Passover baking

We're having a great visit with my mom. Between the seders, walking the dog in the rare Seattle sunshine, and doing a little shopping today, it's been a fun week.

I also did some more Passover baking today. Following the instructions for pate a choux in Julia Child's "Mastering The Art of French Cooking," I made matza meal rolls, which are basically the same thing made with matza meal and oil instead of flour and butter. They're a nice change from matza all the time!

Here is my family's recipe:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup matza meal (or combine half matza cake meal)
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saucepan, bring to a boil oil, water, salt and sugar. Add the matza meal all at once and stir vigorously with a long-handled spoon until the mixture pulls away form the sides of the pan. Cook and stir one more minute. Transfer to bowl of stand mixer.

Make a well in the center of the dough and beat in eggs one at a time. Make sure the paste is smooth before adding the next egg. Beat mixture until shiny and smooth.

With wet hands, shape into rolls about two inches wide and one inch tall (dough is very sticky). Place on an oiled or lined baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes longer. The rolls will double in height, puff up and be golden brown.

Remove pan from oven and make a one-inch slit in the side of each roll. Turn off the oven. Return the pan to the hot oven , and leave it in with the door open for 10 minutes.

Rolls this size will have damp centers, which Julia Child recommends removing through the slit with the handle of a teaspoon OR cutting the rolls into halves horizontally and removing the damp centers with a fork. Or you can just do what we do in my family, and ignore any damp spots and eat them hot from the oven with a little butter or cream cheese. Delicious!

* You can also make smaller rolls one inch in diameter and 1/2 inch high. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, slit the side with a knife, and return to the hot, turned-off oven for 10 minutes with the door open.

* To make cheese puff appetizers, beat one cup grated cheese into the warm dough.

* To turn into cream puffs, fill with ice cream or custard and top with chocolate glaze.