cheese latkes and tested it for lunch. I present it in a slightly salty version, fried in oil, to keep the tradition intact, and a sweet version, in butter, that is more tasty. You serve them with a little dish of salt, sweet wine or grape juice for the children, and tell the story of how Judith, one of the great Jewish heroines, who like Esther saved her people by a brave act. The kids can taste the salt to see how it makes them thirsty, and drink some grape juice." --Prof. Steve Holzinger Cheese Latkes Judith ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serving Size: About 15 Silver Dollar size Preparation Time :0:40 Ingredients * 1 potato Idaho small, boiled (3 -4 oz) peeled * 1 tbl butter * 1/2 lb farmer cheese * 2 tbl flour * 2 egg yolks large (see note for sweet version) * 2 egg whites large * 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or salt * 1/2 tsp salt (up to 1 tsp for taste) * 1/4 tsp pepper white * butter to fry * coarse salt in a dish * sour cream * Sweet Wine of your choice * Grape Juice for the children. Preparation * In a 2 quart bowl with a flat bottom mash the hot peeled boiled potato and butter, using a hand masher. Add the farmer cheese and mash some more until uniform. Then add egg yolks and mix smooth. (When you separate the eggs, put the egg whites into a bowl large enough to beat them in. Be sure the bowl and beater are free of any grease, as it would spoil the whites for beating.) I add the yolks at this point so as to allow the cheese to cool the potato. (If you are making the sweet version, add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla along with the flour.) Add the flour and mix smooth and uniform. * Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, add the cream of tartar or salt, and continue beating till medium peaks. * Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the cheese mixture to soften it. Then fold the remaining egg whites into the cheese mixture. This should give you a mixture that is firm enough to fry. Set a non stick electric frying pan to 325 F or use a low to medium flame. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan, let it melt and cover the bottom of the pan. Drop rounded tablespoons of the batter onto the pan, using 2 tablespoons, one to lift and one to push off the dough. . It will be like a soft cookie dough that holds it shape when dropped. Let the bottom fry without touching the pancake or trying to flatten it. Take your time. When a nice skin has developed on one side, turn it over gently using a spatula and a fork, and gently pat down the top of the pancake to spread it a little. These should be the size of a silver dollar pancake (3/8" x 2"). Fry on both sides in butter. Use the first pancake as a test for seasoning. They are somewhat bland, so I suggest that you see the following note. They are also very tender, and a trifle hard to handle compared to flour or potato pancakes, but you will catch right on. Note: Sweet version. You can also make these sweet. Add 1-2 tbs sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract, and a shake or two of cinnamon after the yolks. It ruins the Judith story, but the kids will like them better. Note: Farmer Cheese. Farmer Cheese is a dry loaf of curds. It is dry enough to pick up in the hands, much dryer than cottage cheese. Often it is in the Deli Section instead of the Dairy Case. If you put regular (not creamed) cottage cheese in a strainer you can get some of the liquid out by pressing gently. If the mix turns out too loose, bind it with a little more flour or dry baby rice cereal. Suggested Wine: Pink Zinfandel Notes: This is an old Polish Recipe I adapted for Hanukkah. The widow Judith fed the Assyrian General cheese pancakes, that were salty, which made him drink wine, He fell asleep and she killed him, either by cutting off his head or by a stake through the heart. (Stories vary wildly, but that's the way I tell it.) This saved the Jews from certain death at the hands of the Assyrian Army. In any event, pancakes and dairy dishes are traditional at Hanukkah, and I serve some symbolic salt in a dish with the pancakes, along with sweet wine (grape juice in a wine carafe for the children). Actually these pancakes are on the bland side, and a little salt wakes them up. Prof. Steve Holzinger www.foodwine.com/food/egg/egg1296/chlatke.html
