Kosher Tips

Precooked “baked tofu” is firmer than water-packed tofu and comes in a wide variety of flavors.

On tablespoon of Vanilla Paste is equal to one whole bean.

So many recipes call for caramelized onions including simple grilled steaks, burgers and more complex recipes such as soups, stews and sauces. While caramelized onions are a commonly called for ingredient, the technique seems baffling for many home cooks. This technique will work for any onion but is especially delicious with spring onions as they are as sweet as candy when prepared this way.

You will need a heavy-bottomed sauté pan. This is not the moment to pull out aluminum cook ware. Pull out the good stuff. The heat will be evenly distributed and your onions will be less likely to burn. You can also control the heat on a heavy bottomed pan easier than on a thin aluminum pan.

You need neutrally flavored oil. I like canola oil or olive oil. I do not pull out my expensive extra virgin olive oil or my delicate nut oils for this. I need something that is going to stand up to serious heat.

You will also need a silicone spatula or tongs. Whichever works for you-just something to pull the onions out of the pan. Oh yeah, you need kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Here we go:

1. Cut the onion in half lengthwise or flower end to root (not horizontally). Slice the onion with a sharp knife into thin strings.
2. Heat the sauté pan over high heat until it is very hot. Add a thin coating of oil to the pan. The oil should be hot before adding the onions. To test this: see if the oil shimmers when added to the pan.
3. Add a small handful of onions to the pan. Do not add too much. If you do, the hot pan will cool down too much and the onions will just steam. You only want to add enough onions to cover the bottom of the pan.
4. Now leave the pan alone for a few minutes. Do not start stirring yet. You want the heat to build up on the onions and start caramelization of the natural sugars. When the onions start to brown, stir or flip them to brown the other side. Salt and pepper each batch while they are cooking.
5. The onions are caramelized when they are dark brown, not black! They should still hold their shape and be very fragrant. Remove the onions and repeat with more onions until they are all caramelized.

The good news is that caramelized onions can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Contributed by: Happy Home

If you keep the proportion of fruit to water low, you can puree it and voila – you’ll have a spread or jam and can use it accordingly. If you add onions, spices, vinegar – you’ve made chutney.

1. Pit a lot of cherries.
2. Place in pan and cover with water.
3. Add sugar or honey as desired, to taste.
4. Slowly bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer 5-10 min. Do not overcook.
5. Eat warm or cold.

Tips

Get creative and try adding other fruits, spices (cinnamon, vanilla) and herbs (mint).

Persia was the trade hub for the ancient world. Animals, textiles, metals, gems and foodstuffs all passed through its ports. Ancient Persia was quite the cosmopolitan empire with influences from India, Egypt, Syria and more.

The foods of Persia are exotic and reflect thousands of years of tradition. Pomegranates, pistachios, rose water and almond pastes are just a few of the flavors of Persia that we cherish today.

Jews have a long tempestuous history in Persia that dates back to biblical times. The books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles and Esther contain references to Persia. Present day, Iran is the home to the largest Jewish community living in a Muslim-majority country.

Chef’s comment: Where has this food been all my life? Persian food has the same sensibility that I have with ingredients and how to handle them. The cuisine takes advantage of seasonal and fresh ingredients. There are no bags of frozen vegetables, over processed packaged products or jars of dusty dried herbs. This food scream fresh. The flavors are simple and elegant. I love it!

Here are some delicious recipes for your perfect Persian Purim Seudah:
Herbed Meatballs with Rice – Kufteh Berenji
Celery and Mint Khoresh
Saffron Rice
Rosewater Rice Pudding

WIN WIN WIN!! You could win a copy of both my books! Read through to the end of the post for details on how to enter.

Sometimes we want our meals to have a little pizzazz. Maybe it’s because the in-laws are coming, or because you’ve just spent the day spooning carrot mush into the baby’s mouth and that creative side of you is just screaming to be unleashed. (I’ve never been particularly creative with carrot mush; presentation is one of those things lost on my baby.)

One dish that Hubby and I both love (a small miracle in itself) is my Beef Porridge. Now this is a family classic out of Grandma Martha’s recipe box: it’s thick and hearty and really sticks to your bones on a cold winter day. It’s as plain and basic as the homespun curtains in Grandma Martha’s kitchen. But I figured out how to dress up this baby by serving it in a bread bowl. (Watch this how-to video so you can do it too!) Pour that porridge into the bread bowl and – voila! – you’ve just made a split pea beef and barley soup wonderfully elegant.

