This time of year, we are usually in Texas with my in-laws, making tamales and enjoying the warm weather. And last week, we would have been in Massachusetts with my side of the family, making latkes and trudging around the perimeter of the house in the snow looking at the brightly lit menorahs – each strategically placed in an outward facing window, the flickering candles punctuating our circular trek in the darkness, our voices giddy and festive.
This year, of course, we stayed put in New Jersey – the flicker of Zoom screens competing with the candles and the two of us eating enough latkes (traditional potato this year) for the whole family. (Seriously, we did not adjust the quantities at all and ended up eating latkes for four days! No complaints here, of course.)
While we still managed to have a festive time (and some pretty sweet Christmas Day plans – involving tons of two-player board games and a full coffee pot – are in the works), staying put for the holidays has definitely made it seem extra important to mark the occasion in any way we can. While I didn’t get it together to put up a Chanukah-specific recipe this year, I wanted to celebrate the holiday season with a winter-inspired, simple dessert that wouldn’t take too much effort but which would scream “holidays!” I also decided to err on the healthier side of things since I tend to end up eating way too many sweets this time of year. (Don’t worry, this still tastes sweet and decadent – I’m just calling it “healthier” because it also contains yogurt and fruit :-))
Okay, so let’s talk about it already! Cranberries and apples are cooked down with wintery spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom into a deliciously tart and lightly spiced fruit layer. That gets sandwiched by a simple ginger cream that almost didn’t make it into the glass because I just wanted to eat it by itself. Basically, you’ll make your own ginger-infused simple syrup with sugar, water, and powdered ginger, pour it into some super thick greek yogurt, and stir in some finely chopped candied ginger pieces for good measure. Once everything is layered together, you’ll garnish it with some extra candied ginger and .. voilá! Time to get a spoon.