We are in the dramatic, story-rich section of the Torah and this week brings us the beginnings of Yaakov establishing his own family. In fear he flees Beer-Sheva and heads to Haran. On the way there he stops "in the place" because the sun was setting וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ
This is the where Jacob will dream about a ladder with angels going up and down. So, why isn't the location actually named, but rather referred to simply as "the place." This struck me because just a few weeks ago I was with our youngest son at a special program for 6th graders in the years leading up to their b'hai mitzvah that is designed to "help students and parents alike feel comfortable in the flow of the service, have more meaningful prayer experiences and explore the
significance of a synagogue bar or bat mitzvah service." In this program we were exploring the different names for God, one of which is The Place, HaMakom. How fitting that Yaakov first encounters HaMakom BaMakom - The Place (God) in The Place. The menu item to draw attention to this part of the parsha will be dessert, a Cranberry Apple Ladder in Puff Pastry (recipe below).
As I read through the family drama (really in all of Bereshit), there are a few characters who get my sympathy. One of those characters is Leah, who is overlooked and tries so hard to get Yaakov's attention, with each child's name reflecting her hope for validation and love. Leah is described as having weak or soft eyes and the midrash says they were caused by her weeping. I saw some tears from one of my sons this week, but it was just from cutting onions for the chili we were making at Mitzvah Day. Yet, it gave me the idea of onions to represent Leah's eyes - so I'm making a favorite in this house - Ellie's Onion Crusted Chicken - delicious and easy.
Finally, when Yaakov makes a plan to collect his wages in the form of livestock he makes a deal with Laban to only take every dark-colored sheep and every spotted and speckled goat.
Of course, with some magic?miracle?early-science? Yaakov makes it so that more speckled, spotted and dark livestock are born so he becomes very prosperous. When trying to think of what to make to represent the mixed of spotted, speckled and dark I thought of wild rice, so that's the plan for the side dish!
Shabbat Shalom and B'Tayavon!
Jacob’s Cranberry-Apple Ladder
This recipe is just perfect for fall, with aromatic cranberries, apple and cinnamon. And the ladder uses a classic puff pastry technique, so once you master it, you can replace the cranberry sauce filling with other fruit or chocolate fillings.
1 sheet of puff pastry
½ cup water
½ cup orange juice
1 cup sugar (white and/or brown)
12 oz. whole cranberries, rinsed
1 apple, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp powdered sugar for garnish
1. Make the cranberry apple sauce by boiling water, orange juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. When the sugar has dissolved, add the cranberries, chopped apple and cinnamon. Return to a boil and simmer for at least 20 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst and the kitchen smells amazing. Set aside to cool. If you have time, refrigerate it. This recipe makes just over 2 cups of sauce, more than needed for one puff pastry sheet, so you can make both sheets or use the remainder as a side dish (if you can manage to prevent family members from just eating it straight out of the bowl).
2. Defrost one sheet of puff pastry for 35-40 minutes. Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Unfold the puff pastry on a surface lightly sprinkled with flour. Roll it just 2-3 times in each direction with a rolling pin, then cut it in half lengthwise to form 2 rectangles. Gently fold one rectangle in half lengthwise, and make evenly spaced horizontal slits, leaving 1inch of the edge intact.
4. Wait for the oven to be at temperature before filling the pastry. Place the uncut pastry rectangle on the baking sheet. Spread 1 cup of the cooled cranberry sauce on the pastry, leaving ~1 inch clear on every side. Carefully layer the still-folded slit pastry on top of the fill, lining it up from one long edge. Unfold it and press the edges together to seal. You can use a little water on your fingertips if you want to make sure the layers don’t come apart when baking.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Right before serving, dust with powdered sugar.
Comments