Roast Chicken with Citrus and Aromatics

While nice presentation might increase the appetite for a specific dish, there are certain classics that will always be welcome even without the fancy looks. As you will see from the photo, this dish could have been fancier looking, but as you read the recipe you come to realize that it is very flavorful and superbly aromatic and needs no time wasted in making look good what you know will taste good!

From the Restless Chipottle blog: (to make this recipe kosher, I just changed the butter to margarine)

Photo by: http://restlesschipotle.com/index.php/2010/12/19/roast-chicken-with-citrus-and-aromatics/

Ingredients

• 1 5-6 lb whole chicken
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 tbs culinary lavender
• 1/2 tbs cardamom
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup unsalted margarine, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Place rack in roasting pan.
3. Mix the cardamom, lavender, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup margarine and shape into a ball
4. Clean chicken thoroughly inside and out and pat dry with paper towel.
5. Cut the orange and lemon in half and place in the cavity of the chicken.
6. Add the rosemary sprigs and the margarine mixture.
7. Melt the remaining margarine and rub over skin of the chicken.
8. Salt and pepper the skin.
9. Place in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until done. Bast several times by spooning pan juices over the bird.
10. Remove contents of cavity and discard.
11. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Serves 6

The lavender and cardamom, give this recipe a bit of a Sephardic feel. I can almost see it as a refreshing variation of Moroccan Chicken Tadjine. I’ll have to make it tonight, I can just imagine what the aroma will be throughout the house. I could even pair it with a Duvel beer or a Blue Moon Belgian Ale. Either one will nicely complement the citrus taste…MmmMMmmmmMMmm!

CS

Matbukha and Shakshuka

[When it comes to Moroccan dishes, there is hardly anyone who can come up to the level of Lévana Kirschenbaum. If you get the impression that The Kosher Scene looks up to her, well... having attended so many of her Monday night cooking demos, we truly do! Last Friday we posted 3 recipes for Shakshouka, frankly, that series could not possibly be complete without Lévana's take on the subject. CS]

Photo by: http://www.theglobaljewishkitchen.com/2010/07/21/sephardic-turkish-salad/

Cooked tomato salad: Matbukha

Gluten Free, Pareve

This is one of our Moroccan favorite dishes, a sort of comfort food for ex-pats and honorary Sephardis alike: See how they mop that sauce with their bread! Shakshuka is nothing more than Matbukha with eggs scrambled into it and served as a main course, and gets its funny name from the Arabic word for “scramble.” Sometimes tomatoes get too expensive; in this case, it would be OK to use canned diced tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 whole head garlic
• 2 red bell peppers, washed, cored, and seeded
• 2–3 jalapeño peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large beefsteak tomatoes, or 8 plum tomatoes, diced small (settle for 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, liquid and all)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Slice about ¼ inch off the pointed end of the head of garlic, leaving the cloves exposed.
3. Drizzle the olive oil onto the garlic and the peppers, place them on a cookie sheet, and roast for 30 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and the peppers are charred (the peppers might be ready a few minutes before the garlic).
4. Press the cloves out of their skins while still warm and mash with a fork.
5. Peel the peppers and cut them into thin strips.
6. In a heavy wide-bottom pot, bring the tomatoes, oil, and paprika to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to medium, add the roasted garlic and peppers, and cook covered for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. All of the water should evaporate, and the oil will resurface (if you neglect this step, you will not get the desired look and texture but a glorified tomato sauce).
8. Add the freshly minced garlic and the salt and pepper to taste.
9. Let cool and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Use a slotted spoon to serve so the oil stays behind. This will keep for up to two weeks.

Variation: Shakshuka

Gluten Free, Pareve

Stir 8 eggs into the Matbukha, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon, and cook just a few more minutes until the eggs are barely set. If you would rather end up with a more pristine look, leave the eggs whole, break them one by one, and set them over the mixture, close but not touching, and cook covered on a low flame until they look barely set.

Serve hot, alone, or with a good whole-grain bread, or on a bed of cooked (canned OK) white beans (except on Passover!).

