The sacred yet festive holiday of Hanukkah sometimes gets overlooked between the rush of Thanksgiving and Christmas—and with this year’s extremely rare Thanksgivukkah timing, turkey and latkes may be making their first side-by-side appearance on many tables. But those celebrating the special eight-day remembrance know it is all about traditions. This year, start some new ones—consider new ways of showing your love of family (and food!) by creating new dishes using tea-inspired flavors.
Apple Fritters with Orange Glaze
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Editor’s Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet’s Modern Menu for a Hanukkah Feast.
End your meal with apple fritters that are as tender and delicate as cake doughnuts. Drizzled with a citrus glaze and infused with an orange- or vanilla-scented tea, they highlight the flavors of the winter season and deliver a delicious twist on a fried tradition.
Active time: 45 minutes.
Total time: 45 minutes.
Makes about 25 fritters.
Ingredients
Fritters:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons orange- or vanilla-scented loose-leaf black tea (such as Simpson & Vail’s Orange Spice or Harney & Sons’ Vanilla Black)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest from 1 navel orange (set aside orange to use for juice in glaze)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Golden Delicious apples (1 pound total), peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- About 3 cups vegetable oil
Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar plus more for dusting
- 3 tablespoons orange juice from navel orange
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Special equipment:
- Deep-fat/candy thermometer
Method
For fritters:
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring milk and tea leaves just to a bare simmer, and simmer together for 10 minutes over low heat, being careful not to let the mixture boil or scald. Strain out the tea leaves and allow the tea-infused milk to cool.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, then whisk in tea-infused milk, melted butter, zest, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients into dry and fold until just combined (do not overmix), then fold in apples.
- Heat 3/4 inch of oil in a 10- to 12-inch deep, heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Drop a little batter into the oil. If it bubbles and rises to the top, the oil is ready. If it browns immediately, reduce heat. (Or use a deep-fat/candy thermometer to heat oil until it registers 375°F.)
- Using two tablespoons (soup spoons), drop spoonfuls of batter, each containing 2 apple slices, into the oil.
- Working in batches of 5, cook fritters, turning over halfway through, until golden brown, center is just cooked through, and apples are tender, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. (Make sure oil returns to 375°F between batches.)
- Fritters are best freshly made but can be fried (and not glazed) one day ahead. Once cooled, keep chilled, layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper, in an airtight container. Reheat in a 350°F oven until crisped and warmed through (they will continue to crisp as they cool), 10 to 12 minutes.
For glaze:
- Whisk together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar with orange juice and vanilla until smooth.
- Dust fritters with some additional confectioners’ sugar and drizzle glaze over fritters.
Rugelach
Adapted from Epicurious, October 2012; by Noah and Rae Bernamoff; The Mile End Cookbook
Need something unique to bring the hostess when you go visiting? Problem solved! Go fruity or sweet—pick your fave tea taste to infuse into this traditional holiday recipe for two different fillings: cherry-almond or apricot.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pats
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 pound cream cheese, chilled
- 1/4 cup sour cream
For the cherry-almond filling:
- 2 cups dried tart cherries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 sachets of cherry-almond tea or tisane (such as Davidson’s Organics’ Bing Cherry with Almond tisane)
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups blanched and lightly toasted almonds
For the apricot filling:
- 2 cups dried apricots
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 sachets of apricot black tea (such as Adagio’s Apricot Black)
For finishing:
- Decorative coarse sugar, for sprinkling
- 1 large egg, beaten, for the egg wash
Method
For the dough:
- Combine the butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the chunks of butter are broken up and the mixture has taken on the consistency of wet sand, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer the butter-flour mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the salt, cream cheese, and sour cream. Mix the ingredients together vigorously with your hands, breaking up the cream cheese and working it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and only pea-size chunks of the cream cheese remain.
- Turn out the dough onto a sheet of aluminum foil, press it down slightly into a thick disk, and wrap it very tightly in the foil. Refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, make the filling.
For the cherry-almond filling:
- Combine the cherries, sugar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan; use a binder clip or metal paper clip to secure the tea sachets’ strings to the edge of the saucepan with the tea floating in the mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer until syrupy, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, discard the tea sachets, and add the almond extract. Let the mixture rest until it’s cool enough to handle.
- Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process until crushed, about 10 seconds.
- Transfer the almonds to a bowl and add the reserved cherry mixture to the food processor; process until the mixture has a jam-like consistency, scraping down the sides of the machine as necessary.
- Add the almonds back in and process for a few seconds, until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
For the apricot filling:
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan; use a binder clip or metal paper clip to secure the tea sachets’ strings to the edge of the saucepan with the tea floating in the mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and discard the tea sachets. Set the mixture aside until it is just cool enough to handle, then transfer it to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
- Refrigerate the filling until it’s completely cooled before using. The filling can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Shape, fill, and bake the rugelach:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, grease it with oil or cooking spray, and sprinkle it with a small handful of decorative sugar.
- Unwrap the dough and divide it into 2 equal-size portions. On a well-floured surface, press and work one of the dough portions into a ball, then press the ball into a disc that’s about 3/4 inch thick. The dough will be very firm at first and may crack around the edges, so keep working it and bringing the cracks together until you have a smooth-sided disc, adding more flour as needed to keep your hands from sticking to the dough.
- Roll out the dough into a 10- to 12-inch circle of even thickness. Fold the circle into a half-moon and use a knife or dough cutter to trim away any uneven or protruding edges, then unfold the dough so it’s a circle again.
- Use a spatula to spread a heaping cup of the filling of your choice evenly over the dough. Then use a dough cutter or pizza cutter to cut the circle into 16 equal-size wedges, just as you would a pizza.
- Working with one wedge at a time, roll a wedge up to make the rugelach, starting with the wide end and rolling toward the pointy end. Transfer the rugelach to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Brush the tops of the rugelach with the egg wash, sprinkle lightly with more decorative sugar, and bake, rotating the tray 180 degrees halfway through cooking, until the pastries are light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Mulled White Wine with Pear Brandy
Adapted from Epicurious.com: The Food 52 Cookbook Volume 2
Tea infusion ideas are endless! This delicate warm sangria is the perfect accompaniment to a cozy evening with family. White wine is mixed with cardamom and star anise, as well as the more traditional triumvirate of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, all amped up with pear brandy. A slice of Asian pear is added to each drink for garnish—makes for a yummy treat at the bottom of the glass!
Serves 4.
Ingredients
- One 750-ml bottle dry or off-dry white wine, preferably Riesling or Grüner Veltliner
- 2 tablespoons spiced pear black tea (such as Maya Tea’s Spiced Pear)
- 1 star anise
- Two 1/4-inch-thick slices fresh ginger
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 to 4 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 1/4 cup pear brandy, such as Poire Williams
- 4 slices Asian pear
Method
- Put the wine in a medium heavy saucepan with the tea, star anise, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and honey (start with 3 tablespoons of honey and adjust later if necessary). Set the pan over medium heat and bring just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let the wine mull for at least 15 minutes.
- Taste and add more honey if you like.
- Strain the wine mixture, reserving the whole spices for garnish.
- Gently reheat the wine until it starts to steam, then remove from the heat and stir in the brandy.
- Divide among 4 mugs or heatproof glasses, putting a few of the whole spices in each mug if you like, and add a slice of Asian pear.
