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The Allure of Charoset


Charoset (or Haroset) is one of those obscure Jewish foods, prepared and eaten only once a year in Passover (mostly just during the Seder), and unlike the beloved Matzoh ball, it is hardly known to non-Jews. 

When I first saw it as a child I was neither particularly enticed by its appearance, nor seduced by the sounds of its name (which sounds like a disease). To make matters worse, it is eaten during the Seder wrapped in an odd looking "sandwich" along with horseradish (Hazeret in Hebrew) - which is also the name for mumps, not to mention a true tear-jerker and a traumatic experience for a child of any age *. 

The most common knowledge for the reason behind eating Charoset is it is representative of the mortar that our enslaved ancestors had to mix by the tonnes in Egypt. Other sages say that the Charoset is a remnant of the Paschal lamb - the sacrifice that commemorates the lamb that was slaughtered in each Jewish household in Egypt on the night of the tenth plague: the killing of the first-born. A bundle of hyssop was dipped in this poor lamb’s blood, and smeared on the door frames, as a sign for the Angel of Death to skip the Hebrew homes and spare the lives of our first-born. Hillel’s Sandwich (which I mentioned earlier) alludes to that symbolism of Charoset, as it represents eating the Paschal Lamb with the Matzoh and the Maror (bitter herbs), as directed in the Torah (Exodus 12:8).

Other sages and rabbis say that Cahroset needs to include all the fruit mentioned in Song of Songs (AKA Song of Solomon or Canticles). This poetic book signifies the unique relationship between God and his chosen people, which is read during Passover, the holiday that signifies the point in history as the birth of the Israelites as a nation. Among the fruit mentioned are apples, pomegranates, dates, figs and nuts. The spices added to the mixture (typically speaking: cinnamon and ginger) represent the pieces of straw that were added to strengthen the mortar. 

Now, Charoset greatly varies between different Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews. Generally speaking, Ashkenazi Charoset is apple based (occasionally with pears added) and has a consistency of a dip or a spread; while Sephardi Charoset is more date-dominant, and often is formed into balls. And even within these two major ethnic groups, there are many different traditions and recipes vary greatly, for instance: Babylonian Charoset is made from Silan (date molasses) thickened with ground almonds, and I even came across a Moroccan recipe that is a paste of chestnuts, almonds and walnuts spiced with cinnamon and cloves; and some Ashkenazi recipes include raisins, while others use sugar as a sweetener; some call for pears in addition to the apples, and may use additional spices besides the cinnamon (i.e.: nutmeg, cloves, etc.). The Jews of Rome (and Italy) seem to have a balanced mixture of both, as you will soon see in the recipe I’ve received from my Italian sister in law, which was passed on to her from her great-great-grandmother, Nona Silvia Bassano from Livorno, Italy; yet surprisingly does not include any wine - an ingredient that so far has been consistently appeared in all the Charoset recipes I've researched. 

Some say that the use of fruit that brown overtime is the key for making a proper, mortar-looking Charoset. Hence using apples and pears without any lemon juice to avoid oxidation. The Jews of California have taken this one step further by making Charoset with bananas and avocados as well. I cringe to the idea of how this would look like the next day - kinda like leftovers of a smoothie, which I am sure is not a rare sight in raw-food-loving SoCal. 

I have to make a little confession: as much as I love my grandmother’s Ashkenazi Charoset, I was never able to replicate it satisfactorily in my own kitchen and have given up many years ago on trying it again. But someone asked me about Charoset and I got intrigued and looked it up in my library of cookbooks. Once I read about the Song of Songs reference to Charoset (in Phyllis and Miriyam Glazer’s “The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking”), my imagination was immediately ignited, and I had to try both recipes in their book: a Yemeni Charoset and an Ashkenazi Charoset, that was very similar to my grandmother’s, except that it called for chopping the apples rather than grating them.


Ashkenazi Charoset
2 Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Gala Apples, peeled
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in wine for 4-6hrs, or in boiled water for 15min, to soften
1 tsp raw sugar, brown sugar or palm sugar (or none if you are using sweet apples)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1-2 Tbs sweet wine

Chop the apples into tiny cubes (almost minced), or use the coarse side of a grater if you prefer a more watery consistency. Chop the soaked raisins. 
Finely mince the walnuts and add to the apples. Add the cinnamon and sugar. Keep refrigerated and use within 3-4 days. 
Can be enjoyed out of the Seder ceremony throughout the Passover week. I love it with Matzoh brei or on a potato kugel.  

Yemeni Charoset 
15 Dates, dried
15 Figs, dried
2-3 tsp Sesame Seeds, toasted **
1 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 Cardamom, freshly crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 Tbs fresh ginger root, grated
1oz dry red wine 
(adapted from Phyllis and Miriyam Glazer’s “The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking”)

Nona Silvia Bassano of Livorno’s Italian Charoset 
1.5 kg Apples, finely grated
1 kg Dates, pitted and mashed
750 gr (3 cups) sugar 
300 gr Almond meal (from blanched almonds)
1 cup water
2-3 tsp Cinnamon powder ***

Boil the water and sugar to make a syrup. 
Add the almonds and continue cooking. 
Add the grated apples, and continue cooking, stirring constantly to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. If too watery - continue cooking for more reduction; if too dry, add a little more water. 
Add the cinnamon, and cook until the mixture starts bubbling and puffing. 

