And this Year’s Winner Is…

We are proud to announce 1 runner up and the 2 winners of our 3rd Annual Shavous Contest. We received 17 recipes (some with accompanying photos, some without), some recipes were mediocre, most were very g0od; they ranged from easy to intricate. We finally selected this three:

1st Runner Up

Grilled Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich

Photo by Leah Rubenfeld – The best photo that was sent in.

Ingredients

• 8 slices country style bread, cut 1/4″ thick each
• 1/2 lb whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 slices
• Sea Salt to taste
• 16 sun dried tomatoes
• 16 large fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. On each of 4 bread slices, place 3 slices of mozzarella. Season with salt, top with 4 sun-dried tomatoes, 4 basil leaves, cover with another slice of bread.
2. Heat 2 large nonstick pans over moderately high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter to each pan and swirl to melt the butter and coat the pan. Put 2 sandwiches in each pan and place a heavy skillet on top of each as a weight. If the to is not heavy enough you can weigh down with canned goods or anything that will add weight. cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottoms are well browned and remove.
3. Add another 1/2 teaspoon butter to each pan, put sandwiches back on with the browned side up. Weigh them down again and cook until the second side is well browned (2 to 3 minutes).
4. Cut sandwiches diagonally and serve while hot.

Contributed by Leah Rubenfeld

(2) 1st Prize Winners

This year Brent Delman from The Cheese Guy.com gave us 2 baskets, a good thing, because we would had a tough time choosing the final winner.

Tiramisu

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup espresso or strong coffee
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. rum (preferably dark)
• 8 oz. Mascarpone
• 16 ladyfingers
• Cocoa powder, for dusting (I used Dutch process cocoa powder, because it’s not as bitter as regular cocoa powder)

Directions

1. Combine 3 egg yolks, 1 Tbsp. espresso, sugar and rum in large mixing bowl. Beat 2-3 minutes, until pale. Add Mascarpone and beat 3-5 minutes until smooth.
2. In another bowl, combine 3 egg whites and a pinch of sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into Mascarpone mixture.
3. Spread half of the mixture on the bottom of your serving dish.
4. Dip one side of each ladyfinger into remaining espresso and layer on top of the first layer of mascarpone mix.
5. Spread the remaining mascarpone mixture on top, and sprinkle with cocoa.
6. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Contributed by Nossi Fogel,
from his website: http://thekoshergastronome.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/moms-tiramisu/
on the site you can also see step by step photos.

–oOOoOOo–

Chocolate Drizzled Cheesecake IceCream Pie

Photo by Sari Minzer

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 package chocolate Tea Biscuits
• 6 Tbs. sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted

Filling

• 8 oz. 5% Soft White Cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. corn starch (dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water)
• 1 10 oz whip
• 1 bar Dairy Chocolate

Directions

1. Blend Tea Biscuits with sugar and butter.  Press into a 9″ round pan.
2. Beat the whip.  Combine all other ingredients, besides for the chocolate, and fold into whip. Pour into pie crust.
3. Melt the chocolate bar and drizzle on top of filling and use a fork to marbleize.
4. Freeze for at least 2 hrs and garnish with chocolate curls.

Congratulations to the 2 winners and the runner up!!!

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Young and Classy

Humbly cloistered in the heart of Boro Park, is a secret exclusive grotto of fine dining.

Bistro 1310, (1310 – 40th Street; Brooklyn, NY 11218; Telephone: 718.483.8792), right off 13th Avenue, has the look and feel of a higher end city eatery.  Its glazed brick walls, warm chestnut and russet colored interior along with the glass waterfall wall and soft music melts the tension of the surrounding outer world, giving one the feeling of sanctuary.

Bistro 1310's ground floor

Bistro 1310’s menu is evolving, a work in progress; as they engage in exacting their culinary coordinates for this new venue. This young eatery presently offers an amalgam of flavors from around the world, offering specially aged grilled meats as well as chicken and fish dishes spiced with Indian and Asian influences.

We sampled two appetizers Tandoori Chicken – thin bread crumb crusted chicken breast pieces with a blend of Indian spices and mayo based curry dipping sauce; tasty! Our second appetizer was a Tuscan Steak Salad served with field greens, red onion, roasted pepper in a lemon vinaigrette; the thinly sliced aged meat was delicious and well appointed.

Tuscan Steak Salad

For our main we ordered two of Bistro 1310 early favorites. Teriyaki Chicken with sautéed vegetables and white rice, and Skirt Steak with mashed potatoes. The chicken was flavorful, the teriyaki sauce a tad sweet for my taste; the white rice was cooked just right, with light lovely seasoning that was delicious. CS by nature is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, so he loved the Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and the very tender Skirt Steak. I sampled a piece, and found it slightly salty.

Skirt Steak

We ended our meal with a Tiramisu boxed in chocolate. The quality of the chocolate was superb and the Tiramisu was very respectable.

Tiramisu

This young chic bistro is a hidden treasure of Boro Park and has a promising future. We will revisit it again as it hones in on its niche in the beau monde of Kosher fine dining.

SYR

Colorful, Tasteful!