Makes 8 servings.

CS

Soups as Comfort Food – Part 2

Yesterday we posted the first part of our soup posts, but there so many great soups that it certainly merits a multi part series.

On 101 Cookbooks I found this great recipe adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook:

I had it last night... Mmmmmmmnnn! Photo from: 101 Cookbooks

Carrot and Fennel Soup

…it’s easy to make a meal of this by serving it topped with a poached egg. Alternately, you can make this soup vegan by omitting the Parmesan.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed fronds reserved, thinly sliced
• 2 1/4 pounds / 36 ounces farmer market carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 10 cups good-tasting vegetable broth or water
• salt to taste
• 3 cups / 12 oz cooked wild rice
• 2 tablespoonsblood orange olive oil or 5 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (OPTIONAL)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in your largest soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the fennel and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened a bit.
3. Stir in the carrots and cook another 10 minutes, just long enough for them to soften a touch and start taking on a bit of color.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
5. Stir in the broth. Bring to a simmer and simmer, covered, until the carrots are very tender, another 15-20 minutes or so.
6. Stir in the wild rice, bring back to a simmer, taste and add more salt if needed
7. Remove from heat and stir in the blood orange olive oil or orange juice. Taste and add more if needed.
8. (OPTIONAL) Serve dusted, generously, with freshly grated Parmesan, and a sprinkling of the reserved fennel fronds.

Serves about 6.

Inspired by the Carrot & Fennel Soup in The Essential New York Times Cookbook by Amanda Hesser.

Just remember, if you do use Parmesan Cheese YOU MUST wait 6 hours before you can eat any meat!

I like cream soups, especially if they include mushrooms, I found this delectable soup on the Better Recipes site and changed the butter to margarine and took out the whipping cream.

Photo from: Better Recipes

Creamy Leek Mushroom and Risotto Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 2 cups sliced leeks
• 16 oz whole mushrooms, washed and cut into quarters, but not sliced
• 1 package shiitake mushroom risotto mix
• 30 oz chicken broth
• 1 cup finely chopped tender roasted chicken
• 1 sprig sage
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 cups whipped cream (Rich’s is what I use, but it needs to be whipped)
• 3 tablespoon flour
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flake
• Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large soup pan or Dutch oven, saute leeks for 4 minutes over medium high heat.
2. Add mushrooms and risotto rice, without the flavoring packet, then saute until leeks are almost tender, about 6 minutes.
3. Pour in broth and add chicken and seasoning flavor packet.
4. Reduce heat to medium. Tie together herbs and add to broth. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Check occasionally and stir to make sure rice does not stick. Test the rice for tenderness. If not tender, cook another 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the whipped cream and red pepper flakes, then heat through.
7. Ladle 1 cup of broth into a medium bowl and whisk in flour until well blended.
8. Gradually add mixture back to soup. Heat through, stirring frequently, until broth is creamy and thickened.
9. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Soups as Comfort Food

Cornish Hen Recipe

I always liked Cornish hens, since their small size usually provides about one portion of meat per hen, it’s easy to figure out how many to use for a family, or if you are entertaining. It usually weighs 2 pounds or less AND is almost all white meat because of its enlarged breast. I also find every excuse I can to cook with wine so today I’ll share my Cornish Hen recipe (my kids’ favorite, when they still lived at home at the time I’d use 7, instead of 2, hens).

Cornish hen, a miniature hen. Photo from: Wikipedia.com

CS’ Wine, Orange and Herb Cornish Hens

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish hens

Marinade

• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Elephant garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup of dry wine
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 large orange