* If your parents are of the merciful type, they'll make this very sandwich with lettuce, which is a peculiarly delicious affair, and one of the significant flavours that makes this holiday forever memorable on every person's palate. 

** Optional - if you eat Kitniyot on Passover). I personally found their texture in this context to be annoying, as well as the fig seeds. Next time I am trying this with less figs, more dates and with tahini (sesame paste) instead! 

*** For a more Yemeni-style Charoset, you may add some ground cloves and cardamom, to taste.

Seven Fragrant White Flowers for Shavuot



Shavuot is beginning this evening, and to celebrate, I've put together a bouquet of 7 white flowers that are currently in bloom. Wearing white is a Shavuot tradition, and so is wearing wreaths of flowers on the head. When I was a little girl, this was the time of the year when fragrant roses will be in full bloom, and the children lucky enough to grow them in their garden will have a flower or two of deep, wine-coloured burgundy rose in their baskets of first fruit - alongside apricots and green almonds. I am grown up enough now to own up to it and say I was deeply jealous of their baskets, and couldn't keep my nose away from it. This collection of seven flowers will not include white rose (or jasmine, for that matter) because I would like to make room for less known white flowers and hope that you find this post inspiring and alluring.

1. White Peony:

I find the white variety to be more well-rounded. White peonies smell a little more heady  than the pink and a tad jasmine-y but still also peppery and fresh. There is a strong resemblance to lily of the valley, and also there's a hint of hyacinth's heady floral and sharp green-onion-y notes. The flowers fills the room with their beautiful scent for a full week after being brought home from the florist. The pink ones are a bit of a hit-and-miss. Some smell rosy and with a hint of spicy carnation note; others are more green and dewy; and some smell funky, like rotten vegetables...

There is no shortage of peony-themed fragrances, but non has captured my nose as of yet. If you have any recommendations, I'll be happy to try them!

2. Choisya "Aztec Pearl" (aka Mexican Mock Orange)

Smells more like heliotropin than orange blossom to me, but is related to the same family (Rutaceae). The flowers have a powdery-sweet aroma with hints of methyl anthranilate. Very soft and alluring. I only know of one fragrance that is centred around it - Choisya candle by Dyptique.

3. Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia): 


The black locust tree is native to the Southeastern United States, but have found its way to many a gardens across the world, where it has become naturalized (and in some cases invasive) in temperate North America, Europe, South Africa, Asia. The origin of the name: Because of their similar fruit shape, Jesuit missionaries confused it with the carob tree Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua). 

The flowers have a havenly sweet-pea aroma mingled with the scent of intensified orange blossom. The methyl anthranilate aspect really coming through like a candy from the gods in this tree flower from Fabaceae family. The flowers are edible, having a sweet and aromatic flavour, but the fruit is not (though some say the seeds are edible too). Try using the flowers in a sugar syrup for desserts, or crystallize them in a similar way that rose and violet petals are treated. The entire flower clustered are dipped in batter and deepfried into fritters

I'm currently experimenting with some black locust syrup and tinctures recipes, and will report to you once they've rendered successful (which they are bound to be! The syrup is already tasting amazing halfway through the maceration process).

4. White Carnation (Dianthus): 

Dianthus seems to be the flower of the season, popping up in many gardens in the West End this year more than I've ever seen it before. I finally planted my own two Dianthus "Coconut Surprise" plants in my balcony's forelorn planter. They will only go till the end of fall, and I plan to thoroughly enjoy them!

I've gone into much detail about the scent of carnation. The white variety is what's mostly used for carnation absolute production for perfumery. The flowers have a beautiful, sweet-warm and soft-powdery scent and I can't help myself but get on my knees to smell everyone I meet on my walks in the neighbourhood.

Favourite carnation perfumes: InCarnation, Bellodgia, 

5. Philadelphium:


To my nose, Philadelphium smells like fedjoia - fruity, exotic, edible and unusual.
Is is also known as Mock Orange, but is a different plant than Choisya, and smells completely different. 

6. White Magnolia (Magnolia × wieseneri):


This particular magnolia has a magical scent. According to Wikipedia: 
"Its most notable feature is the remarkable fragrance of the ivory-coloured flowers, which has been likened to pineapples and seen adjectives such as "ethereal", "spicy" and "aromatic" used". It significantly changes its scent throughout the day, smelling like a dewy jasmine-tea in the evening, and developing a more fruity-aldehydic and lactonic character during the day, reminiscent of peach (aldehyde C-14) and a fatty, oily-skin-like scent (aldehyde C-13) during the day and once the flower is "overripe".

