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This year, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days starting on Dec. 4. The following menu is a perfect Hanukkah meal. Although it includes latkes, apple sauce and doughnuts, I have deconstructed them to make a fun, but still traditional dinner for family and friends.

POTATO LATKES

We used the traditional method of soaking the grated potatoes and onions in ice water for 5 minutes before wringing them out. This produces extra-crispy latkes, which are slightly more fragile, so you will need to increase the flour to ¼ cup if you do it this way. Without soaking, the latkes are denser and a little easier to manage. The recipe is for unsoaked potatoes.

What you need

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

1 large onion

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

What you do

Grate potatoes and onion in a food processor with the grating blade. Place in a towel and wring out excess moisture.

Place potato-onion mixture in a bowl and add egg, flour, baking powder, and salt and pepper.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 tablespoons potato mixture into hot oil and flatten with a fork. The latkes will be irregularly shaped. Fry until well browned on both sides and crisp around the edges, about 3 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pan. Drain well on paper towels. Add more oil as needed.

To reheat, place latkes in a 350 F oven for 5 minutes. Makes about 30 latkes.

CRISP-SKINNED SALMON

WITH APPLE COMPOTE

Who knew until we tried this mixture that salmon and apples would make such a lovely combination?

What you need

Salmon:

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

8 six-ounce pieces salmon filet

Salt to taste

Apple Compote:

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons grated ginger

4 apples, preferably spys,

Granny Smith or pink lady, peeled and cut in chunks

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sauce:

1 cup apple juice

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

What you do

Combine maple syrup, black pepper, apple cider vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour over salmon pieces and marinate for 30 minutes. Season with salt.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and apples and cook for 4 minutes or until apples are softened. Add maple syrup and lemon juice and continue to cook until apples begin to caramelize, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cover pan, turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until apples are cooked through. Remove from heat and place apples in a bowl.

Heat a non-stick skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl carefully to coat. Place salmon in skillet, skin side down. Cook for 2 minutes or until skin is very crisp. Turn salmon skin side up and place on oiled baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until white juices just begin to appear and salmon has a slight redness in the middle. Keep warm while making sauce.

Return skillet to stove on high heat and add apple juice, cider vinegar, sugar and ginger. Bring to boil and boil until slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve salmon with apples and a little sauce. Serves 8.

DOUGHNUT BREAD PUDDING

Fried foods such as doughnuts are often eaten at Hanukkah to remind Jews of the miracle of the oil in the lamp that burned for eight days even though there was only enough oil to last one night. The pudding is a slam dunk. We used regular jelly doughnuts but you can also try using fresh doughnuts from a Polish bakery if you can find them. They are not as sweet as regular jelly doughnuts so you may need to increase the sugar.

What you need

12 jelly doughnuts

6 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

What you do

Tear doughnuts into bite-sized pieces and scatter in a large buttered baking dish.

Whisk together egg and sugar until well combined. Whisk in milk, cream, vanilla and salt. Pour over doughnuts and let sit for 45 minutes or until most of the custard is absorbed.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Place dish in the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until custard is set. Cool. Cut into squares to serve. Serve with Lime Crème Anglaise or ice cream. Serves 8.

LIME CRÈME ANGLAISE

What you need

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon grated lime rind

2 egg yolks

½ teaspoon cornstarch

What you do

Combine milk, sugar and lime rind in a small heavy-bottomed pot. Cook until bubbles appear around the edge of the pot but the mixture is not quite boiling.

Whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch in a large bowl. Pour in milk mixture, whisking constantly, to combine. Return custard to pot and cook over low heat, whisking constantly for 8 minutes, or until it has the thickness of heavy cream. Immediately pour into a clean bowl and let cool.

lwaverman@globeandmail.com