Sweet Spring
for Passover and Easter
Passover and Easter overlap this year, with Passover starting on April 1st and Easter being celebrated on April 5th. If you’re a dessert bringer, someone who enjoys making people happy by baking, there are several good choices that work for either holiday.
Aside from the religious significance, Easter today is often an opportunity to celebrate spring in all its floral and eggy glory. Passover, too, turns to spring produce as a holder of meaning and celebration. But with Passover, there is a need to be mindful of your desserts to not include any “chametz” or anything made from wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye that is allowed to ferment. But really, what it means today is no flour of any kind, which includes cornstarch. So, in essence, you’ll be looking for gluten-free solutions for dessert. I could get more restrictive by also suggesting dairy-free desserts to keep things more easily kosher, but I’ll leave that up to you.
I have three suggestions for you.
There is something so sunny and joyful about a pretty Lemon Meringue Tart or a pie. I guess what I love about a tart is the large flat surface of sunny yellow. But you can get that with a pie as well, if you don’t billow meringue all over to hide the filling (see above). You get a canvas for sparing decoration. Piped swirls of meringue at each portion point instead of giant billows over the whole thing lend a restrained beauty. Or judiciously placed berries and edible flowers. We talked about lemons recently, and it’s still a wonderful time of year to use all that lovely fresh juice. The fillings of lemon meringue pies and tarts are often thickened with cornstarch, which isn’t considered kosher for Passover. But potato starch is, and is even more effective. You need less to thicken the same amount of liquid.
I recently interviewed Domenica Marchetti about her new cookie book, Italian Cookies. We talked about the vast Italian tradition of almond cookies, which are suitable for both Easter and Passover. There are so many to choose from, but two of my favorites are Brutti Ma Buoni, the cookie with the greatest name that translates to Ugly but Good. Domenica says, “These classic cookies from Piedmont are irresistible, with contrasting textures: crispy meringue, crunchy toasted nuts, and a barely soft center.” And I’ve always found their craggy appearance quite seductive.
For years at Angeli, we made Ricciarelli to accompany Passover dinner. The cookie from Siena, which leans on almond meal flour, can be flavored in various ways, like honey, citrus zests, or, as Domenica does, with homemade candied orange peel. I was lazy, so I used a 1/4 teaspoon of King Arthur’s Fiori di Sicilia extract, which combines citrus and vanilla. In contrast to the Brutti Ma Buoni, the texture is yielding and tender. They are so pretty with their blizzard of powdered sugar. The cracks are traditional. To get them, you form the cookies then let them sit on the counter for at least one hour, but you can also let them sit overnight, depending on how humid or dry your environment is. You want a kind of skin to form. Then, before baking, you tug a bit on each side simultaneously to ensure you get cracks. I find the soft, chewy texture to be something I reach for often. A perfect cookie to accompany unsweetened tea.
I don’t think there is any dessert as perfect for spring as a berry and passion fruit-topped pavlova. It’s basically a meringue to which a small amount of cornstarch is added to the beaten egg whites. That bit of starch absorbs moisture and creates the characteristic marshmallow-like center. But if you’re avoiding cornstarch, potato starch is a good substitute. I love Nicola Lamb’s Substack, Kitchen Projects, which I find to be well worth the price of a subscription because of how much I learn from her. We talked on Good Food when her book Sift came out. I bring her up because she recently posted a recipe for a Mocha Pavlova with Salted Chocolate Whip. Dairy is involved, but what a lovely variation, and if you’re making it for Easter, she decorates it with mini chocolate eggs in various colors. Isn’t it adorable?
That Easter basket pie is adorable! Thanks for including the brutti ma buoni. I, too, find them alluring in appearance, especially when made with the cooked meringue method, which gives them a shiny finish.