The Back of the Cupboard

My mother's kitchen cupboards are full of good memories. I'm back in the US for Passover, and yesterday we made my grandma Elsie's mandel bread (toasted chocolate chip-walnut biscotti), a family favorite. When it was time to chop the walnuts, I paused. I could have used the mini food-processor on the counter (never get the bleeping cover on straight), but what did I find at the back of the closet but grandma's ancient glass chopper.

It's been 25 years since I saw my grandfather sitting at the kitchen table, with his engineer's concentration, pulverizing nuts with one good hand (the other damaged by a stroke). This year my son took a turn, pushing down the spring activated plunger onto the round wooden base. I love that about the holidays; the repetition of ingredients and recipes makes the years and the generations blur together - everyone makes an appearance, if only in my head.



It would take superhuman powers to wait till dinner to taste them. I'm owning up to the nibbled one in the photo...

Grandma Elsie's Passover Mandel Bread

A non-Passover version of this recipe (which uses oil instead of butter and regular flour instead of matzo-meal) is given at the end of Chapter 10 of Lunch in Paris. Though I could eat the Passover version all year round.

2 cups sugar
1/2 lb. butter (two sticks)
6 eggs

2 and 3/4 cups matzo cake meal
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup potato starch

8 oz. mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream sugar and butter together in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one by one, beating after each addition. In another bowl, sift together matzo cake meal, salt and potato starch. Fold dry mixture into wet ingredients.
Add chocolate chips and nuts, mix to combine.

Line a large cookie sheet with tin foil, form dough into two flattish loaves, approximately 2 inches wide. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 45 minutes on center rack. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice. Lay the slices out on baking racks, put back in the oven and toast until golden brown - 10 minutes on each side.

Serves 8-10. Freezes beautifully.