Grape Salad

[Chef Ben Fleischman of yourkosher chef.com has once again shared one of his delicious but easy to prepare recipes. CS]

PHOTO BY: BEN FLEISCHMAN

SAUCE

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix above ingredients together and refrigerate. Note: the sauce can be refrigerated and used until the expiration date of the cheese and sour cream.

FRUIT

• 1-1/2 pounds green seedless grapes
• 1-1/2 pounds red seedless grapes

Remove grapes from stem and place in bowl. Pour the sauce mixture over the grapes and stir gently to coat the grapes. Refrigerate until ready to assemble and serve

TOPPING

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Toast the pecans on a cookie sheet at 350 for 15 minutes. Break the pecans into small pieces and place in zip lock bag. Add the brown sugar and mix. Store until ready to assemble and serve

ASSEMBLY

Stir the grape sauce to coat the grapes. Spoon into individual serving bowls. Sprinkle topping over the fruit and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Vegetable Cheese Rollups

[Reader Elisheva R. from Miami, Florida, sent us the following recipe and photo. I always liked cooking with beer and this is truly mouthwatering. It makes a great Shavuot recipe! CS]

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, stir for about three minutes until tender. Add mushrooms, broccoli, beer, salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or so until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and let it cool a bit.
2. Separate crescent roll dough into 8 pieces. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese on wide end of each piece. Top with 1 tablespoon of the filling that has been cooling. Roll dough over filling, seal point closed and bend roll into crescent shape. Place on un-greased baking sheet.
3. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Serve warm.

Easy and fun to make, delicious to taste, I know, I prepared and ate it last evening.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Bruschetta, for Breakfast or Brunch

Bruschetta is a traditional italian garlic bread made by rubbing slices of roasted bread with garlic cloves, and then drizzling the bread with extra-virgin olive oil. The bread is salted and peppered, heated and served warm.

Bruschetta

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe tomato, diced
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• Italian Cheese *
• 1/2 ripe avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
• salt and pepper
• 4 slices Italian Bread, toasted to serve **
• 2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves, to garnish

Directions

1. Mix the tomato, scallions, cheese, avocado, balsamic vinegar and half of the oil together in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Drizzle the remaining oil over the bread and top the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil and serve at once.

*  I’ve used different Italian cheeses, at different times, from TheCheeseGuy.com. His Lo Spadone and the Formagio Marzolino were my favorites. However, I’ve also been very pleased with Bastardo del Grappa, the Montaggio or any of the Pecorinos. Each cheese contributes its own character, each one creates a different mood, all are delightful!

** Whenever I can find it, I’ll use Ciabatta bread, though I’ve also used Focaccia (it’s much easier to find), and when I could find neither I’ve used Marsigliese (popularly known as Italian Bread).

Easy to prepare, delicious to the palate, a perfect way to start a dairy meal, so… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

My Brother Bobby’s Salsa

Potato, Mushrooms and Sour Cream Pie

Another 9 Days dish that can easily be made parve:

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter (or margarine, if you prefer to keep it pareve)
• 1 pound potatoes, thinly sliced and parboiled
• 2 cups sliced mixed mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives, plus extra for garnishing
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup sour cream (for a pareve dish, substitute with this pareve sour cream recipe, or with Tofutti Sour Cream)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Grease a shallow round ovenproof dish with butter. Layer a quarter of the potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Arrange a quarter of the of the mushrooms on top of the potatoes and sprinkle with a quarter of the rosemary, chives and garlic. Continue making layers in the same order, finishing with a layer of potatoes on top. Pour the sour cream over the top of the potatoes. Season to to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Cook in a preheated oven at 375 F., for about 45 minutes or until the top potatoes are golden brown and piping hot.
3. Garnish with snipped chives and serve immediately

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

White Chocolate Ice Cream in a Cookie Cup

I still haven’t been able to kick my chocolate habit, therefore I just had to try this one from Jacqueline Bellfontaine‘s What’s Cooking Chocolate:

Photo by: St John Asprey, page 195

Serves 6

Ingredients

Ice Cream

• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 tbsp superfine sugar
• 5 1/2 oz white chocolate
• 1 1/4 cups milk

2/3 cup

heavy cream

**Cookie Cup

• 1 egg white
• 4 tbsp superfine sugar
• 2 tbsp all-pupose flour, sifted
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa, sifted
• 1 tbsp butter, melted

Directions

1. Place baking parchment on 2 cookie sheets. To make the ice cream, beat the egg, egg yolks, and sugar. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a double boiler with 3 tablespoons of the milk. Heat the milk until almost boiling and pour into the  the eggs beating. Place over a pan simmering water and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Beat in the chocolate. Cover with dampened  baking parchment and cool.
2. Whip the cream until just holding its shape and fold into the custard. Transfer to a freezer container and freeze the mixture for 1-2 hours until frozen 1 inch from the sides. Scrap into a bowl and beat until smooth. Refreeze until smooth. Refreeze until firm.
3. To make the cups, beat the egg white and sugar together. Beat in the the flour and cocoa, then the butter. Place 1 tbsp of mixture on one sheet and spread out to a 5″ round. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 F for 5 minutes. Remove and mold over an upturned cup. Let set, then cool on a wire rack. Repeat to make 6 cups. Serve the ice cream in the cookie cup.