Possibly the best dish ever invented by man (or more likely, a woman) is our classic, traditional Potato Kugel. Make it in mini individual cups instead of a round pie pan or a 9 x 13 rectangular dish, to give it a special look — and it doesn’t take much extra work at all. I call these Potato Kugel Cups. (Ok, so I don’t get creativity points for the title, but at least, give me a few for presentation.) As everyone takes a bite, watch each person enjoy the coveted crunch usually reserved only for the four corners of the rectangular version.

My new book has another new presentation tip in my recipe for Individual Meat Loaves. In my opinion, anything individual is so much more appetizing! When served in individual ramekins, this workaday favorite looks worthy of a five-star restaurant.

When it comes to dessert, the presentation options are endless! You can really get creative and show the world what you are made of. (In my case, that would be chocolate ice cream.)

Sometimes dessert is just so good you want to eat the bowl too. Well, now you can with these Edible Dessert Cups. They are filled with chocolate pudding but you can fill them with ice cream too! Use your imagination. I promise you, there will be not one crumb left!
Some other unique and fun single-serving ideas:

• Mini Fish Pies
• Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
• Mini Greek Pizza Muffins
• Mini Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecakes

I don’t claim to be the MOST creative gal on the block; in fact, most of what I do is inspired by others. So what is your favorite presentation tip — easy? a patchke?

**GIVEAWAY** Leave a comment and let us all know your favorite presentation tip so we can try your ideas on for size! One lucky commenter (picked at random) will win a copy of both of my books. You have one week – till Monday morning Feb 7th 2011 at 9 am EST. I cannot wait to read your tips! [Contest open to US Residents only]

In real estate, the three things that matter are: Location, location, location. And in cooking, the three P’s are: Presentation, presentation, presentation.

Even ordinary foods get “oohs” and “aahs” when the presentation is something special. And the ultimate presentation trick is a Bundt cake. A Bundt pan is one of G-d’s many gifts to a non-baker. It can make any cake look like a patchka, even if it’s out of a box.

So today I present you with a savory, decadent, spicy cake perfect for cold weather: Molasses Spice Bundt Cake with Bourbon Pecan Glaze. This is a special twist on a “comfort dessert” for the winter season. There’s a richness here that suggests a cozy fireside and the perfect cup of tea.

Cinnamon, nutmeg allspice and molasses give your Bundt cake a delicious aroma as it bakes, plus that extra special taste. And the bourbon pecan glaze – magnifique! It adds the extra WOW factor, making this cake the perfect dessert for Shabbos night dinner while the winter winds howl outside. Bring it to the table whole and slice it as your guests watch. It’s a fabulous ending to a great meal.

To really satisfy your sweet tooth, here are some more irresistible confections:

• One Bowl Amazing Chocolate Cake
• Simple Spice Cake with Caramel Icing
• Chocolate Pound Cake
• Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Mom’s Honey Cake
• Lemon Macaroon Bundt Cake
• Crumbly Blueberry Coffee Cake
• Simple Apple Coffee Cake

And if you are really in a rush just bake your cake out of a box in your heavenly bundt pan and smile as you serve it, I won’t tell!

My grandparents were amazing chefs, hailing from Transylvania. Unfortunately made infamous by the legendary Count Dracula, Transylvania is a real place – a region in central Romania that has had strong Hungarian influence since the tenth century. So my grandparents’ cooking was strongly Romanian and Hungarian and meatloaf was not on the menu.

Not that meatloaf doesn’t have European roots. It does – but not my family’s old country. It’s reputedly of German origin, and it made its way here with German immigrants during Colonial times. It became really popular during the Great Depression because it’s a great way to use inexpensive meat, leftovers and spices (sometimes stretched by cereal grains) in an appetizing dish. How apropos for us now that we are all looking for ways to stretch a buck in the most creative culinary fashion possible.

The first time I was introduced to meatloaf was at camp, with a song, by a singer who went by the name Meatloaf. I’ve often wondered why on earth anyone would want to go by that name, if you could pick any stage name in the world.

