Passover Desserts

(By Renee Comet For The Washington Post)

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Wednesday, April 5, 2006

The lack of leavening agents in Passover makes desserts the biggest culinary challenge of the Jewish holiday. We looked for recipes that went beyond spongecakes and honey cakes and tested several. These are our favorites.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Cake

8 servings

This is one of those recipes that is worth making year-round using regular ladyfingers, any chocolate and heavy cream. It contains a double dose of liqueur, with some brushed on the spongecake or ladyfingers that form the edge of the dessert and the rest beaten into the mousse filling. The recipe was developed by Tina Wasserman, a Dallas cooking teacher and food writer and food columnist for Reform Judaism magazine.

4 ounces Passover spongecake or Passover ladyfingers

1/2 cup plus 1 1/3 to 2 1/3 tablespoons kosher for Passover liqueur (hazelnut, amaretto or orange)

12 ounces kosher for Passover dark chocolate, such as Camille Bloch or Alprose Swiss

1 teaspoon instant espresso or

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1/4 cup hot water

2 egg yolks

4 egg whites

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