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I made this compote for Thanksgiving. Our tradition is to open wine sometime in the afternoon- while I am still cooking. Around 3 I take the cheese and crackers out. I usually make a fig compote cooked in red wine, brown sugar and fresh thyme. It is delicious, especially with some aged goat cheese. We also drink Kir Royale with the cheese and crackers. I love the tradition and look forward to it every year.

The other thing I did different was the compote. I made this one with dried figs and apricots. I decided to use orange and lemon juice with honey. I served it with a variety of Spanish cheeses including manchego, an aged goat cheese and another one- can’t remember the name.

Definitely make this for your next holiday get together. It is quick, easy and delicious. You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge. Enjoy!

• ½ cup dried mission figs, cut into thin strips
• ½ cup dried apricots, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan, add the figs, apricots, orange juice, lemon juice, honey and salt. Bring the liquid to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. Reduce the liquid till the compote is thick and syrupy. It will take about 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and serve with cheese.

I am very proud of this recipe. I made them last year for hanukah. It was my first time and I was quite nervous. I attempted them and gave some to a neighbor to try.
I liked them so much that I think they will be part of my yearly repertoire. They were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are best eaten fresh and don’t keep very well. Now I know why so many people don’t like to make them. No one wants to be cooking tons and tons of latkes for the entire family- since they are so delicious and you can easily eat 5 or 6 of them.

I knew latkes are served either with sour cream or apple sauce. I decided to do a savory cilantro cream with lime juice and salt in the sour cream. For the apple chutney, I chopped the apples and cooked them in apple cider. I then added fresh ginger, cayenne pepper and cloves.

The combination was really delicious- do try these. They are not the classic ones people usually look forward to but are truly different and yum!

• 2 large russet potatoes (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 2-3 tablespoons chickpea flour (all-purpose flour will be fine)
• ½ cup extra light olive oil heated to about 200 degrees.

Heat oven to 200 degrees. Place a small lined cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Line a large mixing bowl with a cheese cloth. Grate the potatoes in the cloth and squeeze all the liquid out and put back into the bowl. Add the shallots, green onions, ginger, chile, cilantro, egg, salt and the coriander powder. Slowly add the flour, mix well until the mixture is thick.
Scoop the mixture with a ¼ cup measure. Place it gently in the hot oil and flatten it with the back of the cup measure. Cook on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes on both sides or till golden brown. Take out on a platter lined with paper towels, drain well and place in the oven to keep hot.
Serve with cilantro cream or apple chutney.

Makes 9-10 medium sized latkes.

Cilantro Cream

• ½ cup low-fat sour cream
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste

In a blender, add the sour cream, cilantro, lime-juice and salt. Blend till smooth- you may need to add a couple teaspoons of water to start the blending process. Take out in a small bowl and serve with the latkes.

Apple Chutney

• One large honey crisp apple, cut into ½ inch pieces
• ½ cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
• Salt

In a small saucepan, add the apple, cider, vinegar, sugar, cloves, ginger, cayenne pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the apples till they are soft and the liquid is half the amount- about 10 minutes. Smash the apples with the back of a ladle and mix with the thickened liquid. Cook for another 5 minutes and take out in a bowl and serve with the latkes.

I guess I will continue the cabbage and cauliflower theme this week. Cauliflower is everywhere right now- big, snowy white, beautiful!

We were in town and a local restaurant was selling farm fresh vegetables. The cauliflower was calling my husband from a mile away. We bought the biggest one we could find and brought it home.

We were having some people over and I was making vegetarian food- what does one make for an appetizer??? Well, grilled or tandoori cauliflower, of course!!

I mixed up a tandoori paste which included ginger, garlic, cilantro and Greek yogurt. I blanched the cauliflower and marinated the florets in the delicious paste. I had time and marinated them overnight. If you don’t have the luxury, marinate them for at least 2 to 3 hours..

Try this next time you are stumped on what to make for a vegetarian appetizer…
Click here for the recipe… »

So, after I made the cabbage dish, I had quite a bit of it leftover in the fridge. I thought of serving it again a few days later but somehow wanted to transform the vegetable into something else. Cooked cabbage tends to be mushy- which is fine but that is what I don’t like about it. I decided to do something about it and change it up into something crunchy and even more delicious.

What do you do with delicious leftovers?? You make fritters, of course! I decided to add an egg, peanuts, raisins and the secret ingredient- panko breadcrumbs. I love using these Japanese breadcrumbs. They provide a delicious crunch in everything.  I incorporated everything and cooked them in a non-stick pan with a bit of oil.

The crunchy fritters were delicious- the chopped raisins provided a surprise burst of sweetness and the peanuts were crunchy. It was amazing to transform the cabbage into delicious fritters. Now I can’t wait to make the cabbage again so I can eat the fritters again!
Click here for the recipe… »

Here it is- yet another recipe for our beloved duffins. My daughter has been asking me to make cider duffins since last year. She started talking about end of the winter once the apple cider was not to be seen any more. I didn’t want to make them with some not so fresh cider so I decided to wait until fall.. well, it is here. As soon as she started seeing the cider bottles in stores, she started to talk about the cider duffins I promised her.

Well, I finally made them- it is the same recipe as the others but this one has a healthy dose of delicious apple cider. I dusted the outside with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Since it is Halloween today- do make them. They are delicious and healthy. It will be nice for everyone to eat something healthy for a change on Halloween..
Click here for the recipe… »