Herbs

• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh marjoram leaves
• 1/4 stick margarine
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar or Natrazyle Xylitol
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Quarter the hens and place the pieces in a 9″ x 13″ baking tin
2. In a blender combine all the marinade ingredients until thoroughly blended.
3. Pour in over the hens, cover with plastic and marinade in fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
4. After chicken has been marinated, combine the herb ingredients in a blender (or prepare ahead and store in a Ziploc bag) until thoroughly mixed.
5. When done add salt to taste.
6. Preheat oven to 450 F.
7. Take marinated hens out and keep out of refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Put hen pieces in a single layer (with the skin on top) in a roasting pan.
9. Sprinkle herb mixture over the pieces
10. Roast for 10 minutes
11. Reduce heat to 350 F, and continue roasting for 15-20 minutes or until the juices run clear. Don’t forget to baste thoroughly at least a couple of times.
12. Remove from oven, you may want to garnish pieces with fresh parsley leaves and serve.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Wine, Orange and Herbs Cornish Hens (Kosher)

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chef Vijay Jagtiani has been an Executive Chef for over 26 years. He trained in India at the prestigious Bombay Catering College for 3 years and has worked all over the world in the finest Indian restaurants. He came to the United States in 1993 and quickly emerged as a chef known for getting the most out of a vast array of unique spices when developing his succulent sauces as well as a Tandoor oven guru. Chef Jagtiani was the executive chef at Jewel of India in NYC for many years and then took over the kitchen at the prestigious Shaan at Rockefeller Center. After opening up several successful non Kosher Indian restaurants on his own, Chef Jagtiani joined forces with the owners of Shalom Bombay to enter the world of Glatt Kosher Indian Cusine.

Chef Vijay has graciously shared this recipe with us:

Photo by: http://jeenaskitchen.blogspot.com/

Ingredients:

• 5 Tablespoons Oil
• 2 Medium Onions  (chopped)
• 1 Tomato (chopped)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Paprika
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger and Garlic paste (ground into a combined paste)
• 1 Tablespoon of Egg Shade or Orange Color Food coloring
• 3 boneless chicken breasts cubed
• 3 Tablespoons of Non Dairy Creamer
• 1 Cup Water

Directions

1. Heat Oil in Large Skillet
2. Sautee Onions until brown
3. Add Tomato and simmer for 5 minutes
4. Add Salt, coriander powder, red chile powder, paprika and garlic/ginger paste
5. Simmer for 5 minutes
6. Add 1 cup of water and food coloring
7. Add Chicken pieces
8. Cook for 10 minutes
9. Add Non Dairy Creamer and cook for another 2-3 minutes

Serve with Basmati Rice
Yields 4 servings

Shalom Bombay has two locations:

Manhattan
344 Lexington Avenue – between 39th and 40th – New York, NY 10016; Tel: 212.922.0224 – Fax: 212.922.0124

Teaneck
166 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ 07666; Tel: 201.357.8505

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Shalom Bombay

Chicken Tikka Masala (kosher)

Jack’s Gourmet – Part 2

What I like about Jack’s Gourmet sausages most, specifically and because of their superb taste, is the many dishes they can be used in. This past Tuesday I made a Sausage Pizza using both their Sweet Italian and the Hot Italian sausages and I used SYR‘s simple recipe.

SYR's Sausage Pizza, "delicious" hardly does it justice...

SYR’s Sausage Pizza

Ingredients

• 9” pizza crust (I used a crust from Tradition, made with honey, with raised edges to avoid spillage)
• Pizza Sauce (enough to fill the crust)
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped (you may use any other kind of mushrooms as well)
• 6 Pearl onions, chopped (little, sweet, Vidalia onions might even work better)
• 1 elephant garlic clove, chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 10 grape tomatoes, sliced (you may use any other kind, including sun-dried tomatoes)
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Sweet Italian sausage, sliced
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Hot Italian sausage, sliced
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Put crust in oven for 7 minutes to make it crisp.
3. Take out crust and pour in pizza sauce, thin and evenly.
4. Suatee the chopped mushrooms, onions, and garlic, lay them out on the sauce.
5. Sautee the spinach and the basil, add on the sauce.
6. Add the sausage slices, alternating each time between the Sweet Italian and the Hot Italian.
7. Sprinkle the whole with the oregano. salt and pepper.
8. Put in oven for 15-20 minutes or until sausage slices look slightly brown.

