Charoset is one of the nine symbolic food elements of the traditional Passover Seder plate. It’s made of fruit and nuts and the texture ranges from that of a thick chutney to a paste. It’s traditionally eaten with matzah crackers and is named after an ancient city in the Hebrew bible. You might also find it spelled haroset or charoses.
There are lots of different ways to make charoset and no two families will prepare it alike, so feel free to alter this recipe to suit your preferences. Some people prefer it with chopped walnuts and apples, like we make it here. Others prefer it in a thicker paste with raisins, figs or dates. Some add chopped almonds or sweet wine, chestnuts or coconut.
Our recipe saves some time chopping by using a food processor to shred the apples. This way, the apples are a little smaller than if they were chopped by hand, and with less work. Walnuts, raisins, sweet red wine (We used Manischewitz to test this recipe.), orange juice and zest, honey and cinnamon are then added. The mixture is combined and then the entire thing rests until the flavours have a chance to meld for a few hours.
To present the charoset, we top it with another quick drizzle of honey so it glistens, and then we sprinkle some more orange zest over the top. It really brightens up the bowl of mixed fruit and nuts after it’s been sitting in the wine and spices. The combination of apples, raisins and cinnamon combined with sweet honey and zesty orange makes a great fruit salad combination for Passover Seder or anytime of the year.
- 3 medium red apples peeled, cored and quartered
- 1 medium green apple peeled, cored and quartered
- 2 cups chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2/3 cup sweet red wine
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Using shredding blade, with food processor running, add apples to food chute. Process until shredded.
- Add shredded apples, walnuts, raisins, wine, orange juice, orange zest, honey and cinnamon to a large bowl. Stir until well blended.
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours to blend flavours.
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TAGS: apples, passover
CATEGORIES: appetizers & snacks, dessert, Everyday Recipes, Holidays, passover
