One of the delightful things about Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom, is that it comes in spring, when we can put away hearty cold-weather recipes and turn to dishes bursting with fresh, tangy flavors. And what says spring better than lemons and strawberries? Below are two Passover desserts: a lemon cheesecake to grace a Kiddush platter or put a fillip on a dairy meal, and a frozen strawberry “fluff” that’s pareve, light, and delicious any time.
Read more: The best kosher for Passover cocktails and wines to add to your Seder
Passover Lemon Cheesecake
PrintIngredients
For cheesecake crush
- 3/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted and cooled
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup matzo cake meal
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
For filling
- 3 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1 package vanilla sugar
Instructions
For the crust
- Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Pulse almonds, sugar, matzo cake meal, and salt in a food processor until finely ground.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in butter until combined well.
- Press the dough onto bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a springform pan.
- Bake until crust is firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Check at 12 minutes to see if it has become slightly darker; if not, continue baking another 3 minutes.
- Place the pan on a rack and allow the crust to cool completely.
For the filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
- Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low and add eggs 1 at a time, mixing until incorporated.
- Mix in zest and vanilla.
- Put the springform pan into a shallow baking pan. Pour the filling into the cooled crust.
- Bake until the filling is set but the center is wobbly, around 45 to 50 minutes. The filling will continue to set as it cools.
- Place the pan on a rack and immediately run a knife around the edge of the cake, then remove the side of the pan. Cool the cake completely, 2 to 3 hours.
- Refrigerate when cool.
The Seder is when home cooks want to shine and impress family and friends. But after a particularly lavish holiday meal, a light fruit dessert will be much more appreciated than another matzah meal-based offering. And you can always bring out cake at Kiddush the next day, or keep it for the Yom Tov dessert.
It’s wonderful that strawberries are in season just as Passover begins. We Israelis count ourselves lucky to find lots of delicious, locally grown strawberries in supermarkets and shuks, so good to nosh on just out of hand, and so versatile in dessert recipes. Here’s an easy pareve dessert: Strawberry Fluff. It pleases the desire for something sweet at the end of the meal, but is light enough to keep you comfortable by the time you rise from the table.
Not ice cream nor a sorbet, it’s a frozen mousse, an old-timey recipe created in the 1930s when the refrigerator was a new and exciting home appliance. A retro dessert that fits today’s ideas of a light, fresh finish to a traditional Seder meal.
For an optional touch of chocolate, included below is a chocolate topping recipe.
Passover Strawberry Fluff
PrintIngredients
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 lb whole fresh, washed and hulled strawberries or 1.5 cups puréed strawberries
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Optional chocolate topping
- 50 grams pareve chocolate
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or kosher for Passover margarine
Instructions
- Purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor.
- Whip egg whites until stiff.
- Gradually add the sugar to the beaten egg whites, beating continuously.
- Add the lemon juice and beat well.
- Add the puréed strawberries; beat until stiff.
- Spoon the fluff into glasses and freeze.
For the chocolate topping
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil/margarine together in a small pan over — not in — hot water.
- Dip the frozen fluff into the chocolate blend, or drizzle the chocolate over the fluff.
- Return to the freezer until serving.