I washed it down with a glass of well chilled Bartenura Asti Spumante. Scrumptious and delightful pairing I would have enjoyed it tremendously even if I had ordered it in a restaurant!

As for tonight, I’ll be getting a little more adventurous by making this salad:

Radicchio, Mango and Pomegranate Salad with Sausage

Ingredients

• 2 medium shallots, sliced 1/8 inch thick (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon NatraZyle Xylitol (you may use granulated sugar, if you wish)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed mango juice
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1pound radicchio and curly endives mixed, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup cubed mango
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 small pomegranate)
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Boereworks sausage, sliced
• 1 Jack’s Gourmet Mexican Style Chorizo sausage, sliced

Directions

1. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water; set aside. Bring a small saucepan of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add shallots and blanch until tender, about 30 seconds. Drain shallots and place in the ice water bath until cool. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine vinegar, NatraZyle, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the Xylitol, or sugar, has dissolved. Pour the boiling liquid over the reserved shallots and pickle until the shallots are slightly wilted and have lost any sharp taste, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain the shallots into a strainer set over a large, heatproof salad bowl, collecting any pickling liquid in the bowl; set the shallots aside.
4. Whisk the mango juice, mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper into the pickling liquid. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
5. Heat the sausages in a sautee pan with a small amount of oil until golden brown on all sides, approximately 4-6 minutes.
6. Add the sausage slices to the salad.
7. Add the radicchio, curly endives and mango slices and toss well to combine. Top with pomegranate seeds, pickled shallots and serve.

The contrast between the mild Boereworks and hot Mexican Style Chorizo combined with the rest of the salad should be very interesting. I can’t wait!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Jack’s Gourmet – Part 1

Sausage Pizza (Kosher)

Radicchio, Mango and Pomegranate Salad With Sausage (Kosher)

Jeff Nathan’s Rosemary Potato Latkes with Honey Drizzle

Hanukkah at Abigael’s on Broadway

Gift Giving Special ~ Buy One, Get One
All gift cards ordered now through December 31st, 2010
will receive a 10 % additional card.

$ 100 gift card gets you a $ 10 gift card
$ 200 gift card gets you a $ 20 gift card

Each day of Hanukkah will feature three latke selections
~Savory or sweet, each one will be a treat!

407 Broadway – at 39th Street, New York, NY; Tel: 212.575.1407

—)x0x0x(—

Chef Jeff Nathan, from Abigael’s, has graciously agreed to share this delicious latke recipe.

Pareve
Makes about 20 latkes, 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 large russet potatoes (2 pounds)
• 1 pound yellow onions (1 pound)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, rough chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• olive oil, for fryinghoney, (use varying flavors of honey for added taste, ie: clover, lavender, pine, blueberry)

Directions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with papertowels.
2. Using the large holes of a box grater or the grating disk of a food processor, alternately grate thepotatoes and onions into a work bowl (this provides better distribution of the onions). Using your hands,squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the potato mixture. Add the eggs, flour, parsley, garlic,rosemary and mint. Add in the salt and pepper, and mix well.
3. Add enough oil to a large, deep skillet to come 1/2-inch up the sides. Do not skimp! Heat over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. In batches without crowding, using about 1/4 cup of the potatomixture for each pancake, carefully add the mixture to the oil, spreading it with a spoon to make 3-inchpancakes. Fry, turning once, until deep golden brown on both sides. Use a slotted spatula to transfer tothe baking sheet. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven while making the remaining pancakes.Drain off any excess liquid that forms in the bowl as you make subsequent batches.
4. Serve hot drizzled with honey.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I can’t wait to try it!

