Q: I am invited to a Seder, and I am assigned to bring dessert. I am not Jewish so I am confused about what to bring. I see Passover chocolates in the stores but I thought you couldn't eat dairy. Someone suggested a cheesecake, this just doesn't sound right.
A: If there is meat at the meal, then you are right, a dairy-based dessert is not appropriate. However, many chocolates are NOT dairy. Look on the box to see if it says "Parve," which means that the chocolate (or whatever) contains neither dairy products nor animal-based products. If it says Parve, you will be fine. A lot of chocolates and other such stuff is sold at Passover to people in your exact situation--a contribution to the Passover meal--so it is designed to be Parve. But of course, it is possible that the meal will not include meat. These days, many people are vegetarians. If there is no meat at the meal, dairy products are just fine. (Dairy producs are a whole separate issue for vegens, as opposed to "regular" vegetarians, but that has nothing to do with being Kosher.) Macaroons, which are made primarily from coconut and sugar, are a classic and traditional Passover cookie, and they are widely available. If you can't find anything else that looks appealing, that always works. Flourless egg-white cookies are also great for Passover, and they are a big treat our family always looks forward to. I have never seen them for sale ready-made, but my wife says they are very easy to make (Hint: go for ones with chocolate chips.) This one is kosher for Passover and parve, if you get chips made w/o milk products: EGG WHITE COOKIES 12 egg whites, room temperature 2/3 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Pinch of salt 6 oz. chocolate chips Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chill bowl and beaters. Beat egg whites until very stiff, slowly add sugar, vanilla and salt (still beating). When mixture peaks, fold in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Place in oven and turn off oven, leave overnight or at least 5 hours. Enjoy the seder, and good luck!!