Recipe from Esther

Having successfully made perfect (delicate, flavorful, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth) matzo balls from the package twice in a row I was wanting to try going back to the canister approach so I don't have to buy the darn little packages.  I tried this recipe from my friend Esther this evening:

5 eggs
1 cup Matzo meal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup oil

Beat eggs. mix in matzo meal, baking soda, salt, pepper and oil until well blended. Let dough rest 15 minutes.

Scoop into balls using standard ice cream scoop carefully drop into large saucepan filled with slowly simmering water. Do not overcrowded to allow for expansion. Cook 25 to 30 minutes.

They were good.  Not quite as perfect as the ones from the packet mixes, but worth trying again.  They were too oily, both when I was trying to drop the balls into the soup and later in the soup.  I'm thinking cutting down the oil to about 1/3 cup would probably do it.  We'll see next time. 

Total Success...But Will it Stick?

This week's matzo balls were perfection.  The whole family agrees.  Enormous, light, fluffy balls that melt in your mouth.  What matzo balls are meant to be.  I did what I used to do and used the Manischewitz Matzo Ball Mix in the box with the two packets.  Here are the directions straight from the box:

Blend 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.  Add contents of one packet and stir with a fork until mixed. Chill in fridge for about 15 minutes.  (I think mine was about 25 minutes.)

Then I did what I always do and softened some onion in a skillet and brought water with bouillon to a boil and then added the chopped veggies, right before dropping the matzo balls into the boiling water.  Then, as instructed, I reduced the heat to the lowest level and put on the lid.  I forced myself not to peek even once until the 20 minutes were up.  I opened the lid and... gorgeous!!!!

What a dinner: challah (though sadly, not mine last night as I was out of flower yesterday morning), matzo ball soup, fried tofu, and potato leek quiche.  And we were out of grape juice or it would have been close to perfect.  I even made a special little egg and cheese only quiche for Avi.  Who of course doesn't like matzo balls, even when they are cooked perfectly.  But Ezra sure did!

For the record, I cooked them in the soup again as I always have done last night rather than separately in a pot of water.  Worked just fine and makes them so much more flavorful.  I have read that one should fish them out of the soup to keep them for leftovers.  Our leftovers only lasted until Saturday lunch, so they were fine.

Now the trick will be to consistently do this.  I think the secret was the box.  I may never doing it from the canister again. Or maybe I'll try it from the canister but use the oil and cook it using the box packet directions.  Cheaper that way.

The Family Agrees... Worst Ever

Total failure.  Bland.  Bland.  Bland.  (I don't think that the omission of the salt was the factor.) Cary said, "If awards were given for the worst matzo ball, this one would win."  Then he followed that up with a "no, no, they weren't that bad, but...."    Noah said, "I hated them, but I normally like them."  To describe, they were unbelievably bland.  I normally cook mine in my soup broth (veggie bouillon and onions, potatoes, carrots, celery), but this time I didn't.  That had to account for the bland part.  As far as texture, they weren't as hard as rocks, and certainly I've made harder ones, but Cary described them as "fluffy golf balls."  Firm cores with fluffy exteriors.   Very disappointing.  But, I guess I couldn't expect to unlock the mystery on the first night of my quest.

I'm on a Mission

I'm fed up with the inconsistent success of my matzo balls.  Occasionally they are superb (as in light and fluffy, melt in your mouth), occasionally they are rock hard and make we want to cry, and often they are okay (a little firmer than I'd like, but not too bad).  So, I'm on a mission now to learn how to consistently make perfect matzo balls.

Shabbat dinner 1st of Cheshvan (October 28th)

I decided to go with the Manischewitz Matzo Meal canister recipe, and follow it exactly, which I don't often do.  It reads as follows: "bring 10 cups of water to a brisk boil.  While waiting of the water to boil, prepare matzo mixture.  In a small bowl, beat 3 egg whites until stiff; then fold in 3 yolks.  Fold in 3/4 cup matzo meal."  I even got out the hand mixer and put the egg beater attachment on and did as I was instructed.  This recipe is for "Fluffy Matzo Balls."  I let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes as I nursed E and then returned to drop the spooned balls into the boiling water (separate from my soup which is not how I usually do it), cover tightly, and reduce the heat.  They do not look like they have any potential of being "fluffy."  They look hard as ever.  My regular approach is much different than this.  Same pot as the soup, let the mixture sit in the fridge for 15 minutes, no separation of eggs, oil, etc...

We'll see what happens.