If I had to choose a new name for my rock star career — and if, for some reason, this awful game came with the rule that the name had to be a food – I would call myself Avocado! Or Cupcake. What would your rock star food name be?

Anyway — I never really met a meatloaf I could eat until Hubby asked me for it. He was raised on all this American stuff. So I learned to do meatloaf. It’s not hard to prepare, and the results are pretty terrific. You bake it in a loaf pan, sometimes with an egg in the middle (no shell!), smeared with ketchup on top and then serve it sliced with mashed potatoes on the side.

Now I love meatloaf, and I learned a thing or two. Did you know that meatloaf is excellent (even the next day) in sandwiches, especially on crusty bread? Try it.

While I really do like the traditional recipe, sometimes I want my dinner to look a little more elegant than just a plain old slice of meatloaf. You know how I love to take an easy-as-pie, everyday recipe and turn it into something special. And I love to individualize servings too. So I did both with meatloaf in my new cookbook Quick and Kosher Meals in Minutes. My recipe for Individual Meat Loaves uses individual ramekins (a small glazed serving dish). Ramekins add a little touch of sophistication to a very deserving dish. Food doesn’t have to be complicated to look stylish.

These little individual meatloaves may ring bells from your childhood and offer you the comfort of being back home in Mom’s kitchen. But they are beautiful and interesting enough for entertaining too.

If you want to be the meatloaf maven on your block, try these additional meatloaf recipes:
• Turkey Loaf
• Barbecued Meatloaf
• Quinoa Meatloaf
• Blue Ribbon Meatloaf

When it comes to artichokes most people fall into one of two camps: those who know how to eat them and those who don’t. There is a method to eating them after they have been gently cooked – removing the leaves and biting off the sweet “meat” after it has been dipped into butter or sauce.

Even yummier is the heart of the artichoke. It’s a little taste of heaven, if cooked right. Personally, I recommend using kosher-certified artichoke hearts that come in a jar or frozen. Buying them in this form instead of fresh solves three problems:

• Kashrus concerns: According to the Star K, “Artichokes are very often infested with insects that are quite difficult to see. The only way to eat them would be to pull off each raw leaf and wash it while rubbing vigorously under a stream of water to remove any insects.”
• Trying to get to the heart without pricking your fingers on the thorns.
• Knowing how long to cook them –it can be tricky.

So grab a jar and try a fabulous crowd-pleaser: Crispy Artichoke Hearts. It won’t take you more than fifteen minutes to serve up this delicious appetizer. It’s crispy on the outside and deliciously soft in the center: this is the heart of perfection!

And if you are an artichoke aficionado try these recipes on for size:
Grilled Artichokes
Spinach Brie Topped Artichoke Hearts
Artichoke Ripe Olive Tuna Salad
Artichoke Mashed Potatoes
Baked Eggs with Artichoke Parmesan
Mock Crab and Artichoke Spread

Enjoy!

It was only after I got married that I realized fruit salad and yogurt do not a dinner make — at least not for Hubby. Now, I happen to love a really good salad, but Hubby doesn’t really take to those single-girl-I-use-my-oven-for-storage-recipes from my repertoire.

So I came up with the perfect compromise: a salad that eats like a meal. Sorry you’ve actually got to turn on that oven and your stove, but it’s worth it. My Southwestern Steak Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing is guaranteed to warm you and fill you up at the same time. It’s great for dinner when you want to go light on the carbs at the end of the day. If you don’t want to use steak, you can substitute chicken, tofu, or even grilled fish. And hey, it’s still in essence a salad, so you get all the major health benefits too.

Once you try this fab Steak Salad, you’ll be looking for more dinner salad recipes. Take your pick:
• Spicy Thai Beef Salad
• Spicy Roasted Corn Avocado Salad
• Chicken Salad with Honey Tahini Dressing
• Warm Salmon Salad with Crispy Potatoes
• Thai Beef Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce Dressing
• Crunchy Tofu Thai Salad
• Avocado Seared Tuna Steak Salad.

These dishes will satisfy everybody, even the man of the house. Don’t you just love when we all get along?