CS

Turkey Recipes – Part 2

Since yesterday, we brought you Chef Lévana’s Spice-Rub Roasted Turkey, we felt we should continue with another recipe that also calls for a rub. From the Kosher Delight website:

Herbed Turkey With Roasted Garlic Gravy

INGREDIENTS

Garlic-Herb Rub

• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves
• 12 garlic cloves

Turkey

• 1 whole garlic head
• 1 (15-pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
• Cooking spray

Roasted Garlic Gravy

• 2 (14½-ounce) cans kosher fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Photo credits: http://divascancook.blogspot.com/

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. To prepare garlic-herb rub, place first 5 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely minced. (Note: Make the garlic-herb rub up to one day ahead and rub under the skin of the turkey, then let the turkey chill.)
3. To prepare turkey, remove white papery skin from garlic head ( do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap garlic head in foil. Set aside.
4. Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Spread garlic-herb rub under loosened skin and rub over breast and drumsticks. Gently press skin to secure. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey.
5. Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Insert a meat thermometer into meaty part of a thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Add garlic head to pan; bake an additional 2 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees F. Place Turkey on a platter, reserving pan drippings; let stand 20 minutes. Discard skin.
6. To prepare gravy, place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 4-cup glass measure. Pour pan drippings into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into glass measure, stopping before fat layer reaches opening (you should have about 2/3 cup). Reserve 1 tablespoon fat; discard remaining fat. Add enough broth to drippings to measure 3 cups; reserve remaining broth for another use.
7. Separate roasted garlic cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Heat reserved fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic pulp and flour; cook 30 seconds or until lightly browned, whisking constantly. Gradually add broth mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Yield: 15 servings (serving size: 6 ounces turkey and about 3 tablespoons gravy).

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Turkey Recipes – Part 1

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

Thank You!!

Photo by: Aquafornia

How time flies! When we started (on November 2nd, 2009) we were not sure if we’d still be blogging a year later. Would we get any regular readers? Would anybody really be interested in our thoughts? Could we say something, could we sound different, from far more established bloggers and existing websites? A 171 posts and a later later, we realize our hopes are slowly materializing. Most of the exhibitors we spoke to, at last week’s Kosherfest, had heard of us; an impressive number of them had actually seen and read these pages here and abroad.

We constantly meet people who follow our musings regularly. As beginning bloggers, who wondered for how long we would be able to post once or occasionally twice a week, we suddenly find a lot of material that interests our readership. We’ve been told our writing styles are refreshing, our photography mouth watering. Even non-Jewish publications and blogs have noticed us. But I must confide in you, IF we are any good at what we do it is only because we love our subject matter… we are foodies!

During this past year, we’ve sampled some of the top kosher eateries, (from Chinese to Middle Eastern cuisine, from Japanese to French, to Italian, to American, to Fusion, we’ve tasted them) met some amazing chefs – people full of creative energy and an uncanny understanding of the nuances of flavor. We’ve learned and continue learning a lot, about food, about wine; above all, as we forge new relationships with chefs, with restaurateurs, with manufacturers of kosher products, with cookbook authors, with winemakers around the world, etc., we are often told personal stories that prove that even those who excel at their craft are just humans like the rest of us. What drives them to succeed? What fuels their drive? Simple, it is their passion for food, their passion to prove that kosher need not be a second class cuisine. Yes, cooking kosher, manufacturing kosher products, may be a bit more challenging… but, it is precisely those challenges that spur them on, that excites their creative juices. Kosher has come a long way!!!

But what SYR and I are most grateful for, gentle reader – what helped us the most – were your suggestions, your words of encouragement.

What lies ahead is exciting, we plan many a contest for this upcoming year and are at this very moment negotiating the prizes. We plan on bringing you guest posts by well known Chefs, as well as outstanding recipes from professionals and from housewives who almost daily improve, create, or adapt delicious new dishes. We will also bring you reviews of amazing new products. And, of course, we will continue to review kosher restaurants and often we will write about our revisits to favorite eateries.

Right now and until November the 18th, we are running a contest based on recipes from any of Susie Fishbein’s Kosher by Design series. Send us your best photo of any of Susie’s 900 plus recipes and you may win her latest cookbook: Kosher by Design Teens and 20 Somethings, meanwhile you can download the complete recipe index at: http://bit.ly/KBDrecipeindex. Email us your best to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

Our first year was productive and we are proud of how we grew, but there is so much more to accomplish. Thank you, gentle reader, we could never have gotten here without you.

CS