6. Theres nothing chocolate and a bit of love can't fix

" Reminiscent of childhood memories, luxury, sweetness and sensuality, chocolate is more than just a food – it is therapy." -Christelle Le Ru

A bowl of Matzah Ball soup, a flourless chocolate cake, a roasted chicken, a bagel and lox, a piece of challah, and a pinch of love can take all of your troubles and make them disappear.

This week I was tasked with making food as a remedy. I chose a flourless chocolate cake because everything in the world could have gone awry, but as long as I have this flourless chocolate cake I am okay. It has brought me a plethora of joy, both baking it and eating it. But, what I realized about this dish while making it this week was the food is a remedy not because of the ingredients it includes but rather because it is made with love. It occurred to me this week that one of the reasons I embarked on this crazy journey of learning how to cook Jewish Cuisine was because I wanted to learn to make food that could take your frown and turn it upside down.

A Fire on High is a novel about a teenager, Emoni, and her struggle to follow her dreams and raise her daughter. Throughout the book, there are some moments sprinkled in where she or her Abuela show moments of pure bliss while either cooking or eating. “Even that memory of longing for what I was afraid of, warms me up. Like a candle being lit from the inside.” (91) The sensation of having a dish warm you up inside is what I associate a remedy being. Flourless chocolate cake not only melts in my mouth but also warms me from the inside out. It brings me a sense of joy and comfort.

I. Flourless Chocolate Cake

Recipe

Picture by me

Perhaps I'm writing this with a slight bias, but then again, it is chocolate and for as long as I can remember, I have had a sweet tooth. I was always looking for a stash of hidden sweets somewhere in the kitchen. That being said, this flourless chocolate cake is sublime. I've made and eaten this cake every year for Passover. It is the only dessert that kept me from going insane when I chose to be gluten-free.

Its rich and smooth center can only be compared to velvet. It'll fall apart in your mouth, gliding over your taste buds, leaving you wanting more. The whipped cream on top only adds a sense of delicacy with its smooth, silky texture. Every part of this cake brings me an abundance of joy, even making it. So, with that, I say whip out your whisk, and get baking.

II. Matzah Ball Soup

Recipe

Matzah Ball Soup is the epitome of food as a remedy. It can cure a common cold and make all your problems vanish in one bite. If you have never made a bowl of matzah ball soup on a cold winter night or when you're feeling blue, then you're missing out. Simply the aroma of carrots and parsnips boiling in a metal pot is enough to make the tension in your chest disappear. But, the tender chicken will make you go weak at the knees, and the fluffy matzah ball floating in the broth will make you want to close your eyes the second it hits your taste buds. It truly is an out-of-body experience.

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III. Challah

(Miriam Szokovski's Challah Linked)

My picture

Challah is a remedy in the sense that its light, fluffy texture absorbs your pain. It's bread on steroids. A perfect fusion of dessert and the flaky bread that you use on your sandwiches. So, when you are upset and are sitting there with a loaf of challah, perfectly glazed, you can justify the fact that you've eaten half of it.

IV. Bagel and Lox

Recipe

I would be remiss if I did include the infamous bagel and lox. Bagel and lox is a remedy unconventionally. Every year I fast for Yom Kippur, and while I am fasting, I spend half the day craving a bagel and lox. It seems as though after 24 hours without food or water, the only thing that can cure my hunger is a Bagel and Lox. Each bite is layered with a plethora of different flavors. The silkiness of the cream cheese, the saltiness of the lox, and the burst of freshness from that slice of tomato all combined to create a sensational taste. So, whenever you stop by your local Jewish deli, be sure to grab a bagel and lox.

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V. Apricot Roast Chicken

Recipe

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I rarely eat this dish, but I am extremely fond of it. I feel like everyone has at least one chicken dish that reminds them of home and puts a smile on their face (unless you're pescatarian, vegan, etc.). For me, that dish is roasted chicken with apricots. Its sweet-tangy scent lingers throughout the entire house, its warm, tender interior falls apart in your mouth, and the juice that sits on the side adds a new dimension of flavor. I can feel a smile spreading across my face just thinking about it. That being said, it will never compare to the rich, delectable, flourless chocolate cake.

Recipe For Flourless Chocolate Cake (link above)

Ingredients:

CAKE

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1” pieces, plus more, room temperature, for pan
¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided, plus more for pan
10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (61%–72% cacao), coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 large eggs
2 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon kosher salt

TOPPING

1 cup chilled heavy cream
½ cup mascarpone
3 tablespoon powdered sugar

Baking

Step 1

A 9”-diameter springform pan

CAKE

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess.

Step 3

Combine chocolate, oil, and ½ cup butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until melted. Remove bowl from saucepan.

Step 4

Separate 4 eggs, placing whites and yolks in separate medium bowls. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, salt, ¼ cup sugar, and remaining 2 eggs to bowl with yolks and whisk until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into chocolate mixture, blending well.

Step 5

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. With mixer running, gradually beat in ½ cup sugar; beat until firm peaks form.

Step 6

Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding just until incorporated between additions. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar.

Step 7

Bake until top is puffed and starting to crack and cake is pulling away from edge of pan, 35-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan (cake will collapse in the center and crack further as it cools).

Step 8

DO AHEAD: Cake can be made 1 day ahead. Cover in pan and store airtight at room temperature.

TOPPING

Step 9

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream, mascarpone, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.

Step 10

Remove sides of springform pan from cake. Mound whipped cream mixture in center of cake.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure to let the cake cool before putting the whipped cream on, and if you want to be extra fancy decorate the cake with a berry of your choice. My personal favorite is raspberries.

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