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 For my sister, Andrea, and her children,
Rachel and Brian. A little legacy.

Copyright © 2008 by Arthur Schwartz

Photography © 2008 by Ben Fink

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an
imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.,
New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks
of Random House, Inc.

Photograph page vi used by permission of New York Public Library.

Photograph page xii © Time-Life Pictures/Getty Images.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-58008-898-5

Printed in China

Jacket design by Nancy Austin and Chloe Rawlins

Interior design by Chloe Rawlins
Food styling by Megan Fawn Schlow

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First Edition

ASJH 00_FM i-xvii 3pp.indd 4 11/18/09 1:38 PM

 Matzo Brei
Fried Matzo
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Matzo brei is so popular in New York City that we have had citywide, sensation-
ally media-covered matzo brei contests to see which person or restaurant makes
it the best. It is basically a dish of dampened, broken matzo mixed with eggs and
fried. However, every ingredient, every method and technique, is open to debate
by New York Jews and Gentiles alike, who all think their method, or, in any case,
the kind of matzo brei they grew up eating at home or in the homes of Jewish
friends, is the best.
I say my matzo brei beats all.
Serves 2

3 matzo boards 2 tablespoons butter, Schmaltz (page 9)

8 cups boiling water or grapeseed oil (which is kosher for
4 or 5 eggs Passover, not peanut, corn, or canola)
1
/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning
Preserves, jam, or sour cream, for
accompaniment

Into a colander set in your sink, break the matzo into more or less 1-inch
pieces.
Very, very slowly, pour the boiling water over the matzo, wetting it down
well, then let it stand for a few minutes to drain well and to plump up.
In a bowl, beat the eggs together with the salt. Add the wet matzo and mix well.
In a 10-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When sizzling,
add the egg-matzo mixture. Immediately decrease the heat to medium-low.
(Slow-cooking the eggs gives them a more custard-like consistency.)
When the bottom of the mixture starts to set, break it up by dragging it
around the pan, from the outside edge to the center. Once the bottom is cooked,
turn the mixture gently with a spatula. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes all together, until
the matzo brei cooks evenly and is as moist (or as dry) as you like.
Serve hot, with some freshly ground pepper and with preserves, jam, or sour
cream.

Shmurah matzo (see page 172)

Passover 177
 Matzo Buttercrunch
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This recipe was created by Marcy Goldman of Montreal and was published in
her book A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking. She had disseminated it long before
that, however, on her website, www.BetterBaking.com. Now I see it published
(unfortunately not credited) in New York City newspapers and national maga-
zines, and passed around by New Yorkers who claim it as their own.Taking credit
for this confection where it is not due is understandable. The recipe is fabulous,
although over the years, I have added more chocolate to Marcy’s recipe, and I
have changed the directions slightly. Marcy’s inspiration was a standard old Ameri-
can recipe that uses soda crackers to make a similar candy, but without the choco-
late and nuts.
The recipe is sublime when made with butter, but then it would not be
possible to serve it at the usually meat-based seder meal. It still tastes pretty wonder-
ful when made with unsalted pareve Passover margarine.
Makes one 12- by 15-inch sheet

4 to 6 unsalted matzo boards 12 ounces semisweet Passover

1 cup unsalted butter or unsalted chocolate chips, or semisweet
pareve margarine chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup firmly packed Passover
brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet completely with aluminum
foil. Lay parchment paper on top of the foil.This is very important, as the mixture
becomes sticky during baking.
Line the bottom of the pan evenly with the matzo boards, cutting extra pieces
of matzo, as required, to fit any uncovered spaces.
In a 3-quart, heavy saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and cook
over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue
boiling 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and immedi-
ately pour over the matzo.
Place the matzo candy in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350˚F.
Bake for 15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes to make sure the mixture is not

Passover 187
 burning. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the matzo with chopped
chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes, then, with an offset spatula, spread the melted
chocolate evenly over the matzo.
While still warm, cut the candy into squares or odd shapes. I just break it into
pieces. Chill in the refrigerator until set. Covered tightly with plastic, it should keep
for several weeks in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature to serve.

Variations
• Use white chocolate (which is dairy), coarsely chopped (or both white and
dark chocolates).
• Sprinkle chopped toasted nuts—almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans—over
the chocolate.
• If you prefer granulated sugar, or if you can’t find kosher for Passover brown
sugar, follow these directions for a no-bake version: Arrange the matzo on the
lined baking sheet as described in the recipe. Place 2 cups granulated sugar
and 2 tablespoons water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium-
low until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking until the mixture turns
medium amber in color. Pour over the matzo. Sprinkle with chocolate and
spread as directed.

188 Arthur S chwa rt z ’s J ewish H ome C ooki ng

 Pur
chas
eacopyof

ART
HURSCHWART
Z’SJEWI
SH
HOMECOOKING
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hes
eret
ail
ers
: