When I visited Eleanor Elbaum’s home in Providence, she served Siberian chremsel. It’s a matzoh fritter of sorts, probably based on a blinchiki, eaten in Siberia and perfect for breakfast during Passover. I have eaten chremsel before, made out of fried potato and matzoh meal and stuffed with meat. I’ve also made a doughnut-like chremsel with nuts that I serve for dessert at Passover. I had never seen one like this before, made from matzoh meal and stuffed with tart blueberry, cranberry, or any other fruit jam, then browned and baked with a little more jam, fresh blueberries or cranberries (it should be a little tart), and honey.
Siberian Chremsel
March 21, 2021
Ingredients
- 1 ¼cup matzoh meal, about
- 3large eggs
- 5tablespoons honey
- Vegetable spray or oil for frying
- 1cup blueberry jam, prune or apricot lekve, or cranberry sauce (you want a little tart and sweet together)
- 1cup fresh blueberries or cranberries
- 1cup sour cream
Yield: about 12 chremslach
Preparation
Note: I recommend making this dish the night before and baking it before breakfast.
- Step 1
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Put the matzoh meal in the water, remove from the fire, and beat as you would for a gougere or put it in the food processor. Let cool slightly.
- Step 2
Beat in or process 1 egg at a time, mashing well to eliminate lumps.
- Step 3
Remove to a bowl, and add 1tablespoon of the honey. Let rest overnight in the refrigerator.
- Step 4
Put vegetable spray on your hands and on a board or counter-top. Take a tablespoon of dough and press in your hand into a large circle, keep moving from one hand to the other because it sticks. Put a heaping teaspoon of the jam in the center. Then, taking a knife, carefully enclose the jam to make a ball, making sure it is completely sealed. As you finish the chremslach, put them on the greased board.
- Step 5
Put a little oil or spray a frying pan and heat to medium. Add the chremslach and fry them, adding more oil if needed. Drain on a paper towel and put in a Pyrex pan large enough to hold them in one row.
- Step 6
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and then put ½ cup jam and the blueberries or cranberries, the remaining 4 tablespoons of honey and ¼ cup water in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chremslach and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with sour cream on the side.
