Cooking on the Quad: Holiday Treats

Joel and Annie reading by the fire. Screenshot from video.

In this very special holiday edition of Cooking on the Quad, Joel commemorates the miracle of Hanukkah by frying up some latkes, while makes a decadent triple-chocolate candy cane cheesecake for those Christmas festivities.

Latkes:

Grate 2 large Russet potatoes using the largest holes of a cheese grater. Place the potatoes in a tea towel and wring out their liquid over the sink. Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl with 1/2 white onion, grated, one eggs, 1/3 cup flour, salt & pepper. Mix together until the mass can hold itself together in the frying pan. Add more flour if it is too moist.

In a deep frying pan, heat 1 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it ripples. You can place a small amount of the potato mixture in the oil to test its temperature. One spoonful at a time, scoop the mixture into the oil, flattening the balls into patties using the back of a spoon or spatula. Do not crowd the pan, or else the oil’s temperature will drop. Once the latkes brown around the edges, about 2-4 minutes in the oil, flip them. When they are brown all the way around, move them to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with sour cream or apple sauce.

Recipe adapted from “Perfect Jewish Cooking” by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen

Annie's Cheesecake. Screenshot from video.

Triple Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake:

Crust:

20 oreo cookies

4 TBS unsalted butter, melted

1 TBS sugar

¼ tsp salt

Filling:

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 C sugar

½ C sour cream

2 eggs

Glaze:

4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 TBS unsalted butter

1 tsp agave syrup (or corn syrup)

2 TBS sour cream

about 5 candy canes, or ½ C crushed candy cane/peppermint pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350?F.

2. Line 8 inch square dish with foil to make removing cheesecake easier, and spray the foil with baking spray.

3. To make the crust, melt the butter in the microwave. Put oreos in plastic bag and crush into tiny pieces with rolling pin, or whatever you have on hand. Combine butter, crushed oreos, sugar and salt in bowl and mix together. Press the oreo mixture into bottom of pan so you have a flat, even layer. Bake for about 15 minutes to set the crust.

4. Make the filling while the crust is baking. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream together in a bowl. Add the eggs and beat again. Stir the chocolate into the cream cheese mixture.

5. Pour the chocolate cream cheese mixture on top of the oreo crust and return to the oven for 30-35 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the sides are puffed up and the middle has a slight jiggle to it.

6. While the cheesecake is cooling, prepare the glaze. Melt the chocolate, butter and agave syrup (or corn syrup) together in the microwave. Stir the mixture until smooth and add then stir in the sour cream. Pour the glaze on top of the cheesecake. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and let the cheesecake cool in the refrigerator overnight.

Latkes:

Grate 2 large Russet potatoes using the large holes of a cheese grater. Place the potatoes in a tea towel and wring out their liquid over the sink. Place the dried potatoes in a mixing bowl with half a white onion, also grated, one egg, 1/3 cup flour, and salt & pepper. Mix until the mixture can hold itself together in the frying pan, adding more flour if it is too damp.

In a deep frying pan, heat about 1 cup vegetable over medium-high heat until it ripples. You can place a small amount of the potato mixture in the oil to test it first. Scoop up the mixture with your fingers or a spoon and place in the oil. Flatten out each latke in the oil using the back of a spoon or spatula. Fry in small batches so that the oil’s temperature does not drop. When the edges start to brown, flip the patties, about 2-4 minutes. When they are browned on both sides, move the latkes to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with sour cream or apple sauce.

Recipe adapted from FoodNetwork.com

Camera: Gabe Stein

Editor: Joel Kahn

Music: Jason Silver, Tchaikovsky

About Joel Kahn

Joel is currently a film major at BU. He hails from South Florida, and started at The Quad writing about food. He is now the publisher of The Quad.

View all posts by Joel Kahn →

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