my favorite Passover side dish + flourless chocolate cake

Passover begins tonight and I wanted to share two of my favorite recipes for the holiday (they’re also great if you don’t celebrate Passover!).

The first is a side dish, Charoset Quinoa, which has all the flavors of charoset, the mixture of apples, wine, and nuts that is a traditional part of the Seder plate. I love it because you can serve it at room temperature, which means you can absolutely make it in advance. It’s also just a nice way to enjoy quinoa!

The second is my favorite flourless chocolate cake, my riff on a Black Forest Cake. Usually Black Forest cake is made with layers of chocolate cake, frosting, and dark cherries (which must be pitted and cooked down). My version takes all of those flavors and simplifies them into a single, dense chocolate cake topped with whipped cream and store-bought cherry preserves—much easier! The cake, which is almost like a giant soufflé, is a version of the old-fashioned flourless chocolate cake that I first learned to make it from Jody Williams of Via Carota/Buvette fame when I got to work with her on the Buvette: The Pleasure of Good Food cookbook (a career highlight).

The cake emerges from the oven puffy and inflated, but it quickly collapses when it cools down (this is not a bad thing, especially because it creates the perfect crater for toppings). I mix kirsch, a clear brandy flavored with sour cherries (very traditional in Black Forest cake), with the preserves to loosen them and add an extra kick. Light rum is a nice substitute, or if you prefer not to raid the liquor cabinet, add a spoonful each of water and lemon juice to the preserves. If you plan to bake the cake ahead, keep the whipped cream and preserves in the fridge and don’t top the cake until just before you serve it.

I hope you enjoy these recipes — they’re both from my book Now & Again, which I’ve been revisiting lately (it’s almost five years old…time flies).

Photo by David Loftus from Now & Again.

CHAROSET QUINOA

• 2 cups [360 g] quinoa

• Kosher salt

• 1⁄4 cup [60 ml] apple cider vinegar

• 1⁄4 cup [60 ml] dry red wine

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 cup [140 g] raisins

• 2 crisp apples (such as Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), cored and finely diced

• 1⁄2 cup [120 ml] olive oil

• 1 cup [120 g] walnut halves, roughly chopped

• A small handful of fresh Italian parsley leaves (a little bit of stem is fine!), finely chopped

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine-mesh sieve (this may sound like an annoying step, but don’t skip it; quinoa has a natural coating that tastes soapy). Put the rinsed quinoa into a medium saucepan with 3 1⁄2 cups [840 ml] water and 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, softened, and each grain has “spiraled,” about 12 minutes.

Transfer the quinoa to a large sheet pan and use a spoon to spread it out. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over high heat, combine the vinegar, wine, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the raisins, apples, and a large pinch of salt and stir well to combine. Cover and let the mixture sit until it cools to room temperature.

Next, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the walnuts and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are dark brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the raisins and apples and their liquid, the walnuts and all of their fragrant oil, and the parsley to the quinoa and stir well. Season the mixture to taste with salt. Serve the quinoa immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before serving (bring to room temperature, then taste and adjust with salt if needed).

Photo by David Loftus from Now & Again.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

• 1⁄2 cup plus 2 Tbsp [140 g] unsalted butter, cubed

• 1 3⁄4 cups [315 g] bittersweet chocolate chips (at least
  60 percent cacao; see Note)

• 6 eggs, separated

• 1⁄2 tsp fresh lemon juice, distilled white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar

• 1⁄2 cup [100 g] sugar

• 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt

• 3⁄4 cup [180 ml] heavy cream

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1⁄2 cup [150 g] cherry preserves or jam

• 2 Tbsp kirsch (sour cherry brandy)

Preheat your oven to 350°F [180°C]. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-in [23-cm] round cake pan with baking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper for good measure and set the pan aside.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Put the butter and chocolate into a large heatproof bowl and set it over the saucepan (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water; if it does, pour some out). Stir the butter and chocolate until they are melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let the mixture rest and cool while you tend to your eggs.

Put the egg whites into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a handheld electric mixer or a whisk and some elbow grease) and beat on medium-high speed until they’re foamy, about 30 seconds. With the mixer still on medium-high speed, slowly pour in the lemon juice and 1⁄4 cup [50 g] of the sugar and continue beating until the egg whites billow and turn into a white, fluffy, almost glossy cloud of stiff peaks, about another 2 minutes. To test if the egg whites are stiff enough, lift the whisk attachment. The whites that cling to it should stand nice and tall and not droop over (that’s a soft peak). If they’re not quite there yet, just keep mixing until they are. Transfer the egg whites to a separate bowl and hang on to them (if using a handheld electric mixer or whisk, just set the bowl with the egg whites aside).

Put the egg yolks, the remaining 1⁄4 cup [50 g] sugar, and the salt into the same bowl you used for beating the whites (no need to wash it). (If using a handheld electric mixer or whisk, use a clean bowl.) Beat on medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 1 minute. With the mixer still running on medium-high speed, slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and mix well.

Use a rubber spatula to fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the cake batter. It’s okay if you sort of stir this one-third in rather than fold it in, as the cake batter is quite stiff and these egg whites will help lighten it. Add half of the remaining egg whites and gently and carefully fold them into the batter by cutting your spatula downward through the middle of the bowl, scraping it along the bottom of the bowl, and then pulling the mixture back up. Think of it like cutting in the egg whites and folding them with the batter. This helps preserve the air you worked hard to create in the egg whites. Fold in the rest of the egg whites the same way. Use the rubber spatula to scrape the batter into the prepared pan and then smooth the surface so it is even.

Bake the cake until it is puffed up, just barely firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few dry crumbs clinging to it, about 40 minutes. The top might have some cracks. These will be covered soon with whipped cream, so not to worry. Set the cake aside on a wire rack to cool.

Combine the cream and vanilla in the stand mixer and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes (or use a bowl and a whisk and some solid effort). In a small bowl, whisk together the preserves and kirsch.

Use a dinner knife to loosen the edges of the cake from the pan sides and then invert it onto your work surface. Peel off and discard the parchment and then invert the cake one more time onto a serving platter. Spoon the whipped cream on top of the cake and then spoon the preserves mixture onto the cream.

Cut into wedges and serve. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days—good luck with that.

Note: If you can find only 10-oz [280-g] bags of bittersweet chocolate chips, you can buy just one bag and the recipe will still work just fine.

No class this weekend, but I’ll be back the weekend after with TWO CLASSES!

SATURDAY APRIL 15 at 2p EST: GLWD Birthday Cake Party! (LET’S MAKE CAKE + RAISE SOME $!) »»» ALL INFO + SIGNUP HERE! «««

SUNDAY APRIL 16 at 2p EST: An Air Fryer (or not) Tapas Party: Rosé Sangria / Crispy Pimentón Chickpeas / Patatas Bravas / Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Dates »»» ALL INFO + SIGNUP HERE! «««

If you’re celebrating Passover or Easter this week — or anything! — I’m wishing you + yours a happy, healthy, safe celebration. xoxoox