Charoset | Imamother

Rodent

Wed, Mar 10 2010, 11:20 pm

So my question is: what is your recipe for haroset?

I've had so many different types and I thought it might be nice to share them.

This is ours - amounts are estimates (from memory, I don't normally cook to recipes!) and vary to suit desired texture. It's my own invention and I call it my Land of Israel Haroset.

Ingredients:
Half of a pomegranate
2-3 fresh figs
12 or so dried dates
A splash of grape juice
A smaller splash of olive oil
A squirt of honey (optional)

Blend in a food processor to your desired consistency, we've done relatively smooth with small chunks to quite chunky (generally dates) and both were fine.

It is SOOOO yummy and the seeds of the pomegranate are perfect for the cement texture that haroset is supposed to represent. And it's easy! No cooking, just chuck it in and blend. If it's too runny or too thick you can add more dates or grape juice to suit.

Mrs Bissli

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 4:59 pm

Mine are supposed to have seven fruits/nuts combo: apples (in honour of women giving birth under the apple orchard), dates, raisins, dried figs (can't usually find them with reliable hechsher so I use dried apricots), oranges, ground almonds, and ground walnuts (or hazelnuts). Plus sweet red wine, cinnamon, fresh ginger roots (just a small amount will do).

Soak dates, raisins, dried figs overnight in wine so that they get plump. Peel ginger and chop into fine julienne (this is supposed to look like straws). Cook with peeled, cored and sliced apples for about 25min or so till most of wine evaporate and apples are cooked thru. Meanwhile finely chop orange rind (avoid white bits underneath that can be bitter, best done in food processor), then whizz orange pulp (better if you can take of white fluffy bits). Turn off flame and add cinnamon, orange rind and orange pulp. Whiz the whole thing in the food processor very briefly (it should have a jam-like consistency), then add ground nuts to thicken the mixture. I make like 2-3 litre of this because it's so good and people eat it with matzah and matzah pancake. It also freezes well.

We know many people who use halek (date syrup) for haroset, very Iraqi/Baghdadi thing. An interesting custom (from Gibraltar) is to grate a miniscule amount of ACTUAL red brick (of course clean one) into haroseth.

chocolate moose

Thu, Mar 11 2010, 5:03 pm

I just smish some of an apple in the food prc. with some walnuts. Pour on wine at the seder.

I'm glad, because the minhag is not to eat the foods from charoses erev or the first day of yomtov, so it onlhy limits apple and walnuts.

Marion

Fri, Mar 12 2010, 1:27 am

chocolate moose wrote:

YOUR minhag is not to eat the foods from charoset Erev Pesach, not THE minhag. (And I assume the "first day yom tov thing is because you have a 2nd seder?)

Sorry, pet peeve.

chocolate moose

Fri, Mar 12 2010, 10:32 am

Marion wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

YOUR minhag is not to eat the foods from charoset Erev Pesach, not THE minhag. (And I assume the "first day yom tov thing is because you have a 2nd seder?)

Sorry, pet peeve.

It was the same, growing up in Conservative. No apples.

Marion

Sat, Mar 13 2010, 1:14 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

Marion wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

YOUR minhag is not to eat the foods from charoset Erev Pesach, not THE minhag. (And I assume the "first day yom tov thing is because you have a 2nd seder?)

Sorry, pet peeve.

It was the same, growing up in Conservative. No apples.

I maintain my position. "Conservative" embodies minhagim from various locales. You can be Polish & Conservative or Yekke & Conservative or Sefardi & Conservative.

chocolate moose

Sat, Mar 13 2010, 7:07 pm

Marion wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

Marion wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

YOUR minhag is not to eat the foods from charoset Erev Pesach, not THE minhag. (And I assume the "first day yom tov thing is because you have a 2nd seder?)

Sorry, pet peeve.

It was the same, growing up in Conservative. No apples.

I maintain my position. "Conservative" embodies minhagim from various locales. You can be Polish & Conservative or Yekke & Conservative or Sefardi & Conservative.

Even better. "Minhag ysiroel", then.

Marion

Sun, Mar 14 2010, 1:42 am

chocolate moose wrote:

Marion wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

Marion wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

YOUR minhag is not to eat the foods from charoset Erev Pesach, not THE minhag. (And I assume the "first day yom tov thing is because you have a 2nd seder?)

Sorry, pet peeve.

It was the same, growing up in Conservative. No apples.

I maintain my position. "Conservative" embodies minhagim from various locales. You can be Polish & Conservative or Yekke & Conservative or Sefardi & Conservative.

Even better. "Minhag ysiroel", then.

But it's NOT "Minhag Yisrael". I never heard of it until Imamother. Not in my parents' home and not in my IL's home...and they're two different minhagim and backgrounds.