Geila Hocherman’s Cinco de Mayo Recipes – Part 2

[Geila gives us two more superb recipes! Editor]

Sweetcorn Salad

Photo by: Antonis Achilleous, Kosher Revolution on page 137

Serves 6

This delicious – and beautiful – salad began with a bag of sweetcorn kernels I’d scraped from cobs served at a barbecue. In my house, company is a constant. To feed a hungry crowd one day and to use up the kernels, I invented this salad. With toasted pine nuts, onion, pepper and a tantalising sesame oil-based dressing, the salad goes beautifully with my Surimi Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Mayonnaise or with any grilled meat or fish.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon grapeseed or rapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 6 corn on the cobs
• 1/2 cup sugar, if needed
• 1 orange, yellow or red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 1 red onion, diced
• 4 scallions, white part only, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. In a small frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the nuts and toast, stirring, until aromatic and beginning to color, about 3 minutes. Set the nuts aside.
2. Fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Taste the sweetcorn; if it’s not sufficiently sweet, add the sugar to the water. Add the corn on the cobs and cook until just tender, 5–7 minutes. Drain, and when the cobs are cool, cut off the kernels using a large knife. Transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
3. Add the pepper, onion, spring onions, cilantro and reserved nuts, and toss. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, mirin and salt, and blend well. Pour over the sweetcorn mixture and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Geila’s Tip

Never add salt to the water in which you boil sweetcorn. It toughens the kernels.

—OooO—

Coconut Flan

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• 8 eggs
• 1 15 ounce can cream of coconut- Roland, coco lopez
• 2 tablespoons Mexican vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Place sugar and corn syrup in small heavy bottomed saucepan with the water and stir.  Over medium heat let the sugar melt until it begins to turn color.  Once coloring has begun you may swirl the pan. When the caramel is medium amber pour into a greased 9 inch pan that has been placed on a dishtowel in a roasting pan.
3. Blend together the vanilla, eggs, and cream of coconut.  Pour the mixture over the caramel.  Place pan in oven and fill with hot water that comes half way up side of pan.
4. Bake for one hour or until custard is set and knife comes out clean.
5. Cool completely.  Run knife along edge and invert onto a plate and serve.

Enjoy!

Geila Hocherman

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Kosher Revolution

A Conversation with Geila Hocherman

Viennese Chocolate Fingers

SYR and I are both confirmed, hopeless, chocoholics. Yes, we love chocolate in almost any shape or form. Here is a recipe she adapted (to make it pareve) from Jacqueline Bellefontaine‘s What’s Cooking Chocolate:

Makes about 18

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sweet margarine
• 6 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
• 1 1/2 cups self – rising flour, sifted
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 7 ounces dark chocolate

Directions

1. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Beat the sweet margarine and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat the flour and cornstarch into the mixture.
2. Melt 2 1/4 oz of the dark chocolate and beat into the cookie dough.
3. Place in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe fingers bout 2 inches long on the prepared cookie sheets, slightly spaced apart to allow for spreading during cooking.
4. Bake in a prepared oven at 375 F for 12-15 minutes. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets, then carefully transfer with a spatula to a wire rack and let cool completely.
5. Melt the remaining, dark chocolate and dip one end of each cookie in the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl.
6. Place the cookies on a sheet of baking parchment and allow to completely set before serving.

Not only do these cookies practically “melt in your mouth,” but the taste is almost unequaled by anything else I can remember. They went so fast, I never got a chance to shoot my own picture and had to use the photo above, a detail from the one appearing  in the book!

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Fresh & Easy

A well known New York Chef once told me that when he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, he prided himself of making a pasta dish that required thirty ingredients. Sure, it was absolutely delicious, but it took a loooong time to prepare. Soon, however, he outgrew that urge as he realized you can still make delicious dishes with far fewer ingredients, less preparation time and those tasting them would still lick their fingers.

Leah Schapira‘s Fresh and Easy follows the latter philosophy, as the book makes food preparation fun, healthy, quick!

The book is divided into nine sections:

• Menus
• Soups
• Salads
• Dips & Sauces
• Side Dishes
• Brunch &Lunch
• Main Dishes
• Traditional
• Desserts

The Menus section is subdivided into five sections:

• Appetizer Ideas
• Pesach Menu
• Make-in Take-out
• Quick and Easy
• Freezes Well

Each of these subsections sports tempting thumbnail photos of various dishes and the page numbers where they can be found.

