Community Teachings

This year, we featured a spoof of the beloved show, The Great British Bakeoff.  But in classic Chanukkah style, it had a twist: it was a fry off!

Jon Linden, our MC, stood in for Sue and Mel in this version, hosting the show and keeping the laughs coming.

Don Hoban, Matt Kontoff and Marissa Krampf, our esteemed panel of judges, stood in the shoes of the great Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, with the slight difference that they were not able to taste any of the food they were judging.  They overcame the obstacles and named the Blumberg family (Isabella and Michael) as the grand prize winners!

Ellen Krueger, our lead baker, showed all the contestants the ropes - guiding them through the quintessential latkes recipe. 

Here are the very varied latke recipes followed by our fryers!  But, first we start with the clever poem authored by judge Marissa Krampf:

Latke, latke
Frying in a pan
I’m gonna eat you as soon as I can
Made of potatoes and onions too
My mouth is always drawn to you
Latke, latke
Not good for my diet
Oil-free latkes? Not gonna try it
Latke, latke
Yummy as can be
You mean Hanukkah to me

Latke Recipes

Click on the title to view the recipe!

Ellen Krueger's Potato Latkes - America's Test Kitchen Recipe

Ellen says:  This is an America’s Test Kitchen Recipe.  It’s mostly what I do, so I’ll pass it off as my recipe. ☺ Enjoy.

Joe Formaggio's Arancini - New York Times Cooking

Joe says: 
I vary my recipe from year to year.  Most of the time I use the recipe from Claire’s kitchen, but this year I used the NYTimes one, and it came out very good.  One thing that is not mentioned is that I add filling to the center before I wrap it into a ball.  Fillings can vary, but ones I used in the past are

—  tomato sauce & mozzarella
—  sauted spinach and butter

As a result of the filling, the recipe makes more like 12 rather than 24.  I also use the deep fryer rather than a pan.

Laura Kelmar's Latkes with Green Chili - Little Ferraro Kitchen

Amy Michelson's Latkes (Potato Fritters)

Amy says:  The recipe is loosely based on one from Jewish Vegetarian Cooking by Rose Friedman 1985.

Marcy Hoban's Asian Latkes with Soy Dipping Sauce

Marcy says:  It's a recipe for Asian Latkes, inspired by the (then) husband of the Velveteen Rabbi.
This recipe makes a lot of latkes so consider making half the amount if you are not feeding a crowd!