Celebrate Easter or Passover with these family recipes from Charlotte chefs
Whether you’re celebrating the start of Passover today or preparing for Easter on Sunday, chances are there are some traditional family dishes that will be making their way to your dinner table in the coming days.
There’s something so nostalgic about the familiar tastes and smells of certain foods — they have the power to instantly transport you to childhood. We reached out to six local chefs to ask them about the memory-inducing holiday foods on their menu. Not only did they share the recipes themselves, but they let us in on why these foods hold a special place in their hearts.
From Aunt Hazel’s corn pudding to Bubbie’s chocolate dipped coconut macaroons, we’ve got some dishes you may want to consider adding to your holiday feast.
Keisha Brynn, personal chef: Southern Collard Greens
“My family will always ask, “Who’s making the greens?” said Keisha Brynn, who is a personal chef at Southern Collard Greens. “Over time it has transitioned from Aunt Dot, who is my mother, to ‘Keisha is bringing the collard greens.’”
The collard greens are a family staple, and no holiday dinner is complete without them, Brynn told CharlotteFive. “I made a mistake and didn’t make enough for leftovers on Christmas, and the family is still talking about it. Oops, my bad! I will not make that mistake again.”
Southern Collard Greens
2 lbs. of washed and chopped collard greens
4 cups of salted water or chicken broth
1 package of smoked turkey necks
1 Tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 Tbs. olive oil or bacon fat
Combine oil and onions in a large pot and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the turkey necks, red pepper flakes and 4 cups of water or chicken broth to the pot, and cook for 30 minutes.
The meat on the turkey necks will be tender and falling off the bone. Pull meat from turkey necks with tongs, removing the turkey neck bones, or you can wait and remove it after the collards are completely cooked. Carefully add collards to the pot, allowing them to cook down for a couple of minutes, then adding the remaining collards to the pot. Cover and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally until tender. Collards can be garnished with diced tomatoes or paired with a slice of cornbread.
Sydney & Brandon Green, I.T.O. Creations: Corn Pudding
”Aunt” Hazel Redman of Redman, West Virginia, is responsible for starting the Green family tradition of enjoying corn pudding on holidays and special occasions.
“Corn Pudding’s sweet and savory combination made both kids and adults fall in love,” said Sydney Green, owner of I.T.O Creations. “In her memory, we make sure to prepare this particular dish with extra love because we could always feel and taste it in each buttery sweet bite.”
Corn Pudding
1 can cream style corn
⅓ cup butter
⅓ cup sugar
1 level Tbs. of flour, mixed in with sugar
½ Tsp. salt
2 eggs, well beaten
½ cup milk
Spray baking dish, combine and bake at 375 until slightly brown.
[RELATED: This year, my family’s Ukrainian Easter traditions are even more meaningful]
Jocelyn Lukacik, Sweet Spot Studio: Matza Brei
Jocelyn Lukacik’s grandmother, Tobie Fink passed away in October at the age of 92, but her memory lives on in her recipes. “She was an avid cook and definitely where my love for cooking and baking stems from,” Lukacik told CharlotteFive. Fink was responsible for having started Kosher Meals on Wheels in the greater Philadelphia area. Each Passover, she would make her matza brei, a tradition Lukacik continues.
With three quarters of Lukacik’s grandparents being Ashkenazi and her paternal grandmother Japanese, Lukacik has had exposure to a variety of cultures and traditions. “I feel extremely lucky to grow up in a multicultural family and am very proud of my Jewish heritage,” Lukacik said.
Passover Matza Brei (serves two)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or water
1/4 Tsp. salt
Dash of cinnamon
2 matzahs
3 Tbs. shortening
Beat eggs. Add liquid, salt. Break matzahs into this mixture. Soak well. Place in a well-heated frying pan, then cover and fry on both sides for a total of 7 minutes — 4 minutes first side, 3 minutes after turned. Serve with cinnamon and sugar, applesauce, syrup or honey.
.jpg "Grandma Tobie_s Matza Brei recipe. Courtesy of Jocelyn Lukacik(2).jpg")
Evan McHalffey, Forty Twelve: Cinnamon Rolls
Raised Catholic, Evan McHalffey, chef at Forty Twelve, celebrated most religious holidays with a symbolic meal. “We weren’t too strict for Easter dinner, but our post-church meal was pretty consistent — and we always had cinnamon rolls.” It was the prospect of these warm pastries that McHalffey said kept him seated a bit more quietly in church.
