Hanukkah Table Inspiration

Hanukkah starts this Thursday! The tradition of lighting the candles on the menorah, cooking latkes, giving gifts and spinning the dreidel (toy top) is always fun whether you are Jewish or not.

Winter entertaining so close to Thanksgiving can be stressful but leave it to us to inspire you with this table set with the Annieglass Salt collection. Blue, silver and white tend to be the colors often associated with Hanukkah but we have updated the look with clear textured plates and our frosted Anemone Votives. Mix up placemats and textures, like we have here using twig placements and blue cloth ones but unite the table with the same color napkin. Add a faux rabbit or long hair flokati throw from our Watsonville store to add some luxe. We also have an assortment of wooden accent pieces to choose from. Blending materials – wood, glass, metal with textures of cloth, twig, and fur provide an entertainment element all its own.

The best latkes I ever ate were made by Rob Blumberg and he was kind enough to share the recipe. They are delicious cold the next day too! I don’t think I can go back to making potato latkes any more these were so good- sweet potato jalapeno latkes with salsa- a multi-cultural dish! Serve with roast chicken, green salad and maybe a side of green beans. Make sure your guests bring some of the food, so you can enjoy your lovely winter table with them.

Special thanks for Rue Magazine for this beautiful photography.

The Grove Plank Cheese Board, filled with grapes, bread, and dips, shows off the natural wood grain and knots captured in this clear glass. This serving piece is textured from the wood grain of an actual tree.

Products featured: Salt Charger, Salt Dinner Plate, Anemone Votives, and Grove Plank Cheese Board.

Sweet Potato Jalapeno Latkes

Adapted from Andrew Friedman, Epicurious, December 2005 Thanks to Rob Blumberg

These Southwestern-style latkes are vibrant to the eye and the palate, especially when served on Annieglass!
Servings: Makes about 24 small latkes.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, peeled
4 large sweet potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or matzoh meal or cornstarch)
1 medium jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salsa and/or applesauce

Preparation

Using a box grater or food processor fitted with grating disc, coarsely grate onion and place in a colander set in the sink. Coarsely grate sweet potatoes, add to the colander, and set aside to drain.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in flour, then stir in jalapeño.

Press sweet potatoes and onion to extract as much liquid as possible, then add to egg/flour mixture. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using wooden spoon or hands, mix well, but do not overwork.

In heavy-bottomed, 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter until hot but not smoking. Drop 4 scant 1/4-cup portions of batter into pan and flatten with spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.

Fry until bottoms are golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season immediately with salt and pepper. Keep warm on baking sheets in the oven while making remaining pancakes.

Using paper towels, carefully wipe out the pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter and fry 4 more pancakes. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out the pan and adding 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter before each batch.

Serve pancakes hot with fresh salsa and/or applesauce. Serve on Annieglass!