It wasn’t easy choosing just one favorite recipe, but I finally opted for a dessert:

Chocolate Mousse With Pear Chips

Ingredients

• 8 eggs separated
• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate (not baking)
• 1 teaspoon coffee granules (dissolved in 3 teaspoons boiling water)
• 1/4 cup red wine

         Pear Chips

• 2 firm pears
• 1 cup sugar

Directions

1. In a mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
2. Over a double boiler, melt the chocolatre with the coffee. Beat the egg yolks with a fork and quickly add to double boiler, mixing well. Add the red wine. Remove from heat.
3. Fold in the egg whites until combined. Place in individual cups for serving refrigerate.
4. To prepare pear chips, preheat oven to 325F.
5. Thinly slice the pears and lighly coat each side with sugar. Place the pear slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn the pears over and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pears in the oven to cool and dry.
6. Before serving, garnish mousse with chocolate shavings and caramelized pear chips.

With great photography, a nice – easy on the eyes – layout, this book is a delight to hold and salivate as you look at the featured recipes,  truly fresh and easy

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Lemon Tarts, Lemon Tarts!!

Since my earliest days there was something about the taste of lemon I always liked, ever since I’ve tried to include lemon as an ingredient wherever possible… and sometimes even where it was not always possible to make it work.

Lemon Tarts are and have long been personal favorites, here is a a parve (and a dairy) version of the recipe:

Photo from: http://ourfamilyfoodadventures.com/2011/08/29/a-little-plate-of-sunshine/

Lemon Tarts

(adapted from Eat, Play, Love)

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Tart Crust

• 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 6 tablespoons margarine (butter, for a dairy version)
• 6 tablespoons parve cream cheese (regular cream cheese,  for a dairy version)
• 2 tablespoons ice water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tart Filling

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon lemon peel, minced
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions

Tart Crust

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Use a pastry blender to mix the dry ingredients. Next slice the margarine and parvecream cheese into 1″ slices and add it to the flour mixture. Use the pastry blender, or two knives in a scissor fashion, to combine the ingredients until mixture has the texture of a coarse meal.Next combine the water and the vanilla extract and sprinkle it over the flour mixture. Using two forks pull the flour from the bottom up over the top. Then with your hands, gently begin kneading the dough to form a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or freeze it for up to one month).Finally preheat the oven to 375F. When you’re ready to use the dough, roll it out on a floured surface and place it in 6 to 8 mini tart pans (or one 9-inch tart pan). Add some pie weights or dried beans to the tart pans and bake the shells for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the weights and return the shells to the oven for another 5 to 10 more minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool completely.While the tart shell is baking, prepare the filling.

Filling

Carefully remove the peel from one lemon. Cut the peel down so that it?s paper thin and slightly translucent. Then using a sharp knife mince the lemon peel. The peel of one lemon makes approximately one tablespoon.Add the minced lemon peel, sugar and eggs to a small sauce pan and whisk together. Stir in the lemon juice and then add the butter in pieces. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture simmers. Do not let the mixture boil.Once the butter is melted, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir constantly until the mixture thickens (5 to 7 minutes). Finally remove from heat, cover and let cool, stirring occasionally.

Assembling the tarts

When the tart shell has cooled and the lemon filling has cooled. Pour the filling into the mini tart shells, using approximately 1/3 cup per tart. Refrigerate the tarts for at least an hour. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Zisaleck… Woooow!!!

Through the middle of the night and on through the morning, the ZisaLek Oompa Loompas – at 13th Avenue between 49th and 50th (in Brooklyn’s Boro Park section) – are hard at work, creating the most outrageously splendiforous designer daily- fresh gelatos and sorbets imaginable.

My late morning visit to ZisaLek, (before the madding crowd of Zisathusiasts arrived) was like a private invite to a real Willy Wonka’s Fantasmagorium Ice Cream Emporium. I savoringly sampled every single flavor (sample teaser spoons were awesomely sweet- torturously too small) of each rippling wavy creamy mass, each lick surpassing its predecessor.

Amazing colors, amazing shapes, amaaazing flavors!!! A partial view of the Parve showcase

The sorbets were bursting with flavor; perfect balance of sweet to tangy with a marvelous consistency. I loved all the berry flavors, apple and Parve crusted Napoleon and Belgian Ferrero Rocher- well that is until I tasted the milchig (dairy versions) of the same. Wow!! All you chocolate lovers beware!! It’s insanely addictive and suddenly the crazy frenzied traffic, “Oh where will I find a parking spot on 13th Avenue” will be well worth the agita. I wouldn’t be surprised if they resort to valet parking during peak times.

