Passover Pareve (Dairy Free) Mocha Mousse Crepes with Raspberry Sauce

Passover, or Pesach is the most-observed festival of the Jewish calendar. Even families who are not synagogue affiliated, or observant in any other way, will usually get together for at least a celebratory meal, if not a full-on seder with all the traditional foods and recitation of the story of the Exodus from the Haggadah. I came from one of those non-observant families, but over many years, and through a small catering operation, I learned to prepare beautiful, traditional seder meals and create what I like to think of as an elegant, yet warm and kid-friendly ambience.

Preparing for Passover is the ultimate in spring cleaning nightmares. Everything in the kitchen is meticulously scrubbed. All cooking vessels, baking pans, utensils, and dishes (and there are two sets of everything in a kosher kitchen to separate meat-based and dairy-based foods) are locked away for a week and replaced with two sets of all those things that are used only for this one week. The effect this preparation has on the psyche (not to mention the digestion and pocketbook) is somewhat jarring, but to me, it is also an exercise in raising consciousness. There is no reaching for that familiar coffee cup, spoon, or cereal bowl in the usual place. For one week, everything is clean, new, and different, including the food. If succeeding in life means learning to adapt to change, Passover is the ultimate physical and mental exercise in preparing for change.

Many years ago, 19 to be exact, I was asked to participate in a Passover workshop at my synagogue to teach others to prepare the special dishes I had developed over the years. At the time, it occurred to me that my recipes were scattered everywhere, stuck away in books, card files, and folders. Many of the recipes were not even written, but learned through trial and error by cooking with my mother-in-law, Sima. I decided, in preparation for the workshop, to codify and measure everything so as to leave a legacy for my children, so that even if they chose not to prepare these recipes, they would be a practical remembrance of seders past. As it turned out, not a year goes by that I do not receive at least one frantic phone call from someone that has misplaced their copy and needs another.

This year, I plan to start early and get the whole thing up on the blog, so that all I have to do is tell everyone to check out the link. I have done quite a few Passover workshops over the years since then, so most of the kinks have been worked out. One year, the rebbetzen called, distraught, to say that her Passover rolls were too hollow. We like them like popovers, but the recipe was given a variation so that she could choose to have them come out doughier in the center. The original chocolate mousse was made with raw eggs and immediately was modified once this area had a salmonella scare. We used to play around with measurements to get the right consistency for the homemade noodles. Once I codified them, even my mother-in-law would reach for the booklet (it was her recipe) to get the right proportions. Our original gefilte fish recipe was written in my father’s hand. We sat him at the table and instructed him to write down everything we did. He has been gone for 17 years, now, and I treasure that handwritten copy.

I begin with dessert because I have mentioned the crepes many times and I took photos several weeks ago. I make them all the time with flour. For Passover, it is only necessary to substitute matzoh cake meal for the flour. These freeze beautifully and can be prepared in quantity in advance, taken out of the freezer, and stacked attractively on a plate to defrost a short time before guests arrive.

I plan to put up all the recipes from the booklet, whether or not I have photos, and will add the photos later as I prepare them for this year’s seder.

Passover Pareve (Dairy Free) Mocha Mousse Crepes
with Raspberry Sauce

Crepes:

• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup matzoh cake meal
• 4 T. kosher for Passover cocoa (I like Droste)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. melted, pareve, kosher for Passover, unsalted margarine
  
• 6 large or extra large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups water

Measure all ingredients into bowl of food processor or blender and process for about 15 seconds with steel knife. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before using.

Heat two (or more) oiled 6-inch non-stick skillets until a drop of water dances on them. (It is only necessary to oil them for the first crepe.)

Put about 2 Tbsp. of the batter into the pan, tilting and rotating to distribute a thin even layer on the bottom.

Fry until the edges look dry and have begun to curl away from the pan.

Invert the skillet above a plate. The pancake will fall out onto the plate. Sometimes, you have to help it a little by starting the edge away from the skillet with a knife and peeling a little.

Continue making these thin pancakes, or crepes, until you finish the batter, being sure to stir the batter before each one or the starch will sink to the bottom, stacking them between sheets of waxed paper as you go.

Fill uncooked side with Pareve Mocha Mousse and roll up.

Store in freezer and defrost about 1 hour before using. Serve cold. Makes about 24 crepes.

Pareve Mocha Mousse

• 3 ozs. bittersweet KP chocolate (buy the best quality chocolate you can find)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large fresh eggs
• 2 sticks (1 cup) pareve, KP, unsalted margarine
• 1 tsp. KP instant coffee powder

Melt chocolate in saucepan over very low heat.

Add sugar, mixing well.

Add whole eggs, all at once, stirring immediately into chocolate mixture.

Stir continuously, cooking until mixture reaches a temperataure of 160°F. on a thermometer for at least one minute. (This takes about 15-20 minutes.)

Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Beat margarine in mixer until fluffy. With mixer running, add cool chocolate mixture a spoonful at a time until mousse is light and fluffy. Beat in coffee powder.

Fill each chocolate crepe with 1 Tbsp. of this mixture, or, it makes a wonderful pareve frosting during Pesach. The recipe can be doubled to do both. It also makes a delicious spread for matzoh!

Raspberry Sauce

• 1 10-oz. package of frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup seedless KP raspberry preserves
• 2 tsp. potato starch mixed with 1 Tbsp. cold water

Turn the frozen raspberries into a saucepan and heat until the berries are thawed and soft. Press through a sieve to remove seeds.

Returned strained raspberries to saucepan, and add the raspberry jam and potato starch mixed with cold water.

Cook until clear and thickened, stirring frequently.

Chill before serving. Makes about 1-1/4 cups sauce.