When I first moved to the United States with my family, we settled in Stamford, Connecticut. My mother insisted we buy that particular house because of the massive apple tree in the back yard, complete with a swing tied onto a low branch. At the time, apples in Thailand (my native country) typically sold for close to $50 a pound, as they were considered “exotic” fruits. Naturally, my mother’s excitement over the prospect of unlimited apples in her own back yard got the best of her. Consequently, I learned how to make apple pie. Lots and lots of apple pie.

This pie worked out perfectly fine for me, until one day my fiancé requested one. It was then that the curve ball came. “I like it with crumbs on top,” he said. My eyebrow raised as my eyes widened. Crumbs on top? What matter of silliness is this? Then I thought, the guy gave me this huge diamond ring, the least I can do is give him a crumby pie. So I set to work, revamping my cherished apple filling to compliment and withstand a Dutch crumb topping.

This is what I came up with, and I must say, Eric might be onto something with these silly crumbs. Any way you slice it, it’s a great way to end a meal, not to mention a perfect way to start out the new year. L’shanah tova!

Ingredients:
Your favorite pie crust (an all-butter crust seems to work the best here)

Filling:
3 lbs Baking Apples (approximately 6 apples total, see note), sliced to about 1/8″ thickness
1/4 to 1/2 C Medium Brown Sugar, to taste
1/2 tsp to1 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
1 to 2 tsp Saigon Cinnamon, to taste
2 tsp Corn Starch
Juice of half a lemon

Topping:
3/4 C Rolled Oats
3/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Unsalted Butter
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Roll out dough to fit into a standard 9 1/2″ pie pan. Place pie crust into freezer. If you are not using an all-butter dough, brush the bottom of the pie crust with a beaten egg white before baking.

2) While crust is in the freezer, combine sliced apples, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Taste frequently to make sure you have the seasonings right. This variation depends on how naturally sweet, spicy or juicy the apples naturally are. After well seasoned, add lemon juice, sprinkle corn starch over the apples and combine. If the apples are particularly juicy, you may need to add an extra teaspoon of corn starch.

3) Remove the pie crust from the freezer. The crust should be very cold, but not frozen. Pour apples into the pie crust and spread evenly. Place pie into preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, to dehydrate the apples.

4) While pie is in the oven, make streusel topping by combining the dry ingredients and incorporating the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter. Alternatively, you may use a food processor. Process/work the ingredients until you get crumbs.

5) Remove pie from the oven and reduce the heat to 375F. Spread crumb topping evenly over the apples and return to oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes more. Pie is done when filling is bubbling and slightly thickened. It will probably smell pretty good too. Allow pie to cool a bit and serve. If you can’t wait that long, ice cream helps a lot. Enjoy!

~ Recipe submitted by Allaya Diep

While the depression of the 1930’s certainly presented everybody at the time with great challenges, some were actually met with quite a bit of genius and ingenuity. Some fancy food synthesis falls into this category. It’s a good thing too, because when World War II came along just a decade later, these clever foodies didn’t even miss a beat, continuing to tackle the challenge of cooking with restricted ingredients with great aplomb.

Some of their concoctions were pretty logical, while others really require a head scratch while speculating what on earth they were thinking. Some notable eyebrow-raising recipes of this era include Mock Apple Pie, a pie made almost entirely of Ritz crackers its proponents swear taste like the real thing, Campbell’s Tomato Soup Cake, a (sometimes) vegan spice cake with a very unusual ’secret’ ingredient, and of course, my absolute favorite, Wacky Cake, a sublime chocolate cake with a moist crumb to rival that of a commercial mix. Best of all, unlike most cake mixes, it’s completely parve!

Wacky cake gets its lift from the acidity of the cocoa and vinegar combining with the baking soda. This is a fast reaction, and some even insist that this cake be mixed and baked in the same pan. However, you’ll do just fine opting to mix in a bowl, if you do some fast mixing followed by a speedy transfer to the pan and directly into a hot oven.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup oil (I like to use coconut or grapeseed, but any light, mild-flavored oil will do)
1 cup cold water

Directions:
Prepare a 8 or 9 inch baking pan, and make sure your oven is preheated to 350 and ready to go. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients in either a mixing bowl or the baking pan. Combine liquid ingredients and then add to dry ingredients, quickly whisking together. If batter is mixed in a bowl, quickly transfer to baking pan. Place cake into oven immediately and bake approximately 30 - 35 minutes, or until cake springs back after pressed lightly. Cool completely before frosting.

