Chocolate Babka and Special Holiday Menu!
My Christmas tree is up, menorahs decorate the mantle and the house is lit with twinkling lights. We are doing all that we can in our home to bring the light in.
Growing up in a bi-religious home meant seven nights celebrating Hanukkah plus a tree in the living room with dreams of Santa swirling through our heads. I was raised Jewish, going to Hebrew school each week and had a Bat Mitzvah, but for me it was the food and customs surrounding the Jewish holidays that connected me to the religion.
The pinnacle of all Hanukkah festivities for us was the annual family party, a gathering of generations of grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and cousins coming together to revel in our shared history. My mom would walk into this party carrying platters of her homemade mandel bread, a sweet biscuit similar to biscotti, dotted with walnuts and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar -- a treat I still love to this day. Tables would be laden with noodle kugels (sweet and savory), trays of brisket and, most notably, two of my grandma’s infamous Jello molds. One was in the shape of a traditional bundt cake mold, made of creamy pistachio Jello, pineapple and flecked with nuts. But the piece de resistance of all Jello molds was the one in the shape of the Jewish Star of David, layered with strawberry Jello, Cool Whip and sliced banana filling. It was both the belle of the ball and the butt of many well-meaning jokes.
The main event of this party was always my grandma and her two sisters, standing shoulder to shoulder, frying scoops of potato latke filling in oil-filled pans. And while I wish I could say that they were perfect with crisp edges and a tender potato center, they unfortunately were limp and greasy and I would eat just one to show support. The quality of the latkes aside, it is the memory of the joy and happiness that these three sisters shared, proud to have their family around them, making food that has passed through the diaspora for ages, that I carry with me forever.
As the long evening stretched on, I always eyed the table to see when it was time to tear into the Babka, a butter rich loaf of egg bread swirled with chocolate and pecans. This weekend for our Secret Item we are making Chocolate Babka -- the ultimate in yeasted coffee cakes. Available this week for our newsletter subscribers only, so be sure to join our email list for access to all of our weekly specials.
Also take a look at the Holiday Shop on the Bakeshop website to pre-order other special Hanukkah treats, including a take-home Latke Kit (my recipe!), Mom’s Mandel Bread, cookies and more, as well as our special Christmas treats, including the Bakeshop classics Stollen, Buche de Noel and Panforte and many others!