A special birthday, a new house, a baby naming, a new job or a retirement are just a few causes for celebration.
What could be more fitting than a gorgeous array of luscious desserts and glittering, sparkling champagne served in your own home (or at synagogue after Shabbat services at a Kiddush).
Sweet and bubbly, this is a party no one can resist.
Picture a table covered with confections of raspberry, lemon, nuts and a lot of chocolate. A buffet of sweets is the stuff that dreams are made of, and this time you don’t have to wait for the end of a meal to enjoy them.
Everything can be made ahead, whether it is frozen, refrigerated or just set aside in a covered container.
French champagne has always been a favorite, but today those tingly bubbles can be found in a variety of styles. My favorite is Hagafen Brut Cuvée, a kosher sparkling wine harvested right here in Napa Valley.
Candied Walnuts
Makes 11⁄2 cups
11⁄2 cups raw walnut halves
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄8 tsp. coarse salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use middle rack in oven. Lay walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5 minutes. Test for doneness. If not quite toasted enough, toast for 1 or 2 more minutes. Be careful not to burn. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a rack.
Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with a thick bottom. Have walnuts nearby, ready to quickly add to saucepan at the right time. Cook sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and the color is a medium amber. As soon as that happens, add walnuts to the pan, quickly stirring and coating each piece with sugar mixture.
As soon as walnuts are coated with sugar mixture, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Use two forks to separate the walnuts from each other, working very quickly. Sprinkle the nuts with the salt. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Truffles
Makes 4 dozen
8 oz. good quality semi- or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
8 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk.
unsweetened cocoa, shredded coconut, finely chopped walnuts for coating
Heat chocolates, butter and milk in a pan until chocolates and butter are partially melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Whisk until creamy smooth.
Transfer to a bowl and let stand until firm enough to hold its shape, about 2 hours.
Using a tablespoon (a spring-action scoop is ideal), mold chocolate into balls, 1 level tablespoon at a time, and place on cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper.
Place desired coatings in a small bowl. Working one at a time, drop truffles into the bowl with greased fingertips. Shake bowl back and forth so truffles are completely coated. If necessary, roll truffles by hand to make round. Return to parchment. (Can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days or frozen up to 1 month.) Before serving, let stand at room temperature to soften slightly.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].