The diet conscience need not despair, a 4 ounce cup of the Diet Chocolate and Diet Ferrero Rocher is well worth the 80 calories. You’ve just got to try the Cheesecake, the Oreo Cookie, Pistachio, Dolce de Latte, Chocolate Whiskey and so many more. Among the Parve flavors, CS and I loved the Orange, Green Apple,  Lemon Vodka, Mixed Berries, Pineapple and more.

Within the space of a week, we had no choice but to go back twice… just to make sure the flavors were really as good as we first thought. Frankly, after we went back a second time we realized how terribly wrong we were. The flavors tasted even better than we first thought!!!

The first time we went we shared a dish of Belgian Waffles…

Belgian Waffles

…it came topped with fresh whipped cream and, on the side, a scoop each of Strawberry and Mixed Berries sorbet with caramel and chocolate syrup. Heavenly, is a gross understatement!

When we went back again we had a plate of Dutch Pancakes…

Dutch Pancakes

…they were served with caramel, confectioner’s sugar and crunchy nuts, chocolate and strawberry sauce and a double scoop of Strawberry Creme Gelato. We followed it up with their Puffies…

Puffies

…covered in Dolce di Latte, with fresh whipped cream, scoops of Oreo Cookies and Coffee gelati and strawberry sauce. All we could say was… wooooow!

“We are the music makers… and we are the dreamers of dreams.” – says Willy Wonka

Well… ZisaLek has certainly proven to be the supreme frozen dessert maker of anyone’s dreamiest dreams.

SYR

Kaizen! Perfection at Prime Ko

Have you ever had one of those microcosmic moments in time encapsulating a window onto something so much bigger in its depth and substance? Though most of mine have not been food moments, this one surely was this past week at the Japanese inspired restaurant Prime Ko (217 West 85th Street New York, NY 10024-3901 - (212) 496-1888) when I tasted Chef Makoto Kameyama’s signature sushi Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna appetizer. But more about that in a moment…

CS and I were escorted into the ground floor dining area; they’ve got a lower level with a wet bar, TV screen and more seating. Décor showed subtle Japanese influences. The waiting area had these lovely brown leather boxy ’kabuki’ shaped chairs and couch, fresh orchids on a dark rectangular table, with a wall of hand-painted coral peonies on soft aqua…

Wall dividers of slatted mahogany separated one area from another; windows were shaded with white bamboo semi-transparent treatments. Seating was brown textured suede on wood, a few striped suede backed benches, all tucked into square darkwood tables. Settings consisted of simple white geometric china, flatware laid out on deep red bamboo textured placemats, and chop-sticks resting on logo enhanced wood pieces. Lighting was recessed in one area and a framed oval shaped ruched red fabric with a back lit center aperture against the far wall, with a row of rice textured globe light fixtures in the other area.

A partial view...

Esteemed Chef Makoto Kameyama, the former prized Sushi Chef at Prime Grill for the past ten years, has served as Executive Chef at Prime Ko since it opened last year. His experience began in Tokyo where he assisted his father, a prominent Edo-sushi chef running a successful restaurant in Japan. In1981, Chef Kameyama came to the US and opened his own Japanese restaurant. Transitioning to Japanese kosher posed quite a challenge. Aside from the dietary restrictions on pork, shrimp, crustaceans, etc. sourcing fine quality kosher fish for sushi and sashimi, replacing basic Japanese cooking elements like bonita flakes and dashi (made of fish bone, until recently unavailable with a kosher certification), achieving consistent textures and creating exciting sauces were but a few of the obstacles he faced.

Chef Kameyama is very pleased with healthy low fat and low cal Japanese cuisine becoming staple of the American diet. Be it the DHA and heart healthy fresh fish, lung healthy miso, or vitamin mineral-rich seaweed, it is thanks to Japanese cuisine masters like Kameyama that this healthy streamlined fare is taking the nation by storm.

Now, back to our meal… The opening appetizer was an assortment of Rainbow Roll, yellowtail, tuna, and salmon sashimi and that fabulous Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna I mentioned earlier. That was the defining moment of kaizen (Japanese for perfection) . The mouthful of toasted rice cake topped with spicy tuna pureed with bell pepper, topped with jalapeño and aioli sauce was a bite of pure perfection. The creative combination of textures and genius flavors conjoining to taste so remarkably well, spoke volumes about the artistry of a chef whose collective experience and expertise arrive at the table each time this signature dish is served. Bravo! Omedetou!

