Last night the RBI Cakes crew volunteered their time for the 3^rd Annual Latke Festival Sponsored by our friend and colleague, Liz Neumark of Great Performances.  People were lining up at the latke stations in the BAM Café in Brooklyn, enjoying the various chefs’ take on this holiday tradition.  Ron of course brought his own traditional spin to his holiday favorite – he ads a bit of shredded parsnip to his pancake.  And to give it a bit of a sweet taste (we are a bakery after all) – a sprinkling of sugar and brûléed with a torch!

Ron’s Parsnip Latke Brûlée recipe:

1 large russet (baking) potato (8 to 10 oz)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 medium parsnips (1 lb total), peeled and coarsely grated

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Peel potato and coarsely grate into a bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to combine.

Place grated potato on towel, then gather up corners to form a sack and twist tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.

Stir potato together with parsnips, flour, eggs, chives, salt, and pepper until combined well.

Cook in vegetable oil about 1 ½ minutes on each side.

Before serving, sprinkle with granulated sugar and torch to caramelize.