Those Gender Reveal Cakes

Baby showers were never that political. Controversy was relegated to what the little ones name was going to be or who will be the godparents. Now there's another dispute  the reveal cake, that important piece of dessert that will tell the future parents what they will have.

Kim Severson , a regular contributor  wrote about these sweet oracles in yesterday's New York Times Food section. The fad was born in 2009 when reality show couples cut into their baby shower cake to either show pink or blue cake.It caught on with  everyday couples and a new ritual was born - the gender reveal party. Rebecca Gruber who was vice president for branded content for Popsugar saw a bee themed baby party on Youtube. It was a homemade cake , with  a blue inside. She wrote up a post and the trend took off like a rocket. Soon it wasn't just cake that was proclaiming the upcoming baby's sex. There were tinted lasagnas, with  the ricotta being dyed blue or pink. There was nail art and even pet alligators (trust me, it was a real thing). An explosion last year at a gender reveal did not end well. The couple did find out they were having a boy, along with finding out that they were responsible for a massive forest fire.

The fad is waning as our definitions of gender are changing. There are nonbinary and transgender people who prefer using "they" and "theirs" as opposed to he she, his and her. Molly Woodstock, creator of the podcast Gender Reveal and a transgender believes those cakes are losing in popularity. They also correct those who accidentally put their gender reveal videos on the site. Woodstock then gently reminds them that the genitals of their baby don't determine the baby's gender. Another group hating the reveal cakes are the bakers themselves. It was thrilling in the beginning but it's become a chore. Ellen Gray of the Able Baker in Maplewood ,NJ who is both a writer and baker says that it starts taking on a life of its' own. The worst part comes with the lab results which almost requires a medical degree to read them.Then there's the question of using artificial dyes to announce the sex. Many bakers  such as Julia Richardson who runs  Portland oregon's Baker and Spice refuse to work with them, preferring  raspberry buttercream for a girl and chocolate ganache for a boy. Still some moms and dads to be like the idea of a gender reveal cake. One couple ordered one just for themselves. David Feder a Chicago dietitian and his wife, comedian Herskovic did just that , going to Whole Food with their lab result. They enjoyed the cake and the fact they were having a son.

Will gender reveal cakes be a thing of the past in this fad today passe tomorrow society. Hopefully. Maybe instead of a gender reveal , parents will have a college  fund bowl. A kid's future is more important than his or her sex.

The Challenges Of Passover Cooking

Passover is one of the most ancient and traditional of meals. However with any  holiday meal, it can pose challenges ,leaving home  chefs to scratch their heads. One problem is vegetarianism - the other how to make something new with a limited allowance of ingredients. Not to worry - there are solutions.

Many families have to embrace their kids or relatives new vegetarian lifestyle. What happens then to the lamb or brisket?It can still be made but new dishes have to be added.One idea is vegetarian potato and mushroom croquettes, more or less based on latkes. These are really patties that also has onion added for flavor . The binder is ground maztoh meal. The potatoes are first boiled and mashed and then the sauteed onions and mushrooms are the added as are the crumbs. The croquettes are then mounded and fried in extra virgin olive oil (it is considered suitable for Passover cooking) for eight minutes until crisp.A more colorful dish is roasted beet casserole. This recipe works for both vegans and vegetarians.It's simply layering sliced beets in a lightly oiled baking dish and then sprinkling salt, sugar and paprika on top of them. It's then dotted with margarine and baked for half a hour. Spinach and leek can come together with potato to create a kind of strata.It is labor intensive with  cooking the potatoes first however they can be microwaved to save time. There is also making the cashew "cheese" which also requires avocado and layering of the different ingredients from soaked matzoh to leeks and baby spinach.

Another challenge for Passover home chefs is the dessert.Leavening is not allowed so that rules out many cakes.However that also forces a lot of creative thinking.  A mock chestnut torte is  an elegant way to solve this problem. Since chestnut puree is not acceptable for the holiday, mashed sweet potato can be used as the base. The dessert has an almost souffle like quality because the six eggs required are separated and the whites are made into a meringue first before being added to the mix of sweet potatoes, yolks and dark chocolate.Melted chocolate is drizzled over the cake as a glaze and then it's decorated with raspberries.Macaroons are a traditional must and these, too, can be made at home.It's an easy recipe that just needs egg yolks , granulated sugar and  two cups ground almonds. Home chefs can also make the coconut ones too, subbing in the ground almond with shredded coconuts and using the egg whites instead of the yolks, Chocolate chips can be added  or cocoa powder added to the recipe for richer treats. Kids will love matzoh brittle, matzoh topped with homemade caramel and dark chocolate and then broken into bite sized pieces.

Passover cooking should not come with problems. There are solutions for dealing with vegetarianism as well as what to make for dessert. These provide for a tasty meal that suits everyone;s beliefs and taste with ending on a high sweet note.