If you’ve been counting the Omer, you are aware that Shavuot, a.k.a. the holiday of blintzes and cheesecake, is approaching this Saturday night. As a vegan, I have often wondered why Jews eat dairy on Shavuot. There are many answers to this question. One is that eating dairy foods symbolizes our continued acceptance of the Torah, which according to tradition, we received on Shavuot. Another idea is we consume milk because of all the verses in the Torah mentioning Israel as “the land of milk and honey. Whatever the reason, Shavuot has always been the cheesiest holiday.
There are so many amazing traditional Shavuot recipes from different regions, from Mizrachi Jews serving dishes made from a rich milk pudding called Muhallabeya, to my Ashkenazi family’s favorite, blintzes, and so much in between. The recipe below is a bit more flower power and less traditional than the usual Shavuot dishes. This apricot-infused cannoli cream dessert has fewer calories than most traditional dishes for the holiday and was inspired by Jewish feminist icon Frida Kahlo. To quote Ms.Kahlo herself “I paint flowers so they never die.”
Just like the Revelation on Mt. Sinai brought together Heaven and Earth, so too, this Shavuot manna recipe is two worlds colliding : Cannolis and my favorite hazelnut spread, Nutella. This Shavuot recipe that will have you quoting the gangsters in The Godfather: “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”
Apricot Infused Cannoli Cream Frutta
3 apricots
8 oz. mascarpone (sweet Italian cheese]
3 tbsp of Nutella Hazelnut Spread (or more to taste)
3 tbsp agave syrup or stevia
1 tbsp sweet cooking wine
Instructions:
Mix masacarpone cheese with your choice of agave syrup or stevia which has fewer calories than sugar and marsala sweet cooking wine. Once fully mixed, shape into a circular cake. Slice apricots into wedges. Place apricot pieces around cheese to create a flower in honor of Shavuot a holiday which celebrates the springtime. Drizzle with Nutella (to taste) and have a blessed Shavuot!
Michele Amira is a student at the University of Maryland.
