The stories behind holiday traditions are often as much fun as the actual traditions. One of my favorite personal traditions is the Hanukkah party we throw each year, which has come to be known as Latke Fest.
Although my husband insists that ‘Latke Fest’ is strictly our creation, the truth is that I owe credit to my dear gentile friend, Sarah, who I’ve known since middle school. During her first semester of college, she took a world religion class that piqued her interest in Judaism. So, when we were all home from college for winter break, she called me up and announced that she and several of our friends would be coming over to my house for latkes.
My family had never been very observant of Jewish holidays, and I admit that I didn’t even know what a latke was! This was back in the 90’s before Google, and when people still clipped recipes out of the newspaper (some of us may still do that!). Lucky for me, several years earlier, my mom had saved an entire feature written by Judy Zeidler on Hanukkah cooking from The San Jose Mercury News. So she dug it up and we got to work.
Potatoes were shredded by hand. Onions were chopped, and tears were shed. Latkes were fried, smothered with apple sauce and sour cream, and a tradition was born.
My mom and I used our scientific ranking system to rate this recipe, and gave it a ‘Yum!’
That recipe has been in use every year since then, with a little math to adjust for bigger crowds.
From that same feature in The San Jose Mercury News, came the recipe for Hanukkah Pear cake. It’s one of the few cakes that I make completely from scratch and has become another Latke Fest favorite. The aroma of almond extract is now one that I will always associate with Hanukkah.
The original recipe calls for either apples or pears, but I prefer pears. I give myself a little break with the pear prep and buy 2 jars of peeled pears from Trader Joe’s.
- 4 pears
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup margarine
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- Powdered sugar
- Peel and quarter pears, core and slice. Combine with cinnamon and 5 tablespoons sugar, in large bowl. Set Aside.
- In mixing bowl, combine margarine and sugar. Cream until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extract. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add batter alternately with orange juice, mixing until smooth.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Place 1/3 of batter in pan. Place 1/2 of pears on top of batter, 1/3 more of batter, remaining pears, and ending with remaining batter.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cake is done to touch. Cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle over a sugar glaze.
Several years ago, I discovered the San Francisco Flower Mart, and now hosting parties have also become my excuse to pretend that I’m going to be a florist when I grow up. I’ve always loved the way a little foliage and a few candles can transform a tabletop or mantlepiece. This is especially impactful during the short days of winter when daylight is limited and we crave warmth and light to counter the dreary weather.
Traditions offer us a marker of time, reinforced by sensory experiences. They allow us to notice how some things have changed, and to find comfort and familiarity in the things that remain constant.
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