3rd Annual Shavuos Contest!

We are proud to announce our 3rd Annual Shavuos Contest. Last year’s prize (a beautiful basket of cholov Yisroel N&K cheeses), went to Pessy Haskelevich in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn; the year before that Brachie S. from Lakewood took the top honors and also received a great selection of cholov Yisroel N&K cheeses. Both times Brigitte Mizrahi, from Anderson International Foods graciously supplied the prizes.

This year Brent Delman from The Cheese Guy.com is supplying the prize:

Photo by: Brent Delman, The Cheese Guy

Two winners will be selected and each will receive a basket consisting of: Italian Montaggio and Pecorino Romano, Pepper Jack, Mild Cheddar, Monterrey Jack and Aged Havarti as well as a jar of honey and a jar of Swiss Hero preserves. All cheeses are cholov Yisroel.

The last date for entries will be May 25th (the Friday prior to erev Shavuot which will start on Motzey Shabbat) at 12:00pm. We will choose the best dairy recipe using cheeses as one of the ingredients. We’ve had some great entries in the past, be creative and send us your best. Winners will be announced on June 4th, the first Monday following Shavuot.

You may enter multiple times if you believe you have more than one possible winning entry. We can’t wait to sample those recipes!

Please send us your recipes to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

CS

A Conversation with Brent Delman, The Cheese Guy

This evening at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time), we will be talking with Brent Delman, from The Cheese Guy.com. Brent graduated from George Washington University about two decades ago with a degree on International business, but in recent and in recent years he branched off to focus primarily on cheese.

Brent Delman, pressing cheeses curds in Ohio...

As he puts it, his cheeses are “a blend of creativity and flavor – a colorful fusion of my Eastern European Jewish heritage, the ethnic Italian neighborhood that I grew up in and my proximity to Amish farm territory. In collaboration with farmers and artisan cheese makers, I produce small batches of handcrafted cheeses based on my own recipes and formulas – I make sure to taste every batch.

…While most of my cheeses are produced domestically at family owned dairy farms, I do produce some cheeses abroad in Italy – made in the finest Italian tradition in small dairies that dot the countryside. Make sure to try our Pecorino Romano cheese aged over 18 months – it’s the best of the best!“

Fresh mozzarella being made at the creamery outside Rome, Italy.

He just returned from a trip abroad where he found new exciting cheeses, and new creameries to produce them.

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, please listen to last week’s show A Conversation with Ari White, from Gemstone Catering. Don’t forget to tune us in this evening at 8:00pm (Easterm Time) at BlogTalkRadio.com. Having met Brent at a wine tasting a couple of weeks ago, I can assure you this will be a interesting and informative show.

CS

Internet Radio Show Tonight

Thanks to Sidney and Tammy Cohen  we did an incredible one hour show last week, live from 18 Restaurant (240 E 81st St, New York NY10065; Tel: 212.517.2400). Our guests lineup included: Gil Marks – author of Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum - who spoke of her brand new cook book. Kim Amzallag from Kosher Inspired Magazine, Esti Berkowitz from the Prime Time Parenting blog and, of course, the incomparable Tammy Cohen . The food was great, the atmosphere just perfect and the place was packed.  We all loved it!

This evening, at 7:30 pm (Eastern Time), we will broadcasting again. You can listen to our show at BlogTalkRadio/kosherscene. We will start with a reading of a very short piece I wrote a few years back (which was reprinted on The Jerusalem Post and on Ynet.com) it’s about the first Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day, commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem. I was there when the Old City – Ir Hatika became ours again…

Then we’ll turn the conversation to Shavuos and dairy food with Brigitte Mizrahi and Moshe Vogel from Anderson International Foods (who manufacture the cholov Yisroel line of cheeses Natural & Kosher, and the non-cholov Yisroel brands Les Petites Fermieres and Organic and Kosher. We will follow with Kim Amzallag (whom I prerecorded yesterday afternoon), who will talk to us about the new Shavuos issue of Kosher Inspired and much more.

A tiny selection of Anderson International Foods' cheese offerings

Please tune us in this evening from 7:30pm t0 8:30pm, at: BlogTalkRadio/kosherscene. We have a very interesting program, geared to Shavuos (which is next week, starting Tuesday eve and continuing through Thursday night, the evening of the 7th through the 9th of June). We’ll be waiting for you!

