To me, Succot is a time of joy. The intense spiritual work of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashana, and the mildly anxious high holidays are behind us. Now, the task at hand is to sit in a succa, eat, drink, study and be merry. I find that kind of mitzva very much to my liking. Nevertheless, one of the harder parts of Succot is the entertaining. Some families have a good deal of guests come through their succa, and offering a variety of delectable homemade treats for a whole week can be a challenge. I find that a good solution for low-key, sit-around-the-succa kind of entertaining is a cookie platter. Cookies are great in that it is not much more trouble to bake six dozen as it is two, making it very easy to serve a healthy flow of people. Plus, it is easy to present a contrast of textures, flavors and colors on one platter, keeping everyone interested for a rather long sitting. The third and winning factor is that cookies are just so easy to serve. No heating, no chilling, no prepping. The image of "zero hassle" makes your guests think you are a host of biblical stature. To make the experience complete, I would also toss in a big pot of rich, fragrant home-brewed Indian Chai. Not hard to make, but again, only truly worth the effort when made in a large batch, it is the perfect match for homemade cookies. That is especially true on those evenings of early October, when it just starts to get crisp and the first urge for a hot drink creeps up after being suppressed by the crushing heat of summer. The following is a duo of Seven Species-themed cookies (if you'd like to make a trio, look for a date cookie recipe), which I find very appropriate for the holiday, as well as an authentic Chai recipe. CHEWY FIG BARS THE FILLING This needs to sit for 12 hours, so prepare in advance. 4 500 gr. dried figs 4 100 ml. pomegranate juice 4 100 ml. Kirsberry cherry liqueur or port wine Or 4 50 ml. brandy or whiskey 4 Up to 50 ml. lemon juice Remove the tough stalk that connected the fig to the tree with a little knife. Chop into rough chunks. Place the pomegranate juice and liqueur in a small bowl along with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir, then add the figs and stir again to cover the figs with the liquids. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Spoon the contents of the bowl into a food processor, leaving most of the liquids in the bowl. Pulse to a paste. Taste to adjust the seasoning, which might mean adding some more lemon juice if the paste is aggressively sweet or a little more liqueur if you feel a need to spruce it up further. Pulse again if needed to combine any additions. THE DOUGH This dough can be made equally well in a mixer or a food processor. I personally recommend using the food processor if you have a choice, because it puts the dough together in a blink. The result is almost no gluten formation, which would make the cookies tough, rather than delightfully chewy and crunchy. 4 120 gr. unsalted butter, very cold 4 1â„2 cup sugar 4 1â„2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 4 1 large egg 4 1 tsp. vanilla extract (or use vanilla sugar) 4 1â„2 flat tsp. baking soda 4 11â„4 cups all-purpose flour 4 1â„4 tsp. salt 4 150 gr. walnuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts or pecans, toasted and chopped Cut the butter into small (0.5 cm.) cubes, working quickly to keep the butter really cold. Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of the mixer or food processor. Process until the sugar and butter fully combine. Continue to the point where the mixture becomes swan-white and fluffy, like cream cheese. Drop in the egg and vanilla. Mix until just combined, and then stop mixing and remove the bowl from the machine. If you are using a food processor, transfer the contents to a large mixing bowl. Sift together the baking soda, flour and salt. Fold very gently into the butter, trying to keep the dough as fluffy as possible. When reasonably combined (don't overwork the dough), drop in the nuts and fold until dispersed. Make a ball out of the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour. Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Divide the dough into two balls, and roll each one out to a square 0.5 cm thick. The two squares should be twins. Place one square on the parchment, and spread the fig mixture on it, leaving a 1-cm. edge all around. Place the other piece of dough on top, and pinch the edges to seal the spread in. Bake for 15 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Cool, trim the edges and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container. ALMOND (CHIP) COOKIES 4 170 gr. unsalted butter, cold 4 3â„4 cup granulated sugar 4 1 large egg white 4 1â„2 tsp. almond extract or 1 tsp. Amaretto 4 2 tsp. rum (optional) 4 1â„8 tsp. salt 4 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 1â„4 tsp. baking powder 4 1 cup lightly roasted almonds, ground (use a food processor) 4 About 24 whole almonds, blanched or with peel, lightly roasted Variation: 4 50 gr. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, cut into chocolate chip-sized chunks Cream butter and sugar as described in the fig cookie recipe (mixer method, whip attachment). Add the egg white, almond extract or amaretto and rum. Continue mixing to a light, airy consistency. Sift in the salt, flour, baking powder, chocolate pieces (if using) and ground almonds. Gently fold everything in, losing as little volume as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Use a small scoop to divide into equal portions, and shape each one into a ball with your hands. Butter a parchment-lined sheet pan and place each ball 5 cm. away from the others. Use the bottom of a glass to press each ball down slightly, then place a whole almond into each ball and bake for 10-12 minutes. It's ready when the cookies are set, but not at all browned. Store in an airtight container. AUTHENTIC CHAI Indians have time - lots of time - which is what this dish requires. The result however, is a glorious drink to sip slowly on a cool evening in a succa. 4 1 Tbsp. star anise 4 6 green cardamom pods, cracked 4 1â„4 tsp. whole black peppercorns 4 12 cloves 4 1 cinnamon stick 4 3 pea-sized pieces of fresh ginger root, sliced 4 4 cups water 4 2 Tbsp. strong black tea 4 4 cups whole milk 4 3-6 Tbsp. honey, Demerara sugar or plain white sugar, depending on your taste Put a medium pot on high heat with the water and spices. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and steep covered for 10 minutes. Bring back to a boil and add the tea. Steep for 5 minutes more. Strain right away, to avoid the bitterness and tannins of overcooked tea. Add the milk and sweetener and bring back to a boil. Serve right away.