Having heard quite a bit, from some friends, about this six months old eatery I felt I had to try it out and taste their fares myself. Earlier this week, SYR and I made our way to Tuscany (547 Kings Highway, corner of 4th Street; Brooklyn, New York 11223; Telephone: 718.339.5200), the ambiance is casual and friendly.

We decided to go for their $44.99 special which consists of one salad, one appetizer, 2 mains and 1 dessert. We started with their Ceasar Salad, fresh, delicious and nicely presented! We followed it with Melanzane Di Rolentini…

Melanzane Di Rolentini

This is a delectable combination of Grilled Eggplant with Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese with mushrooms all rolled and baked in Marinara sauce. It looked great and tasted even better, both SYR and I loved it.

For the main dishes, SYR ordered Atlantic Salmon…

Atlantic Salmon

The grilled salmon came with a teryaki sauce and some vegetables. There was nothing “fishy” about the taste, a masterpiece!

I ordered the Pasta Primavera…

Pasta Primavera

This is a spaghetti pasta with carrots, zucchini, broccoli and mushrooms in a delicate homemade pink sauce, colorful and delicious.

The portions were generous and we certainly felt satisfied, we almost had no room for the desert, except… when we saw it… there was no question we’d have to have it! We got a  Homemade Tiramisu… while every dish, up to now, had been a veritable feast for both eye and palate the dessert was in a class by itself…

Tiramisu

It was a nice, filling, dinner for two with friendly, prompt service; all very reasonably priced. But, there is more! Enticed by the exclamations of delight at the table next to ours, we ordered – in addition – Tuscany‘s signature dish, the sushi Spider Roll. This was outside of the special, but worth it. We  had the rolls right before the Melanzane Di Rolentini, again the taste was superb and quite different from what either of us expected.

Sushi Chef Joe, takes special delight in coming  up with unusual flavor combinations and pleasing presentations. Those who recommended Tuscany to me said the sushi is unequaled. Having tasted the Spider Roll, I wholeheartedly agree. We’ll just have to work our way through the rest of Suchi Chef Joe’s creations. We can’t wait for an encore. Bravo, bravissimo!

CS
[In our upcoming website we'll have more about this delightful kosher restaurant specializing on fish and dairy, including their menu and MORE!]

Delizioso!

As you walk down the steps into Gusto Va Mare, (237 E 53rd St; New York, NY 10022; Telephone: 212.583.9300) be prepared to leave behind the hustle and bustle of daily life in New York City. Enter this cozy, intimate, restaurant and be transported into the Italian Campagna. Charming, folksy wall frescoes of country scenes, seating which reflects Mediterranean themes and mouth watering aromas, the most delicious homey dairy and fish Italian fare await you. Gusto Va Mare is in a class by itself!

SYR and I started the meal with a warm Bruschetta, (Italian bread grilled with fresh mozzarella and garlic herbed tomatoes). We followed that with a fresh Insalata Greca (mesclun, tomato, cucumber, black olives, feta, & Italian dressing) and their delectable Gnochi Combinzione (selection of three gnocchi with three sauces).

SYR had their ample portioned house special of Fettuccini Ai Funghi, fetuccini with mushrooms, it was outstanding. I ordered their 12-ounce Tuna Balsamic served with a large salad. It tasted like real meat and not at all as a product of the sea! We washed it all down with an excellent white house wine.

Their desserts are not to be missed. SYR had the Double Truffle Cake (two creamy layers of dark and white Belgian chocolate on a thin layer of cake) I ordered the Tiramisu (lady fingers dipped in espresso, fresh whipped cream with sweet cheese & a dash of hazelnut liquor, topped with thin shavings of dark chocolate); both, melt in your mouth delicious.

It was a bit pricey, but well worth it!

CS

Manhattan in Brooklyn?

Can a Brooklyn restaurant rival any top Manhattan eatery? The answer is a resounding yes, it can, it does! SYR and I found just such a dining experience at T Fusion Steakhouse (3223 Quentin Road, Brooklyn, NY 11234 — Telephone: 718.998.0002).

We started with Chicken Lollipops, corn flake crumb crusted chicken drumsticks with sweet and sour pineapple sauce.

They were superb!

My companion then followed it with a medium cooked 21+ Day Aged Prime Rib Delmonico (smokehouse marinated and served with sauteed vegetables, glazed pearl onions and shoe string fries. It was juicy and tender.

I ordered a Filet Mignon au Poivre, a mock 8 oz. filet steak served with sautéed spinach and very thin, long, curly pommes frites.

Both of these dishes were perfectly cooked with a rare understanding of what makes each cut unique, a total mastery and control of the mysteries of flavor. Visually, they both looked very inviting. Their presentation was made with an obvious artistic eye, as their mere appearance made our mouths water. Their taste did not disappoint!

The wine selection is excellent and we opted for a South African selection, Rothberg Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. A delightful choice!

As a fierce chocolate lover I ended the meal with Chocolate Souffle (freshly baked and served with ice cream covered in a blueberry sauce. Look at that incredible presentation!) while SYR had the Tiramisu. Great choices to top off a true feast that delighted the eye and the palate. Service was polite, helpful and very friendly.

All in all, it was an experience to remember and one we will repeat again and again.

CS