Favourite magnolia perfumes: New Orleans, Opium Fleur de Shanghai


7. White Lilac:

White lilac has more indole than the purple or pink ones, giving them a more perfumey character. Additionally, lilacs have the scent of powder, hints of green fig and cucumber, and in many cases also a rather dominant styrene presence.

Favourite lilac perfumes: Ineke's After My Own Heart and Olivia Giacobetti's En Passant (for Frederic Malle Editions de Parfum). 

If you want to celebrate Shavuot with the traditional desserts, here are my recipes for the perfect blintzes and best ever cheesecake!


Portobello West Holiday Market - Part 1


This weekend (both Saturday & Sunday, November 27 & 28) is Portobello West Holiday Market, Part 1.

Portobello is the perfect venue to get your holiday shopping early while supporting local artists and designers!

Visit my table to sniff out cozy all-natural scents, candles, and many other fragrant and wholesome concoctions to nurture your body & soul winter:
I'll be bringing some limited edition perfumes that are not on the website or anywhere else,
New Vetiver bath salts
New size for our lovely sugar scrubs
Three new chocolate bars that we just launched last week with CocoaNymph (also a Portobello vendor and a long-time provider of chocolatey delights to the chocaholic among you).
Also, explore the newly found vintage poison rings I've unearthed from oblivion, repaired and filled with beautiful solid perfumes.

There are lots of gifts, wrapped in an environmentally-friendly fashion, and in a wide price range to fit any budget, and I'll be thrilled to help you in person pick a special scent to anyone on your list, so you can surprise them with a perfume that no one else has :-)

What:
Portobello West Holiday Market 2010
(in 2 parts!)

Where:
Rocky Mountaineer Station
1755 Cottrell Street
Free parking - walking distance from Main St. SkyTrain Station.
See map on google.

When:
Holiday Market Part 1:
Saturday & Sunday, November 27 & 28, 12-6pm

AND part 2:
Saturday & Sunday, December 4 & 5, 12-6pm

This holiday season, make your gifts twice as meaningful by supporting local artists and designers!

Upcoming Holiday Markets & Events

Mark Your Calendars:

Saturday & Sunday, November 28 & 29, 12:00-6:00pm

Portobello West Fashion + Art Market

The Rocky Mountaineer Station (Cottrel @ Terminal Ave.)

Saturday & Sunday Nov. 28-29 12:00-6:00pm

Monday, November 30th

Under the Tree Holiday Market @ BCIT

November 30, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
SE2, Great Hall, Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby
Info: UConnect Resource Centre, 604-451-7087

Tuesday, December 1st, 5:30-8:30pm

Candlemaking Workshop with Nikki Sherritt

Join our guest instructor Nikki Sheritt, an artisan candle maker of Seattle-based Gabriel's Aunt, for an afternoon of candle-making. Tuesday, Dec. 1st, 5:30-8:30pm

Tuesday, December 8th, 6:00-8:00pm

Chocolate Truffles Workshop

Learn how to make scented chocolate truffles with fine chocolate base and precious floral essences. Tuesday, Dec. 8th, 5:30-8:30pm


Saturday & Sunday, December 12 & 13, 12:00-6:00pm

Portobello West Holiday Market

The Rocky Mountaineer Station (Cottrel @ Terminal Ave.)

Saturday & Sunday Dec. 12 & 13 12:00-6:00pm

Thursday, December 17, 6:30pm-11:00pm

THE PURPLE DRESS LAUNCH PARTY

Join us to light the 7th candle of Hanukkah and revealing The Purple Dress perfume.

When:
December 17th 2009
6:30-11:00pm; revealing the scent at 7:30

Where:
#314-1230 Haro Street, Buzz #295,Vancouver, BC

*Guests are encouraged to wear *something* purple!

* RSVP: Email: ayala@ayalamoriel.com Phone: (778) 863-0806 or on Facebook

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, December 18th-20th

The Beaumont Studios Christmas Sale

Last Stop to Shop Before The Holidays - 3 day designer & artist sale at the Beaumont Studios.

Friday, December 18th 7:00pm-12:00 midnight

Saturday & Sunday, December 19-20 11:00am-7:00pm

The Beaumont
316 West 5th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1J5
604-733-3783

Happy Sukkot!


Etrog, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Dear SmellyBlog Readers,
Wishing you a happy Sukkot and harvest season.
This year I have bought my own citron fruit for the first time and I'm very excited! I will be posting pics and tell you more about my citron odyssey, as I'm on a journey for the 2nd year now to create an etrog perfume. This year it has an even more special meaning than ever and I hope by the end of the holiday I will have enough essence to actually make it.
The fruit cannot be used until after Sukkot is over, so I must pray for patience first and foremost!
Hag Samecah,
Ayala

P.s. the above photo is from last year. Now I'm off to assemble my Etrog and Lulav et al and to dinner with my daughter and brother who's just arrived last week and is already cooking for us!

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