CS

Shavuos Contest

Last year we announced The Kosher Scene’s First Annual Shavuot Cheese Cake Contest, as a result we received 21 recipes by the time it was over. We realize that not everyone is a baker so this year instead of cheesecake we are announcing a Shavuot Best Dairy Recipe Contest. It need not be a cheescake, it can be anything, BUT cheese must be one the ingredients.

Last year’s winner got the following cholov Yisroel cheeses from N&K some of whose products we’ve reviewed on these pages (here and here):

Stack 108 slices stack White American, 16ozs. Mozarella chunk, 8ozs. Muenster chunk, 8 ozs. Cheddar chunk, 6ozs. Muenster slices, 6ozs. Swiss slices, 6ozs. Processed Pepper Jack slices, 8ozs. shredded Pizza Cheese, 8 ozs. shredded Chef's Blend, 12 Mozarella Cheese Sticks

You may not like to bake, but you may like to cook up a storm of delicious dishes for Shavuot, so please, send us some of your best recipes to:

KosherScene@gmail.com

We’ll publish the most mouth watering ones with the author’s name and the winner will receive a selection of cheeses from N&K to rival last year’s prize. All entries must be emailed by Monday, June 6 of 2011. We will announce the winner on Monday the 13th of June. Send us your best recipes, don’t be shy. Even if you think other readers may send in better ones, try anyway, don’t let your modesty keep you from winning. Your family will be proud of you, other readers will thank you. We can’t wait to see your best efforts, our mouth are already salivating.

For last year’s delicious winning cheesecake recipes, check out: and the winner is…

CS

This Evening’s Radio Show and a Recipe

Right before Pessach we did a two hour show featuring various wine experts and distributors, talking about kosher wines from around the world. It ended with a half hour conversation with Chef Jeff Nathan of Abigael’s.  You can listen to the archived show here.

This evening our internet radio guest will be Chef Sarah Lasry. Mrs. Lasry is Food Editor at Binah Magazine, author of The Dairy Gourmet and The At Home Gourmet. For eight years she owned and operated Tastebuds, a very successful dairy restaurant in the Howell/Lakewood area in New Jersey. You can hear our conversation, at 8:00pm (Eastern Time) on BlogTalk Radio. To talk to our guest, or to comment, you may call in at: 714.333.3357, we will be on from 8:00 – 8:30pm.

Looking through her latest of cookbook, The At Home Gourmet, I found it well organized and easy to follow. It’s divided in seven sections (Amazing Appetizers, Simple Soups, Zestful Salads, Lazy Lunches, Delicious Dinners, Waist Watchers, Basic Desserts) )and has a well organized Index. Quite a few of its recipes are destined to become new favorites, among them some of the very decadent desserts.

While I’m a carnivore to the core, those who follow this blog also know that any recipe that calls for cheese is sure to get my attention. Therefore, out of the many mouthwatering recipes in this book, I thought the one below would be perfect…

So Cheesy Onion Potato Gratin

• 1 large onion sliced thin
• 2 tbsp.extra virgin oil
• 2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 2 tsp. Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Mozarella cheese
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 4 tbsp. melted butter
• Extra shredded Cheddar or Mozzarella for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet over med-high heat, saute the onions in olive oil until they have browned (about 4-5 minutes). In a sprayed 9 x 13 baking pan, layer the bottom with the fried onions. Then layer the potatoes over the onions, covering them completely and overlapping the potatoes one on top of the other.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream, salt, black pepper and both cheeses together. Pour the heavy cream mixture over the potatoes. In a separate bowl, add the crumbs and melted margarine, mix well and then spread generously over the top layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with a little more cheese and bake the gratin until it becomes bubbly, the top is brown and the potatoes are completely soft, about 20-30 minutes. Let gratin rest for about 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! As for me I plan on pairing it tonight with a well chilled Balma Venetia 2006 Muscat Beaumes de Venise… can’t wait!

CS

Our Internet Radio Shows for this Week

Last week week Pastry Chef Paula Shoyer – author of The Kosher Baker – was our guest, based on emails we received after it aired, there is no question her charm, her knowledge, won the audience’s heart. If you missed it, you can hear it here.

This week, we will have two special shows. Tomorrow Wednesday, April 6 2011, we will a two hour show starting at 6:30. We will be transmitting live from NYC’s biggest Pre-Passover Wine Tasting. This event will take place at: West Side Institutional, 120 West 76 Street, New York, NY 10023. There is a Private VIP tasting which starts at 6:00pm and goes on until 7:00pm. General admission starts at 7:00pm. There are over 300 wines to sample, including new ones, classic vintages and many from Costas Mouzouras’ private collection.

