In the rush to gather, assemble, and cook gourmet Passover recipes for the seder meals, it can be daunting to even consider pre-preparing any meals for chol hamoed. Many families either continue to eat leftovers from the seders, or live off of cold cuts, tuna, and matzah pizza for a few days. Not that there’s anything wrong with matzah pizza, but we here at Gourmet Passover Cooking think it’s possible to make chol hamoed more delicious without tiring yourself out. There are many delicious Passover recipes that may not be suitable for the seder meals, either because they are dairy or simply because they lack the elegance for a Yom Tov meal. Some of these can be made in advance and frozen until the appropriate time, some are great for packing up on a chol hamoed picnic, and some are just plain old comfort food for the family craving their lasagna. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sticky Salami
Passover Mandelbrot
Passover Pizza Dough
Mozzarella Sticks
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Matzah Toasts

The simple to the more decadent.

Sponge cake is perhaps the most well-known and traditional dessert served on Passover and it has come a long way since our grandmothers and great-grandmothers made it years ago. First, we no longer make it with 12 eggs (that is seriously a health hazard and should be eliminated from your recipe boxes) and second, they are now infused with more flavor including citrus zests, cocoa, vanilla extract, and even coffee and cinnamon. GKC has had a lot of fun taking the traditional sponge cake recipe and elevating it to something extra special for Passover. And of course with the overwhelming number of fantastic products available for Passover today, you can skip the homemade sponge cake and buy one, and use the same recipes below just omit the homemade cake part.

Traditional Sponge Cake
Passover Tiramisu
French Toast
Balsamic Berry Strawberry Shortcake

All these recipes work well with store bought cakes and mixes. We tried the Osem cakes, available in chocolate chip, marble, pound cake, chocolate and coconut, chocolate chocolate chip, and walnut flavor. I loved the chocolate chocolate chip (admittedly, I whirled up some frozen strawberries and drizzled them over the top with pareve whipped cream) and the walnut flavors most. Each is moist and tasty. The added elegance of using it in tiramisu or strawberry shortcake or in a parfait (just layer it with berries, pareve whipped cream and some crumbled cookies) makes it an extraordinary dessert that is easy to prepare. Happy Passover.