Sushi and Sashimi

But we were just getting warmed up… CS and I shared lovely grilled miso Chilean Sea Bass skewers in a spicy teriyake sauce served aside sautéed bok choy & veggies which couldn’t help but be outshined by an outstanding Tuna Delmonico, edged in breading served with jalapeño sauce, wasabi, beet and ginger sauce, with a side of soba noodles and pickled radish/onion/carrot garnish.

Tuna Delmonico

Our waiter, Al, our server, Lebron, treated us like royalty; they were friendly, efficient, informed. I thought we were getting the ‘special treatment’, but service to the tables nearby was just as extraordinary. Al, had the menu and wine pairings memorized down to the last nori seaweed bit & dot of sauce. Service was the epitome of high Japanese hospitality; water goblets refilled with Prime Ko’s own filtered carbonated water, napkins refolded, tables cleaned between courses, and soy sauce, dishes and silverware replaced with the arrival of each new dish.

We enjoyed a cleansing, refreshing Borgo Reale Pinot Grigio 2007 as we waited for our next course, a medley of kobe chopped beef dishes. We sampled Kobe Meatballs with ground ginger and garlic in miso sesame sauce, spicy Kobe Pizza - crispy dough, house made marinara topped with chopped salad & chopped wagyu. Wagyu Beef Sliders – a mini kobe hamburger with spicy aioli and teriyake sauce – completed this tasty Americanized trio.

Cutlery was replaced again with a fresh set including steak knives. I starved myself till dinner in anticipation, but this was turning out to be a most extravagant meal… The best was next! Three ounces of the most amazing Kobe/Wagyu steak resting on a slab of Himalayan salt rock witha side of white mushroom cooked at our table with a spritz of fresh lime. When quality is this good, extra spicing could only detract from it natural flavors – it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Taken before being cooked at table-side. 3 ozs of marbled beauty!

The second steak dish was a 6 oz. Grain Fed Chateau-Briand with vegetable rice served with a jalapeño/uzu/teriyake sauce, with salad and rice. The steak was so good, I would have preferred the sauce on the side.

Steak Chateau-Briand

Chef then surprised us with Eggplant Dengaku. Baked eggplant topped with miso and sesame sauce. Unusual, and superbly tasty. The evening’s crown,  came with the creative and most beautiful desert dish pictured below.

Beautiful presentation, superlative tasting

Two crepes laid out like a Japanese fan, topped with blueberries and strawberries with hot chocolate sauce, sprinkled with green tea powder and confectioner’s sugar that looked like fairy dust. Need I say more?

A brilliant meal overall. Our thanks to Chef Kameyama and the staff of Prime Ko for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

SYR

Little Lemon Meringue Pie

I’m constantly looking for delicious desserts, I confess, I have a sweet tooth… While scouring the web, for something decadent but fairly easy to prepare, I came across the following on The Food Network:

My mother (a"h) used to make something very similar... ahh, the memories!

 

Little Lemon Meringue Pies

Ingredients

Crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sour cream or yogurt

Lemon Filling:

• 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Meringue:

• 1/4 cup egg whites (about 2 large eggs)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 (6-cup) standard non-stick muffin tin

Directions

Crust:
Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and continue to beat until evenly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the egg yolk. Add half of the flour, beating until just crumbly. Scrape down the bowl again; add the remaining flour and then the sour cream or yogurt, beating just until the dough is evenly moistened. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly to bring it together.

Roll the dough between 2 generously floured sheets of waxed or parchment paper into a circle about 1/4-inch thick with a rolling pin. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut out 6 (4 1/2-inch) rounds using an inverted bowl or round cookie cutter. Place rounds in the muffin tins and, using a small shot glass or your fingers, press into the corners and about halfway up the sides for a snug fit (see photo). Freeze dough in the muffin tin for 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spray the outside of 6 standard muffin liners with cooking spray and place in the crusts. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crusts until just brown around the edges, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 1 minute; then carefully remove the muffin liners and baking beans. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake until crusts are cooked through and evenly browned (see photo), about 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool slightly. Then carefully remove crusts from the muffin tin and cool completely on a rack.

Lemon Filling:

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and yolks in a nonreactive saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth and sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Add the lemon and lime juice and zest and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is as thick as sour cream and is just about to simmer, 3 to 4 minutes. (Take care to stir into the sides of the pot so that all curd thickens evenly.)

Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Whisk in the butter a little at a time, until smooth. Stir occasionally until cooled. (Setting the bowl in a larger bowl of ice will speed this up.). Fill each tartlet with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cool lemon filling.

Meringue:

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold a standing mixer’s bowl above the water. Whisk together the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in the bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch (135 degrees F) and the sugar dissolves, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the whites at medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to high and continue to beat to make a stiff, cool meringue, about 10 minutes. Dollop or pipe on top of the filling.

Just before serving, preheat the broiler to high. Set the pies on a baking sheet, and place under the broiler until the meringue is evenly toasted, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, brown meringue with a blowtorch.) Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

For Busy Bakers:

They can be refrigerated for up to 2 days These also freeze wonderfully! They can be assembled and frozen up to 1 week in advance. Defrost for 20 minutes before broiling the tops and serving.

To make ahead in stages:

- The crusts can be made, baked and frozen up to 2 weeks.

- The curd can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.

- The meringue can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Kosher By Design: Teens And 20 Somethings

Well, Susie Fishbein’s done it again!! Her latest Kosher by Design cookbook for young adults will turn any teen, college student, or young at heart-Fishbein fan, into an instant gourmet superstar. If you’re tired of the same old pizza with fries, or pocket pinching foil-packed fast food entrees, you’re just going to love the 100 deliciously innovative, easy to prepare recipes in her new cookbook. Susie prepares young cooks with great tips on the basics of cooking and the tools they’ll need; tips like using dry and liquid measuring cups because of volume differentials to achieve optimum results, making healthy food choices, and sidebar symbols indicating vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy free and nut-free recipes. All the recipes that made it into the book were taste-tasted and approved by discerning “tastebud” teens.

John Uher’s photography is colorful and appealing throughout – especially the dessert section. Aside from Starters, Munchies, Soups and Salads, Poultry and Meat, Fish, Pasta and Dairy, Side Dishes, Desserts, there’s an exciting section on planning themed Parties, and Special Diet Needs.

It was hard to choose a favorite recipe from all of them, but this one seems intriguing as it shows Mrs. Fishbein’s culinary mastery and understanding of the young:

Chocolate Tart in Pretzel Crust

DAIRY – YIELDS 10-12 SERVINGS

Crust:

• 6 chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos®
• 2 cups mini pretzel twists
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Chocolate Filling:

• 1 (4-ounce) good-quality semisweet chocolate bars, such as Ghiradelli®
• 1 (4-ounce) good-quality milk chocolate bar, such as Ghiradelli®
• 1 cup heavy cream
• whipped cream, optional for garnish
• additional mini pretzel twists for optional garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Place the pretzels and cookies into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal “S” blade. Pulse until almost fine; some small pretzel pieces should remain. Pour into mixing bowl. Add the melted butter. Stir to moisten the crumbs. Press into a 9-inch glass pie plate or a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or your palm to work mixture into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet for easy transfer to and from the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Place the chocolate on your cutting board. Using a sharp knife, finely chop the chocolate.
4. Heat the cream in a medium pot until it is simmering. Add the chocolate, including any small shards from the cutting board. Turn off the heat. Stir until smooth and chocolatey throughout. Pour into the prepared crust and chill for at least 2 hours.
5. Slice and serve plain or with whipped cream and pretzels.

All in all, Teens and 20-Somethings is informative, creative and a lot of fun; Susie is at her best, giving the next generation their shot at looking great in the kitchen, and us the opportunity to sit back and be fed and entertained by our kids.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

SYR

Contest

On October 18th, we announced a photo contest, it’s a food photography competition and the best photo of a Kosher by Design recipe will win a copy of Susie’s latest: Kosher by Design Teens and 20 Somethings. You may download a free copy of the complete KBD recipe index from: http://bit.ly/KBDrecipeindex. Choose a recipe, make it, serve it and photograph it. Please check out Contest!!! for some pointers on food photography and links to a few outstanding food photographers’ online portfolios. Send us your best to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

RELATED POSTS

A Talk with Susie Fishbein

Maple Roasted Pears and Sweet Potatoes and More

——)xOxoOox0x(——

Preorder your copy today at ArtScroll.com – enter the coupon code KBDBLOG at checkout to save 10% and receive free shipping in the continental U.S. Join the KBD online communities to find more reviews and giveaway contests! Kosher by Design Teens & 20-Somethings: cooking for the next generation is aimed at the young and digital-savvy fast-food generation and those who cook for them. Susie Fishbein is an everyday cook who loves to share her passion for cooking and entertaining with friends and family. Her enthusiasm for food and entertaining led to the creation of her best-selling cookbook, Kosher by Design, published in 2003 by ArtScroll Shaar Press. For more recipes and updates, visit the Kosher by Design blog or connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Maple Pot de Crème

Recently I was looking for a really decadent dairy dessert, I found it, made it yesterday and it proved more than good enough to share on these pages. It comes from the 17 and Baking blog, a very nice blog with great recipes and photography:

Maple Pots de Crème

From Closet Cooking
Makes 4 servings

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and arrange four ramekins in a rimmed baking dish.

