Charoset For Friday

Spring has arrived, even if it snowed just last week. I see some buds on trees. And tomorrow it will be in the 70s. And with spring comes Easter and Passover. This year Good Friday falls on the same day as Passover. This is significant for me.

Last year and for years before that I’ve joined my Jewish friends for seder in the shul down the road near my house but this year, I won’t be with them. I will be at church observing our most important Christian holiday. I will miss the children’s singing Ma Nishtana, (Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights?), the retelling of the Exodus story , the singing and of course, the wine, matza and the delicious meal. And fun company.

On Sunday, my children will be home for Easter and we will have dinner. I think I will share some Passover tradition with them. We will have matza, unleavened bread, observing what God told his people to eat, and I will tell them about eating maror (bitter herbs) and I will make charoset for them.

I hope my Jewish friends don’t mind me borrowing this beautiful tradition; after all, don’t you go eat Chinese food during Christmas. Fair exchange?

So today I tested my adapted version of charoset, one of the important symbolic food for the Passover seder. The chopped-up apple mixed with ground nuts represent the mortar and brick made by Jews under Pharoah.

You can ground the apple in a blender, but I’m Chinese and I can cut anything very fine and thin, and fast, so I just chopped it up with a knife. My friend Sandy was impressed and asked if I used a mandoline. But Chinese cooks will not be impressed by the thinness of my slices. It’s okay, I wanted to eat tiny chunks of apple anyway. You can add other fruits too–pears or bananas.

I used walnuts only but you can also use pecans and pistachios. And hey, in keeping with the work done in Egypt, I pounded the walnut with a mortar and pestle. I really prefer to use these simple tools especially when I’m only making a cup or two of the ingredients. It’s less work cleaning these tools than a food processor. But use a food professor if you wish.

Traditionally, the chopped fruit and nut is mixed with red wine and honey. I made one batch with red wine, and another with just grape juice. Instead of honey, I used maple syrup. I also added a little cinnamon for flavor but you can add nutmeg and ginger. You can also add dried fruit–raisins, dates or cranberries. I made mine as simple as possible. Then I adjusted the taste with some brown sugar.

All the work took me less than 10 minutes and I left it overnight in the refrigerator. If it turns brown, it’s tradition! Brown will make it look more like the mortar. I also served it with matza, traditional Jewish unleavened bread.

Charoset

Preparation time: 15 minutes, overnight to chill

2 small apples
½ cup walnuts
2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon grape juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Chop apple in small pieces. Ground the walnuts in a blender or with mortar and pestle.

Combine both in a small bowl.

Add honey or maple syrup, grape juice, cinnamon and mix well. Add brown sugar to taste. Mix well. Seal with plastic wrap and leave in refrigerator to chill.

Serve with matza.

Chag sameach! Happy Passover!