Grandma Lee's Charoset

http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040331/news_lz1f31seder.html

8 servings (may be double, tripled, etc.)

1 c walnuts
2 T sugar
2 lg Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger (optional)
2 tablespoons sweet red wine, kosher for Passover
12 dates, remove pit and coarsely chop (~8 oz)
 
In the food processor, grind the walnuts with sugar. Use pulse setting so it doesn't become too fine. Peel and core apples. (Peel in a spiral for garnish, if desired.) Grate apples on regular-size perforations of a food grater. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and stir in ground nut mixture, cinnamon, ginger, wine and dates. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with apple peel, if desired.

Charoset is a sweet spread made from chopped apples, nuts and wine. It symbolizes the mortar the Jewish slaves used to hold together the bricks used in the Egyptians' cities and temples. Grandma Lee's Charoset, which is from my mother-in-law, is a traditional recipe that gets a tasty touch from the addition of dates.
Also included here is a more recent discovery, Janos Wilder's New American Charoset. This modern version gets a fresh flavor and bright color from the addition of mango.
To garnish the Charoset, I cut off the apple peels in a long spiral, then coil a piece of peel around each serving in an apple shape. I also core out the apple stems and place one at the center of each serving.