Some of the hundreds of bottles consumed at last year's Gotham Wines' Show

Costas is Gotham Wines ans Liquors (2517 Broadway; New York, NY 10025; Telephone: 212.932.0990), kosher brands manager. His grandfather had a small winery, in Cyprus, where Costas used to help out during his summers as a teenager. We will talk to various distributors, we will taste wines and suggest pairings with cheese and other foods.

Brigitte Mizrahi, Anderson International Foods CEO, will share her expertise on wine and cheese during the broadcast and finally at 8:00pm – 8:30pm we will speak her about her company’s products. This promises to be a very exciting show, so please listen in at: Kosherscene, tomorrow – April 6, 2011 – from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

The next show of the week will be broadcast on Thursday the 7th, and will be pre-taped at tonight’s 20th Anniversary Puah Dinner. Puah is an organization that helps infertile couples within the halachic parameters. The show will, feature interviews with the various inspirational speakers on Puah‘s very important mission. As a child of Holocaust survivors I can attest to the importance of Puah‘s work as the only effective revenge on those who would obliterate us. This show will air on Thursday at 8:00-9:00pm. Please, give us a listen.

CS

Les Petites Fermières – Goat Cheese Medallions

Chèvre or goat cheese is white colored and somewhat tart in flavor. The West has popularized cow’s milk whereas in the rest of the world goat’s milk is preferred. As a rule, because it is usually manufactured in areas with little refrigeration, it is preserved with salt. As a result, most people believe that goat cheese is naturally far saltier than cow cheese. Perhaps the best known goat cheese in the US is Feta, which is qite salty as a result of being brined, having tasted the latest offerings from Les Petites Fermières, I can assure you that goat cheese also comes with more subtle flavors. The higher proportion of fatty acids such as capric acid present in goat’s milk, gives it that characteristic tartness.

I tasted all three of their available flavors: Goat Cheese Medallions with Fine Herbs and Garlic, Goat Medallions with Cranberry and Maple Syrup, Goat Cheese Medallions. My favorite was the last one, though I thoroughly enjoyed the other two as well.

I came up with the following easy recipe to go with these type of cheese:

Herb and Garlic Goat Cheese and Onion Dip

Ingredients

• 2 packages Les Petites Fermières Goat Cheese Medallions with Fine Herbs and Garlic
• ⅔ cup low fat sour cream
• 3 onions, chopped

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.
2. Pulse 1–2 minutes until well combined but not completely pureed.
3. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
4. Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Makes about 1¼ cups.

I also crumbled some of these cheeses into a salad and enjoyed it with a Baron Herzog Sauvignon Blanc 2008. When CS had the cholov Yisroel Chèvre from N&K, he paired them with a Chilean Alfasi Malbec-Syrah 2009, a perfect and inexpensive choice for someone who grew up on the Northern shore of the Rio de La Plata (River Plate, for us gringos).

SYR

Some New Cheeses from Natural & Kosher

N&K's newest selections

I may be a carnivore to the core, but I’m also a cheese lover. Thus, over the last seven days I’ve been trying some of Natural and Kosher‘s latest selections. These included: Horseradish Cheddar, Olive Cheddar, Part Skim Mozzarella, Goat Kashkaval, Sharp Goat Cheddar, Goat Mozzarella with Red Peppers, Goat Mozzarella with Fine Herbs, Cranberry Pecan Chèvre Goat Cheese, Fine Herbs Chèvre, 2 types of American Slices, Cheddar Cubes, Mexican Blend (Shredded blend of Monterrey Jack, Cheddar and Asadero) and a superb Fitucci Grated Parmesan Cheese. I found them all to be delicious choices. Feeling adventurous I decided to do a white omelette. SYR had been telling me about an omelette without yolks, made with only the egg whites. What’s the point you ask? A drastic reduction in calories and the elimination of almost all the cholesterol with no sacrifice of taste!

SYR‘s Hearty White Omelette

Delicious and filling!