Make a parve frosting with margarine, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt and soy milk, or simply whip together cocoa powder, marshmallow fluff, and additional powdered sugar to taste. For a more sophisticated look, top with a chocolate ganache by combining parve chocolate chips, margarine, and Mocha Mix or soy milk over medium low heat and cooling slightly before pouring over the cake. Enjoy your slice of history!

~ Recipe submitted by Allaya Diep

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of soft margarine (from a tub), melted
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (make sure that the oven is at the right temperature with an oven thermometer).
2. Spray a square pan (8×8) with cooking spray and lightly flour it.
3. Whisk together the melted margarine and sugar in a bowl.
4. Add egg substitute and vanilla extract and whisk.
5. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix it all together.
6. Add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the margarine. Add in egg and vanilla extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients up until and including the salt. Next, add in the liquid mixture and mix well. Next, stir in Rice Krispies and chocolate chips. Scoop out about a tablespoon sized mound of cookie dough and place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies. These cookies freeze well; you can freeze them in an airtight container with layers separated by wax paper.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:
1 regular frozen pie shell
2 cups of frozen berries
1 can apple pie filling
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put in a regular frozen pie shell in the oven for 10 minutes to cook it a little. Then take it out and cool it on a cooling rack. Meanwhile, mix the frozen berries with the apple pie filling in one bowl. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients to make the crumble topping.
When the pie shell has cooled, pour the berry apple filling into the shell and then top with the crumble topping. Put the pie on a piece of aluminum foil in case any of the liquid bubbles over. Bake for about 55 minutes or until the liquid is bubbling and the topping looks golden brown.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

I have been slacking in the kitchen these past few months and wanted a fresh new recipe for dinner. I called up my sister in law Sarrit who told me about the following tasty dish her mom often makes. I am a huge fan of my mother in laws cooking so I knew without a doubt it would taste great however I also know that some of her dishes can be somewhat complicated so I was relieved to find out that this one is not only rich with flavor but is also easy to make. I served the fish with couscous and a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients:
Tilapia, either whole or fillets
Cumin
Black Pepper
Paprika
Salt
olive oil
1 onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
several potatoes sliced thinly

Directions:
Pour some olive oil and the above listed spices into a 9 x 13 inch pan and mix the potato, onion, and tomato slices with olive oil mixture to coat them. Then layer the potato, onion, and tomato slices in the pan. Rub the WHOLE tilapia or tilapia filets with the same olive oil/spice mixture and put the rubbed tilapia on top of the layered vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees, checking after 45 minutes to see if potatoes are done.

* If you are not using a whole tilapia, and instead are using fillets, check the fish after about 20 minutes and if it is ready take the fillets off of the vegetables and set aside. Return the pan with the vegetables back into the oven and bake until potatoes are ready (soft). Then place fillets back on top of vegetables and serve.

~ Frida Zipor’s recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:
6 large apples
5 eggs
3 tablespoons potato starch
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of oil
1/2 lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions:
Peel and slice the apples then mix together with the remaining ingredients. Bake in a 9×13 pan on 350′ for about 45 minutes or until done.

~ Recipe submitted by Yehudis Baitz

Ingredients:
12 eggs separated
2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of walnuts
1/2 cup of potato starch
a drop of sweet wine
2 tablespoons of coffee with water

Directions:
Beat the egg whites together then gradually add the sugar and then mix in the remaining ingredients, including the egg yolks. Bake in a 9×13 pan on 350′ for about 45 minutes or until done.

~ Recipe submitted by Yehudis Baitz

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of potato starch
1/2 cup of cocoa

Directions:
Mix the above ingredients together in a large mixing bowl then bake in a 9×13 pan on 350′ for about 45 minutes or until done.

~ Recipe submitted by Yehudis Baitz

They taste like regular choc chip cookies, they are Amazing!! (Please note the following recipe is gebrokts)

Ingredients:
1 cup cake meal
2 Tbsp potato starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except for chocolate chips by hand (kneading it). Then knead in
chocolate chips.
Roll the dough into small walnut sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Then, flatten the
balls with the palm of your hand.
Bake on 375 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 30 small cookies.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs