Carrots for blessings, cassata for joy

Carrots for blessings, cassata for joy

Rosh Hashanah

Air fryer Moroccan carrots

I’ve run out of Simanim salad ideas. These carrots are perfect at room temperature for yom tov purposes. It’s traditional to eat pomegranates for increased merits, and to say shehechiyanu on the second day. We eat carrots on Rosh Hashanah hoping for increased blessings.

Ingredients

450g of chef carrots (the small ready carrots) or medium carrots cut into 1.5cm pieces diagonally

1 Tbsp olive oil

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp coriander

½ tsp salt

½ tsp paprika

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp orange juice

½ cup of pomegranate seeds

2 Tbsp toasted pistachios

Mint leaves to garnish

Method

Toss together all the ingredients except the orange juice, lemon juice, pomegranate seeds, and nuts. Cook at 180C until the carrots are al dente – about 15 minutes – then return them to the bowl with the juices. Toss and garnish with the pomegranate seeds, nuts, and sprigs of mint.

Cassata ice cream

This recipe literally goes back to my childhood when my mother and the next-door neighbours used to share recipes over the small walls between our houses. I’m sharing the real McCoy, but honestly, I just buy one litre of vanilla and a litre of chocolate ice cream, and doctor them to produce this stunner!

Ingredients

Outside

6 eggs

5 Tbsps castor sugar

3 Tbsps cocoa

2 tsp coffee powder

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup of boiling water

Inside

250ml Rich’s cream

4 eggs

1 cup castor sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

⅓ cup crushed hazelnuts

¼ cup glace cherries soaked overnight in 2 Tbsp cherry liqueur

⅓ cup chocolate chips

Method

One day before, soak the cherries.

Wipe a large round basin with a little sunflower oil mixed with water.

Separate the eggs and beat the whites with the castor sugar until stiff. Add the yolks and beat again. Dissolve the cocoa, coffee powder, sugar, and vanilla in the boiling water. Add to the egg mixture. Pour into the basin and freeze for five hours. Remove it from the freezer, and push it to the sides to form a shell. Freeze again.

For the inside, separate the eggs and beat the yolks with the sugar. Add the liqueur from the cherries. Beat the whites in a clean bowl. Beat the Rich’s cream. Fold the yolks into the cream, and then gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Fold in the cherries, nuts, and chocolate. Pour the mixture into your shell and freeze.

When ready to serve, unmould onto a plate and garnish with chocolate leaves decorated with gold dust.