Tips

Cash in on Cashews

Store cashews in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months or freeze them for up to a year. No cashews? Use blanched almonds.

A-Peeling News!

Instead of using raw baby carrots or frozen carrots, use 2 lb (1 kg) regular carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped. (Jackie and I both prefer the lazy method—no peeling or cutting required.)

Fishful Thinking!

A caterer’s trick is to shape your favorite gefilte fish mixture into logs and wrap them in cooking parchment. Each pound of fish will make 1 log. (Fish can be frozen at this point. No need to defrost the fish before cooking!) Place parchment-wrapped logs in a deep oven-proof pan. Add boiling water to cover fish completely. Bake at 350°F for 1 1 /2 hours (2 hours if frozen). When completely cool, remove logs from liquid and chill. Slice with a sharp knife and serve on a lettuce-lined plate. Garnish with tomato slices.

Passover Jelly Roll

Chefs Select Parchment Paper is excellent when making jelly rolls. They are much easier to make than sponge cake, take less time to bake, don’t fall in or come out lop-sided!

Make your favorite sponge cake batter, but instead of baking it in a tube pan, spread the batter evenly onto 1 or 2 parchment-lined jelly roll pans. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes, until no imprint remains when you touch the top of the cake lightly.

Cool slightly, then invert carefully onto a clean sheet of parchment. Carefully peel off parchment from the baked cake.

Spread with your favourite jam (e.g., strawberry, raspberry or apricot). You can also use lemon filling, sweetened whipped cream and sliced berries, or even chocolate frosting. Roll up from the long side to form a jelly roll. Frost with additional whipped cream or frosting and decorate with additional berries. Yummy!