** Heavy Cream Substitute

• 3/4 cup MimiCreme
• 1 1/2 tbsp unflavored powdered gelatin

1. Stir together until fully blended
2. Use in place of one cup of heavy cream.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! I certainly did.

CS

Coffee & Chocolate Panna Cottas

I desperately needed another chocolate fix this week (let me add that I started feeding my weekly chocolate habit, this past Monday at Levana Kirschenbaum‘s with some of her fabulous Chocolate Truffles; I continued with Easy Chocolate Squares), therefore I had no choice but to turn to François Payard‘s Chocolate Epiphany. Leafing through the pages, to my surprised delight, I came across an interesting dessert which I just had to try; as usual, Pâtissier Payard did not disappoint!

From page 130:

Serves 6

Chocolate Panna Cotta

• 1 tbsp unflavored powdered gelatin
• 2 cups whole milk
• 4 oz  50% chocolate chopped
• 1/2 cup Dutch -processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup sugar

Coffee Panna Cotta

• 1 tbsp unflavextractored powdered gelatin
• 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 1  tbsp pure vanilla
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar

Garnish

• 1/2 cup apricot preserves

Directions

CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tbsp of the whole milk, and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl.
2. Combine the cocoa powderand the sugar. Put the remaining milk and sugar mixture in a small saucepan over medium high heat, and bring almost to a boil. Whisk the gelatin into the milk, then pour the milk ovrer the chocolate. Whisk the gelatin into the milk, then pour the milk over the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a a small pitcher or a bowl with a spout, and set it aside to cool to room temperature.

MAKE THE COFFEE PANNA COTTA:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoonsof the milk, and let stand for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Combine the remaining milk and the coffe, vanilla bean, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring almost to a boil. Whisk the gelatin into a mixture until combined. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small pitcher or a a bowl with a spout, and set it aside to cool to room temperature. If using vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean, whisk it in it now.

ASSEMBLE THE DESSERT:

1. Pour some of the chocolate mixture into six tall, clear 4-ounce glasses, so that it fills up about one fourth of each glass. Place the glasses in the freezer to set the panna cotta, but do not let it freeze solid. This will take about 30 minutes. Then pour some coffee mixture over the chocolate one, to fill the glasses halfway. Return the glasses to the freezer to let the coffee panna coota set, about 30 minutes.
2. Repeat the process with one more layer each of chocolate and coffee. The last layer does not need to be put in the freezer. Refrigerate the glasses until the panna cotta layers are set, about the 30 minutes, or overnight.
3. To serve, garnish with a dollop of apricot preserves.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Flourless Milk Chocolate Cake with Grapefruit and Hazelnuts

Triple Chocolate Financiers

Chocolate Meringue Tart

Mushroom Omelet

A good healthy breakfast is easy to prepare, and what could be than to start with an omelet? From Dropping Acid – The Reflux Diet by Jaimie Koufman, M.D. & Jordan Stern, M.D. with French Master Chef Marc Bauer:

(Recipe and photo on page 81)

Serves  2

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 3 domestic mushrooms, about the size of a silver dollar (washed dried, cut in half to form 2 half spheres, then placed flat side down and sliced thin
• 4 sprigs parsley (washed dried, stems removed, chopped fine)
• 2 tbsp water or non-fat sour cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt to taste

(Notes: * You can use any variety of mushrooms, I love the flavor of shitake musrooms, but remember to remove their tough stems.
* Mushrooms cook best in a large pan and spread in a single layer, if the mushrooms are overcrowded, the water they yield will make them boil instead of sauté)

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs with a fork.
2. Add the water or non-fat sour cream, parsley, and salt.
3. Preheat an 8 inch non-stick pan on medium heat.
4. Spray the pan with non-stick spray. Add the mushrooms to the pan and spread evenly. When they are golden brown on one side, season with salt, flip and cook the other side until tender. Reserve the mushrooms on paper to absorb excess moisture and oil.
5. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and preheat on medium heat.
6. Add most of the butter(save a bitif you need for a second omelet) and cook until it froths and turns slightly brown.
7. Immediately add half the egg mixture. (Repeat directions for the second omelet).
8. Let the eggs coagulate for a few seconds. Remove from heat while stirring with a wooden spoon or high-heat rubber spatula.
9. Return to the heatand bang the pan gently on the stove to remove air bubbles. Lower the temperature.
10. When the mixture is almost set(it should not have any color), slide the omelet to the edge of the pan. Place almost half the reserved mushrooms on the center of the omelet.
11. Fold one third of the omelet in the middle with a non-stick spatula.
12. Fold the other third slightly overlappingthe middle and carefully lift onto a plate.
13. You can brush the top with a little melted butter (optional)
14. Sprinkle with some of the mushrooms and serve toast on the side.