Combine the cream, maple syrup, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat until it comes to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla extract. Using a small ladle, add some hot cream to the egg yolks a few tablespoons at a time. Whisk the egg yolks into the cream in the saucepan until combined. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.

Pour the mixture into the four ramekins. Carefully pour enough hot water into the rimmed baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the edges are set but the center gently jiggles when shook, about 50-60 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Eat, or cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge (I prefer them cold.)

Elissa, the blog’s author, is a very good photographer with an obvious love of baking. It was her photography that seduced my senses into imagining the taste and just try it. I was not disappointed. Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

From the Heart of Dixie

Even when I lived outside of the US, whether in Uruguay, Israel, etc., I’d hear about Southern cooking. When I first came to the States in 1962 and moved to Richmond, VA (the capital of the Confederacy), I actually got to taste a few superb kosher variations on the Southern theme.

Recently, I came across Simply Southern – With a Dash of Kosher Soul, a cookbook published by the Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South of Memphis, TN. I couldn’t wait to try out some of the book’s delicacies, I wasn’t disappointed! The recipes are a easy to make, short-cutting more complex directions with readily available ingredients that make preparation a snap. This ain’t no diet cookbook, so if you’ve been watching your waist after yom tov feasting save this for the times when you want to cook quick tasty dishes with that special touch of true Americana.  The recipes are clear, the assortment fun, pretty to look at and absolutely delicious.

For the last week we made quite a few of them and each proved delectable. The recipes are divided into ten sections running from

• Appetizers and Starters
• Soups and Sandwiches
  
• Salads
• Brunch & Dairy
• Pasta, grains & Rice
• Meats
• Poultry
• Fish
• Vegetables & Side Dishes
• Desserts

As you can see, it covers the gamut of the most common cooking types. It is hard to chose just one recipe to share, in fact it’s hard to chose, two, three or even four favorites from those we tried. But here are two very Southern selections:

Real Fried Chicken

True Southerners make enough for leftovers. Nothing beats cold fried chicken for lunch the day after. Do not skip the salt! salt is an especially important ingredient to the authentic taste of this signature dish of Dixie!

MARINADE

1 quart water
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

MARINADE

Whisk together water, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, white pepper, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

CHICKEN

4 cut up chickens
12 cups vegetable oil
Self rising flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper

CHICKEN

Add chicken pieces to marinade. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 360-375 degrees. Drain marinade from chicken on paper towels and pat dry. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with self-rising flour. Blend eggs and water. Combine all-purpose flour, salt, garlic powder, cayenne and white pepper. Dip chicken in egg wash. Dredge in flour mixture. Place chicken on a large baking sheet. Let sand for 10 minutes. Fry chicken in hot oil turning a few times for 20-25 minutes or until golden browned. Drain on a rack over paper towels.

YIELD: 6 – 8 SERVINGS

For dessert I loved the Chess Pie, I also liked the humor in the intro to this dish.

Chocolate Chess Pie

Chess pie is one of the South’s great contributions to the culinary arts. One folk story asserts that it was originally called “just pie,” which was drawled as “jus’ pie,” eventually rolling off the tongue as “chess pie.” This is always a favorite!

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons margarine, melted
2 eggs
10 tablespoons soymilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (9-inch) pie shell, unbaked
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, cocoa, and margarine in a bowl. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Blend in soymilk, vanilla and salt. Pour filling into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool top with whipped topping. Pie freezes well. Drizzle chocolate syrup across the top!

YIELDS: 8 SERVINGS

Each section starts out with a few short paragraphs detailing the transition of Southern cooking into Kosher cooking or an occasional anecdote to bring the Memphis community a little closer to wherever you are. Liberally sprinkled with humor and folksy story tellin’  Simply Southern – With a Dash of Kosher Soul is sure to change your view of classic American cooking.

Enjoy it, gentle reader, enjoy it in all its finger lickin’ goodness!

CS