Charoset is an integral part of Jewish Passover cuisine. It is used as a blessing for the Seder, to remind us of the mortar the Jewish slaves of Egypt were forced to work with before they were freed from bondage. Most Jews have a soft spot for charoset; eating it signifies the end of the long Haggadah blessings and the beginning of the Seder feast. In our home, we make extra charoset for the Seder and nosh on it all week!
I personally prefer Sephardic-style charoset, which is pureed to a fine paste before serving. However, many of my Seder guests prefer the chunkier Ashkenazi style, so I created my own version with candied walnuts and spices. It is best served at room temperature, but don’t keep it out of the refrigerator for longer than a few hours at a time. Refrigerate in a tightly covered container.
I will post our family’s Sephardic-style charoset recipe tomorrow!
SPICED CHAROSET WITH CANDIED WALNUTS
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp white sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/8 tsp plus 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 egg white
1 heaping cup walnut halves
Walnut oil or cooking spray
4 apples, peeled and cored (I prefer Pink Lady or Gala apples)
1/2 cup sweet kosher wine
Makes about 4 cups of charoset
Kosher Key: Pareve, Kosher for Passover
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, mix together brown sugar, 1 tbsp of white sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper with a fork until thoroughly blended. In a separate bowl, whip the egg white until light and frothy. Toss walnut halves in the egg white, mixing until well coated. Transfer walnuts to the other bowl and coat well with the sugar mixture.
Grease a cookie sheet with walnut oil or cooking spray. Place sugar-coated walnuts on the cookie sheet, spreading them out evenly. Put cookie sheet in the top rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, turning nuts once halfway through cooking. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, dice the apples into fine pieces and place them in a medium-sized bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together kosher wine, 2 tbsp white sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.
Chop the candied walnuts into small bits and put them in the bowl with the apples, making sure to add all the sugary crumbs. Pour the spiced wine over the apples and nuts. Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Serve charoset at room temperature as part of the Seder blessing, and as a topping for leftover matzos. Refrigerate in a tightly covered container.
Thank you for this one! I like your spin on it, and I’ve been getting tired of mine the same every year. Fingers crossed!!!
Barb
We also use a Sephardic Haroset in our home (one of the few things that we specifically use a sephardic recipe!). I can’t wait to see your recipe. My next blog entry will be food based, so watch for it!
Anyway, something interesting about Haroset. The Talmud give two reasons why we have Haroset on the seder plate. Zekher l’teet and Zekher L’tapuakh, in remembrance of the mortar and in remembrance of the apple. Remembrance of the mortar is obvious, as it is the reason everyone knows. The Talmud tells a little story to explain the apple. The midrash tells us that when killing the children did not work, Pharaoh decreed that the men and women should be kept separate so that no more babies could be born. But during the heat of the day, when the people would rest from work, the women would go under the apple trees and entice their husbands to lie with them. The midrash then tells us it is due to the efforts of the women that Jewish people survived slavery. So in remembrance of the apple, we have Haroset. Perhaps that is why ALL Haroset recipes have apples in them.
Barb, let me know how it turns out for you!
Phil, great info! Figs, pomegranates, and dates are also traditional charoset ingredients, because of references throughout the Song of Songs and Passover’s association with the season of spring (fertility, rebirth). While it is true that most (if not all) Ashkenazi charoset recipes contain apples, Sephardic charosets are usually apple-free. I have been to many Sephardic Seders in my life, and generally their charosets are date-based with additional dried fruits, figs, and nuts like pistachios. While some contain apples, it is not required by Sephardic tradition. In fact, I’ve even tasted a Sephardic charoset made from oranges! (It was really tasty!) There are many cultural food differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews (like kitniyot, for example). That’s one of the reasons I love Jewish cooking so much… the methods of preparing traditional dishes are so diverse! Take cholent, for example (or as some refer to it, chamin)– I have no less than 20 different ways of making cholent. Every country uses different spices and regional ingredients for creating the same basic dish. I find it all fascinating, don’t you?
Jennifer, glad you like the candied walnut concept! I adore candied nuts and try to work them into my dishes whenever possible.
Candied walnutes is such a cool idea! thank you tori!!! will try this
My family is from Syria.We don’t add apples to our haroseth,ours has dates,figs, prunes and raisins.This recipe looks delicious though maaybe I’ll try making two this year!
Learn something new every day! I had not met a Haroset without apples. Anyway, mine is date based as well, and will be up on my blog next week!
Not only do I love the recipes, I love the lessons in conjunction with them (or, as Phil refers to them, the midrash). Food certainly has a way of telling a great deal about different people and different cultures and I guess that’s one of the things I find so enjoyable about it, not to mention the gastric satisfaction. I’m really enjoying your blogs. Thanks
I second those emotions, Nancy S! My family is from Minsk and Pinsk (originally) and these recipes really take me back to when I was a little girl driving up to Chicago for Pesach with Bubbe! Happy Pesach, everyone! Thanks for this blog, Tori.
Nancy