Make Traditional Hanukkah Dishes With Recipes From 'Got Kosher? Café And Bakery' Owner

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Hanukkah begins this weekend!

Owner of Got Kosher? Café and Bakery, Alain Cohen, stopped by KCAL9 Tuesday to share Hanukkah traditions and showed viewers how to make a few Hanukkah dishes!

Below are the recipes:

Sweet Potato Latkes with Spiced Maple Syrup

Makes 10-12  (4-6 servings)

For the Latkes:

• 1 pound sweet potatoes
• 2 eggs
• ½  teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼  cup matzah meal
• Pinch salt
• Pinch white pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons light olive oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 1 cup real maple syrup
• ½  teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• ¼  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chopped fresh coriander or mint leaves to garnish

Directions:

Scrub the sweet potatoes, peel and shred them on the fine side of a grater or in the food processor. Transfer to a wire-mesh strainer and squeeze to remove moisture. Let stand in the strainer or a colander placed over a bowl for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a fork and add the matzah meal, sweet potato, salt and pepper. Let stand an additional 5-10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce: In a small pan combine the ingredients for the sauce, heat over low heat and keep warm.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet and add a small ladleful of the batter. Flatten gently and fry on both sides till golden-brown.

Add more oil to the pan as necessary, and fry the remaining latkes.

Place the latkes on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Pour some of the heated sauce on individual plates and arrange three latkes on top per serving, or use a serving platter and pass the sauce separately. Garnish with fresh coriander or mint.  Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt if desired.

Zucchini, Onion and Potato Latkes
Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes (about 3-4 potatoes)
1 zucchini
1/2 large yellow onion
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 bunch, green onions, divided (green part only, chopped; reserve rest for another use)
1 egg
3 Tbsp. flour (all purpose, chickpea, whatever you have!)
2 c. panko bread crumbs
1 c. tofu sour cream
1 c. canola oil

Line one baking sheet with foil and a second baking sheet with paper towels.

Grate potato, zucchini, and yellow onion in food processor or by hand, medium-coarse. Pour grated veggies into bowl. Add salt, pepper and 1/4 of the chopped green ends of the green onions. Push veggies aside to create a little pocket of space on the bottom of the bowl, and whisk egg until frothy. Stir flour into egg until well incorporated. Mix flour-egg mixture well with grated veggies. Form small patties (about 3 inches in diameter, maybe 1/2 an inch thick), and gently coat both sides of each patty with panko. Transfer patties to foil-lined baking sheet.

In a separate, small bowl, mix sour cream and remaining 3/4 of chopped green onions until well blended. Do ahead: Store in airtight, refrigerated container for up to 3 days.

Using a large skillet, heat oil (oil should cover the bottom of skillet and go half way up the sides of the patties). Test first by dropping a teaspoon of latke mixture into the hot oil. Test patty should quickly fry but not so hot it burns. As mentioned in the post, it's important to get the oil to the right frying temperature so the potatoes fry to crispy perfection on the outside but stay soft yet cooked on the inside of the patty. Fry the formed patties, flipping a few minutes in once the downward-facing side has turned golden brown. Transfer fried patties out of pan and onto paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain off some of the remaining oil. Repeat for the rest of the latkes.

Once latkes are cooked, serve hot immediately (or reheat, if needed, for a few minutes in 350F oven on foil-lined baking sheet) with cold sour cream and chive mixture. Of course, depending on your preference, you can also pair the latkes with plain sour cream, apple sauce, or a combination

Zucchini Pancakes with Basil Chive Cream

For basil chive cream

• 3/4 cup tofu sour cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  For pancakes

• 4 cups coarsely grated zucchini (1 lb)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 large egg whites
• 4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Make basil chive cream:
Blend sour cream, water, basil, chives, and salt in a blender until smooth and pale green. Chill until ready to serve.

Make pancakes:
Put zucchini in a colander and toss with salt. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes, then wrap zucchini in a kitchen towel and twist towel to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer zucchini to a large bowl and stir in flour, sugar, and pepper.

Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks, then gently fold into zucchini mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 5, spoon 2 tablespoons batter per pancake into skillet, flattening slightly with back of spoon. Cook pancakes, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes total, transferring as cooked to paper towels to drain and adding more oil to skillet as necessary.

Serve immediately, with basil chive cream.

Butternut Squash Latkes

Serves 6

• 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and grated
• 1 small onion, peeled and grated
• 3 eggs, whisked
• grape seed oil, for frying

1. In a large bowl make latke batter by mixing together squash, onion and eggs
2. Use your hands to form batter into 3 inch patties
3. In a large skillet, heat oil
4. Fry patties on each side over medium heat until golden brown and crispy
5. Remove latkes from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil
6. Repeat Steps 2-4 until batter is used up
7. Serve with applesauce, sour cream or yogurt

Watercress  Toffuti  Sour Cream

1 cup Tofutti Sour Cream (or dairy sour cream)

½ cup chopped Watercress

Mix well

May substitute Arrugula, Basil, Mint, etc.

Hanukkah Sufganiyot

Yield: Makes 20

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water (100o F)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar,
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups vegetable oil, plus more for bowl
• 1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside 10 minutes.
2. Place flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, yeast mixture, 1/4 cup sugar, oil and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a sticky dough forms. On a well-floured work surface, knead until dough is smooth, soft, and bounces back when poked with a finger, about 8 minutes (add more flour if necessary). Place in an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch-round cutter or a glass, cut 20 rounds. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise 15 minutes.
4. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until a deep-frying thermometer registers 370 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 4 rounds into oil. Fry until golden, about 40 seconds. Turn doughnuts over; fry until golden on other side, another 40 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip with jam. Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, make a hole in the side of each doughnut. Fit the pastry tip into a hole, pipe about 2 teaspoons jam into doughnut. Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
6. Sprinkle over  a nice coat of confectioner sugar

Caramelized Apple Sauce

3 Pound Golden Delicious apple cored, seeded and peeled.

4.5 Oz margarine or butter

4.5 oz sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp Lemon juice

1 pinch lemon zest

1 dash cinnamon

1 jar 32 oz Market bought apple sauce

In a saucepan melt  4.5 oz of margarine and 4.5 oz of sugar

Then add the peeled apples.

sprinkle the teaspoon vanilla, a pinch of lemon zest , a tablespoon of lemon juice and a dash of cinnamon

Put back the mold on the heat and cook 1/2 hour on medium heat until apples are caramelized.

In a Cuisinart purèe the caramelized apples coarsely.

The flavor will be intense.

Then add to taste the whole or part of the jar of traditional apple sauce

For more information, visit Got Kosher?