Yield: 2 servings

Directions

• olive oil
• 1/2 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1/3 green pepper, chopped
• 1/3 red pepper, chopped
• 1/3 yellow pepper, chopped
• 3 Baby Portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 6 egg whites
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 slice N&K Horseradish Cheddar
• 1 slice N&K Olive Cheddar
• Fitucci Grated Parmesan
• 1 medium tomato
• Parsley flakes

Directions

1. Saute onion and peppers in a sprayed or lightly greased coated pan till light brown.
2. Add in chopped mushrooms. and saute for another few minutes till onions are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Toss egg whites into pan on low-medium flame till lightly golden add salt and pepper to taste- flip
4. Add in suated onions, pepper ch0pped parsley mushrooms and cheese.
5. When cheese melts, fold in half and slide onto plate.
6. Garnish with tomato slices and sprinkle the whole with parsley flakes and grated Parmesan cheese.

What did we do with the yolks?!? With Purim coming up in a few days they were used for baking, of course.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

And Our Upcoming Wednesday’s Internet Radio Show Guest Will Be…

Gil Marks

We had a great show this past Wednesday with Gil Marks whose knowledge of all things food is truly encyclopedic. If you missed the show you can hear it here. It was fascinating to delve into the traditions of food, what’s behind a name, it was/it is well worth a listen.

This upcoming Wednesday’s show will feature another fascinating guest, Nina Shapir, a Brooklyn restaurateur with a difference. Who is Nina Shapir? I’ve spoken to her when The Kosher scene reviewed her Natural Village Cafe and this were my impressions:

Nina Shapir, who presides over this eatery is truly a fascinating personality, the personal journey that changed her life and motivated her to open this establishment is full of commitment and dedication.

Fourteen years ago, Mrs. Shapir – a very young mother of three – found herself sick and unable to move, unable to cope. It was not a question of being financially overwhelmed, any such concerns were well taken care of. Medical tests and treatments produced no positive results, on the contrary things inexplicably kept getting worse. She met Harav Chay Azoulay, from Herzliya, who told her the real malady was not physical but rather one that affected her neshama. After some thought, trying to make sense of Rav Azulay’s words, she went on a detox diet with the help of healthfood stores, intent on ridding herself of all negative energies. This decision was followed by six very hard weeks before she saw any measurable improvements but soon after she was her old active, curious, intelligent, enterprising self again.

At this stage, Nina decided to help others who, though similarly afflicted, may not be aware of the real source of their health troubles. She went on to study Healing Arts at The School of Natural Healing in Utah from which she graduated. Seven years ago her first organic restaurant opened its doors. Her partner, however, was not frum and it proved frustrating, eventually Nina bought her out. In 2008 she moved to the present location which combines her personal philosophy, her exquisite sense of aesthetics and the true love of a foodie for superb fare. She also has an an office adjacent to the restaurant where she treats the many in search of natural healing.

Please listen in on our show on Wednesday at 8:00pm on Jewish Radio Network. Click on the red “here” under the white “Radio,” then wait about 90 to 180 seconds for the application to start streaming.

CS

The World of Kosher Cheese – part 2b

Aside from Pomegranate‘s great selection of specialty cheeses, they have the biggest display of prepackaged cheeses I’ve seen anywhere.

Lots of choices!

From such small producers as Karen’s Bracha’s Cheese Co’s, Twisted Mozzarella with Zahatar; or Susan Gourmet’s selections of foreign styled cheeses to major producers such as Anderson International Foods cholov Yisroel Natural and Kosher line, their non-cholov Yisroel Les Petites Fermières to Fresh and Healthy, to Tnuva, you’ll find them all here.

Closeup of various cheese shelves

Sugar River Cheese Co.’s choices are among SYR’s favorite American made cheeses, Les Petites Fermières’ imported Camembert and Brie are her favorite imports. I’ve tried some of Fresh and Healthy‘s Capriccio collection and liked them all. The Cheese Guy also has some delicious cheeses but the company’s hechsherim vary by the cheese, be sure to check to make sure the individual hechsher is acceptable to you. Cholov is another company that produces an all time favorite like the Chevrai line of goat milk cheeses.

As a foodie, and expanding on Elizabeth Bland’s own blog, I could spend a whole day going and admiring the cheese choices with the same fervor, with the same passion, with the same delight with which I could through a museum filled with masterpieces! But… if you are a regular reader of this blog you already know that, of course.

Whether you are new to the world of cheese, whether you are connoisseur, whether you like raw milk, cow’s milk, or goat’s milk cheese, Pomegranate‘s got them all.

CS