Repeat for second omelet.

If you prefer a parve omelet, you can use margarine instead of butter, and parve sour cream instead of the dairy one.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Pizza Fiorentina

As a lifelong pizza connoisseur I can’t wait to make it this evening! From 365 Ways to Cook, by Firefly Books (page 150):

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus making the pizza dough*)
Cooking time: 7-8 minutes per pizza

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling and grazing
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 pound baby spinach leaves
• 1 Basic Pizza Dough recipe *
• all purpose flour for, for dusting
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 7 ounces mozzarella cheese, chopped
• 20 black olives
• 4 eggs
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large frying panwith the garlic for 15 seconds, add the spinach and cook over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until just wilted.Season lightly with salt and pepper
2. Heat a baking sheet in a preheated 475 F. oven. Place 1 pizza dough ball on a 9 inch pizza pan, Push down on the dough with your fingertips, pressing it out to fill the pan, leaving the border slightly thicker. If you get any tears, forcefully pinch the dough around the hole together.
3. Soon 3 tablespoons of sauce over the base  and scatter wityh a quarter of the mozzarella, spinach and olives. Crack 1 egg onto the pizza, drizzle with oil to glaze. remove the baking sheet from the oven, slide the pan onto it, then quickly return to the oven. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until crisp and risen. Serve immediately. As the first pizza cooks prepare the next for the oven.

—xOx—XoX—xOx—

From page 7:

* Basic Pizza Dough

Makes 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus rising

Ingredients

• 1/4 ounce fresh yeast or 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 1 pinch of granulated sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 1/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Disslove the yeast in a bowl with the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour and 1/4 cup of water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to form bubbles. then add the remaining water. Add the salt and half the remaining flour and stir with one hand until you have a paste-like mixture. gradually add all the remaining flour, working the mixture until you have a moist dough.
2. Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a moist cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes.
3. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and knead the dough for 10 minute, until smooth and elastic. Shape into 4 equal-sized balls and place, spaced apart, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with a moist cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Kusa b’Jibn: Zucchini-Cheese Frittata

I found the following delicious recipe in Poopa Dwek‘s Aromas of Aleppo:

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds zucchini or yellow squash chopped (about 5 cups)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 pound Muenster cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 6 pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large skillet saute the squash and onion in the vegetable oil for 8 minutes, or until the squash is crisp-tender.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, squash-onion mixture and salt. Stir well
4. Pour the contents into a 2-quart baking dish. Dot the top of the mixture with butter. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy, gentle reader. Enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Shavuos Recipes – Part 1

Shavuos Recipes – Part 2

Shavuos Recipes

Shavuos Recipes -Part 2

And the Winner Is…

The Winning Recipe is

And this Year’s Winner Is…

Soups as Comfort Food – Part 3 [Gratinee Lyonnaise (Lyon-style Onion Soup)]

‘Ataiyef – Syrian Blintzes?

A Roundup of Our Shavuos Recipes

Beer Cheese Soup

Cheese Frittata Recipes

Chard, Mushrooms and Swiss Cheese Fritatta

Something to Break Today’s Fast With

//

Beer Cheese Soup

With Shavuoth fast approaching what better than a delicious dairy soup? From Pam Reiss‘ Soup – A Kosher Collection:

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 small yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups beer
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup, air popped popcorn for garnish

Directions

Use whatever beer you like to drink. Using a lighter beer will make the flavor of the soup subtler  than a dark beer. It’s a rich soup, so go easy!

Over medium low heat, sweat the vegetables in olive oilfor 12 to 15 minutes, until they are wilted but not brown.

Add the beer and bring it to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer gently for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and half-and half. Whisk the this mixture, along with the salt and pepper, into the soup and bring the soup back to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, allowing the flour to cook and the soup to thicken.

Using a whisk, add the cheese to the soup slowly, mixing well. Whisk until the cheese is completely incorporated

Serve the soup with popcorn for a garnish.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

RELATED POSTS

Shavuos Recipes – Part 1

Shavuos Recipes – Part 2

Shavuos Recipes

Shavuos Recipes -Part 2

And the Winner Is…

The Winning Recipe is

And this Year’s Winner Is…

Soups as Comfort Food – Part 3 [Gratinee Lyonnaise (Lyon-style Onion Soup)]

A Roundup of Our Shavuos Recipes