Growing up in Wisconsin, McHalffey’s holidays would include upwards of 30-40 family members, and while his Easter gathering in Charlotte will be smaller this year, he continues the cinnamon roll tradition. “Nicole and I don’t have a family of our own yet, but we spend our Easter Sunday with her parents and brothers here in Charlotte. And coincidentally, my mother and a couple other members of my family will be down here this year to get some of this beautiful spring weather and a couple of cinnamon rolls,” McHalffey said.
Note: You’re going to want a kitchen scale for this recipe.
Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
¾ oz instant dry yeast
6 oz whole fat milk (room temperature)
2.5 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 oz extra virgin olive oil
3 oz unrefined cane sugar
1 vanilla bean(scraped)
5 egg yolks
15 oz all-purpose flour
1/4 oz Kosher salt
Pre-Bake:
1 oz unsalted butter (melted)
2.5 oz unrefined cane sugar
1 oz dark brown sugar
1/2 oz cinnamon
Glaze:
4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
2 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 ½ oz powdered sugar
½ vanilla bean (scraped)
Add yeast to the warm milk, mix with a whisk and allow to bloom for a few minutes. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, extra virgin olive oil and cream until smooth. Separately, mix the egg and scraped vanilla bean. Slowly begin adding the egg mixture to the creamed butter on medium speed until fully incorporated.
Once it is mixed evenly, increase the mixer’s speed and whip until the batter becomes light and fluffy. Switch to the dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, yeast mixture and begin to mix until a sticky dough forms, roughly 3 minutes. Turn out your dough on a lightly floured surface and begin to knead for 2-3 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, use very small amounts of flour to continue kneading. Once the dough is smooth and supple, drizzle a small amount of oil into a bowl, roll the dough in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove your dough from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to baking. Combine both sugars and cinnamon to form the filling and set aside. Turn out your dough onto a work surface lightly misted with non-stick cooking spray. Using a rolling pin, begin shaping your dough into a large square roughly a ¼ inch thick. Brush dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle on the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly, leaving a slight border around all four edges. Begin rolling up your dough slowly to ensure an even cylinder and finishing with the seam side down. Using the heels of your hands, firmly rock the rolled up dough back and forth to lengthen it and create a smooth seal. Then cut the dough straight across into 12 equal pieces.
Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper and place the rolls spiral side up roughly 2 inches apart. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and allow the rolls to sit at room temperature for a half hour. Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, rotate them, then bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
While the rolls are cooling, use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and add the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla bean and mix on medium speed until the mixture becomes well combined. Increase the speed and beat until it becomes light and fluffy. Using an offset spatula, remove the glaze from the mixer and apply it to the rolls as you see fit.
Hannah Woociker, Moonbox Bakery: Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Hannah Woociker’s grandmother, “Bubbie” loved sweets, particularly macaroons. “She’d always stash an extra few containers of Manischewitz macaroons in the cupboard for later cravings every year,” Woociker said. Though not a baker herself, Bubbie would often take Woociker to her local Jewish bakery in Florida and share stories of growing up surrounded by bakeries in New York City.
“As I entered my career professionally, I started to recreate those beloved Jewish treats but bringing my love of Southern culture and cultures beyond, a twist in flavor to classic items. This recipe’s inspiration, with the use of fresh minced ginger and turmeric, came from learning about my partner’s culture and food from India,” Woociker said.
Note: Woociker choses to use ginger and turmeric as her flavor profile, but those ingredients can be omitted for a classic vanilla macaroon, or changed to create your own flavor profile.
Chocolate Dipped Macaroon with Turmeric & Ginger
6 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1 Tsp. fresh ginger, minced*
1 Tsp. ground turmeric*
½ Tsp. fine sea salt
2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, melted
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine the shredded coconut with the sweetened condensed milk. Stir to combine. Add vanilla, set aside. In an electric mixer bowl combine egg whites and salt, beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into coconut mixture. Mix just until combined.
Scoop or spoon mixture, about 2 tablespoons, onto baking sheets that are covered with parchment paper sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven, then immediately remove cookies from the baking sheet and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once macaroons have cooled, dip each macaroon into melted chocolate, then transfer to a baking sheet with parchment paper. Allow chocolate to set up completely, typically taking 1-2 hours.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 6:15 AM.
