Nostalgic Noshes

Holiday food traditions die hard, and for that we are glad. Sometimes you don't even have to wait for the cooking aromas to spark memories of childhood: When the potatoes go onto the kitchen counter and the big skillet is set on the stove, you can guess that latkes, made as lacy as possible, are on the Hanukkah menu. In some homes, Dutch baby, the puffy golden pancake made with sauteed apples, is nostalgic breakfast fare. Other families bake cookies for Santa long after the kids are off on their own, or spice up freshly popped corn as a treat for the grown-up kids who are home to trim the tree.

LACY POTATO LATKES
MAKES 12

Work quickly so the potato batter does not brown too much. After frying the latkes, serve them with sour cream and applesauce.

1/2 cup canola oil, or more (for frying)
3 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 medium onion, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Set the oven at 300 degrees.

Set a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl.

In a large skillet, add enough oil to generously coat the bottom. Set the pan over very low heat. (The oil should be ready because the potato mixture will darken as soon as it's made.)

In a food processor fitted with the grating blade, grate the potatoes, then transfer them to the cheesecloth. Fold up the ends of the cloth and squeeze the potatoes over the bowl to remove any excess moisture. Wipe out the bowl and put the potatoes in it.

Without rinsing the food processor, change the blade to the knife. Work the onion in on-off motions until it is finely chopped. Add the onion to the potatoes along with the flour, salt, pepper, and eggs. Stir well.

Heat the oil until a drop of the batter browns in 30 seconds. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil, leaving 1 inch between the mounds so the pancakes can spread. Fry the pancakes for 2 minutes or until the undersides are golden brown. Turn to brown both sides.

Drain the pancakes on paper towels. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven while you fry the remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan if necessary. Serve at once.

DUTCH BABY
SERVES 4

BATTER
1 cup whole milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a blender, thoroughly combine the milk and eggs.

Add the flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, and butter. Work again until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the batter to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

FILLING Butter (for the pan)
2 tablespoons butter
3 cooking apples (Cortland, Golden Delicious, Baldwin), peeled, cored, and thickly sliced
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar (for sprinkling)

Set the oven at 450 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square or round baking dish.

Whisk the batter thoroughly.

In a skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and add the apples. Cook over medium heat for 1 minutes, turning the apples carefully with a spoon. Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Continue cooking for 2 minutes more or until the apples soften slightly.

Transfer the apple mixture to the dish. Pour the batter on top.

Bake the dish, without opening the oven door, for 25 to 30 minutes or until it is puffed and golden brown.

Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve at once.

SPICY POPCORN
SERVES 6

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups unflavored popcorn
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste

In a soup pot, heat the canola oil. When it is hot enough to pop a kernel of corn dropped into it, add all the popcorn at once. Immediately cover with the lid.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the popcorn, shaking the pan back and forth often, for 5 minutes or until you can no longer hear kernels popping.

Transfer the popcorn to a bowl. Sprinkle with the olive oil and toss the popcorn well. Sprinkle with salt, paprika, and cumin and continue tossing until all the kernels are seasoned. Taste several kernels and add more salt, paprika, or cumin if you like. Serve at once.

The recipe for Dutch baby is adapted from Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair (Surrey Books, 2006).