Charoset Truffles

This recipe is a bit early for Passover, but that's why I'm a better fake Jew than you are a real Jew. Yep, I call myself Philly's biggest Jew-faker. I'm not Jewish at all, but because my boyfriend is.

I'm in ur temple drinking ur Manichevitz!
I know my bar mitzvah from a mikveh, and I'll take a tween boy party over getting naked and wet in front of people any day.

I'm on The Collaborative's mailing list. Apparently, I gave someone my address one night while drinking at a bar holding a Purim event. (And if any Jewish women out there want to go with me to the all-women's Mahjong classes organized by The Collaborative, get at me. I'm itching to go, but am afraid I'll blow my cover.)Dont' know how many times I've heard a rabbi do their Rosh Hashanah spiel. Or was it Yom Kippur? Honestly, I space out and think deep thoughts. Or just count the window panes.

I've experienced a Seder with Penn grad students (boooring), a Seder at Mikveh Israel (fun, especially when the one family of Sephardic Jews got smashed and started hitting each other with scallions), and a Seder with long lost relatives (awkward, but warm).So, will you accept this charoset truffle recipe from a shiksa? Good.

Oh, you have no idea what charoset is?

Well, it's a sweet mixture of dried fruit, nuts, spices, and sweet wine that symbolizes the mortar Jewish slaves used to build the storehouses of Egypt, and is, frankly, the best part of the Seder meal. Well, slamming back four cups of wine, even if it is bad kosher wine — but not Manischevitz — isn't that bad either.

In this recipe, I'm just taking that sweet mortar, rolling it in balls, and rolling the balls into sugar. Simple.

Eat these charoset truffles during Passover — it's a long week of limited dining options — or eat them any time of the year. Think of them as Lärabars in ball form, if you like. I popped ten charoset truffles while I was taking the photos for this post, that's how good they are.
Charoset Truffles
makes about 40 truffles

This recipe is highly adaptable. Keep the dates for their sweetness, but feel free to sub any dried fruits for the raisins or cherries. Use any nut you like. Use any sweet wine or fruit juice you like. I used Port because that's what I had on hand. Just be sure to use kosher-for-Passover wine or juice if serving these during Passover. And it would have been fancy-dancy to use decorator's sugar, but I didn't have any.

2 cups pitted dates
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons sweet wine
sugar

• Pulse all ingredients, except for the sugar, in food processor until forms a chunky paste.
• Scoop about 1 tablespoon of paste and roll paste between palms of hands to form a ball.
  
• Roll balls in a bowl of sugar to coat, and serve.