They say that chicken soup can heal a cold and mend a broken heart, but I beg to differ. When you need real consolation, there’s nothing like digging into a tub of cookie dough ice cream. And everyone knows that confidences shared over a double scoop of rocky road will bond friends forever.

It’s funny how ice cream conjures diverse thoughts. It speaks of indulgence and calories, of hot summer nights and childhood dreams. For me, just looking at an ice cream cone immediately evokes memories of birthday parties and summer celebrations.

I always loved ice cream with chunks of stuff in it – brownies, chocolate chips, almonds — the more the better. In high school, my friends and I used to stop at the local ice cream shop and get soft serve ice cream. Whenever we were on a health kick, we ordered “fro yo” (frozen yogurt) and mix in granola, pretzels or fruit.

Now that I’m all grown up and creating my own recipes, I’ve taken that fro yo treat and given it my own twist. With all due respect to your favorite frozen dessert, be it Ben & Jerry’s or Kleins I do think my Quick & Kosher Fro Yo has a real shot at being a new fav.  Try Mango Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, a delectable treat with less calories than ice cream — so you can feel indulged but virtuous at the same time!

Of course, you can use any brand or flavor of your favorite frozen yogurt or (low fat) ice cream and your favorite fruit in chunks, fresh or frozen – then top it with a crumbled graham cracker or granola for a super crunchy finish.

It’s the go-to comfort food that’s always ready to eat. Cone or bowl, with sprinkles (we call them jimmies in Philly), hot fudge, whipped cream, cherry on top – what’s your style? Leave a comment and let me know.

Enjoy these icy cool treats too: Roasted Peach Sundaes, Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, Avocado Ice Cream and Gingersnap Banana Frozen Yogurt.

We’ve come to the end!  One full month of cooking, cleaning, hosting, cleaning, cooking, hosting, cooking – an experience so intense, it’s amazing that we actually made it through.  But no sense dwelling in the past, we have to move on.

Like it or not, our lives soon will settle down into comfortable routines.  Meals will once again be just meals, not fully staged banquets.  But wait!  What’s that left in the fridge? Do I detect leftovers?

And not just leftovers – bits and pieces of that other-worldly extravaganza you created just days ago.  If you’re like me, you have that Jewish cook’s syndrome — making too much food, even when you know there’s more than enough to feed an army plus a marching band and a gaggle of surprise guests.  So now you’re stuck with too much chicken to throw out, and not enough for a family meal.  You can’t just get rid of it, even if you can’t bear to look at it another second: Hubby is  always reminding me of the mitzvah of baal tashcit (a Torah injunction not to waste food), in addition to the common sense that tells you the same thing.  So that chickie is going to be served, but how?

You need to be inventive now, a master of disguise — so they won’t know they’re eating the same stuff you just cleared off the table.  Have no fear. Jamie is here to provide you with culinary slight-of-hand.

Let’s say you followed my Sukkot recipe guides (and if you didn’t, I forgive you).  You probably have some delicious leftover beef from the Brisket in Wine Sauce, shredded cabbage from the Sweet Carrot Salad, dill from my Chilled Salmon, and soup chicken from my Classic Chicken Soup. And I’m also assuming that at least you have some other leftover chicken hiding somewhere in your fridge or freezer.

All of these ingredients can be used in the following NEW Quick & Kosher Exclusive Kosher.com recipes (I can’t say that enough!).  They look so appetizing and taste so great, your family will think that you’re cooking everything from scratch!

The best part?  You can still use other leftovers you may have to round out the meal.  Let the Thai beef salad be the star, and serve it with leftover Potato Kugel Cups and Carrot Muffins.  Your kids will love it!  Or, pair the Orzo with Shredded Chicken with my Broccoli Mushroom Pie.  And don’t forget to add a slice of Boston Cream Pie for dessert.  Just kidding.  Nobody ever has leftover Boston Cream Pie!

Orzo with Chicken, Dill & Chickpeas

Spicy Thai Beef Salad

The Great Leftover Challenge

What kinds of leftovers are in your fridge right now?  Let me know what you have and I’ll help you figure out how to make delicious, new dishes out of them!

Kosher chocolate-covered coffee beans may be an old confection, but a company called How Do You Take Your Coffee? has redefined this treat in remarkable ways.

Not too long ago, Kosher.com began carrying an innovative and deluxe new product called Javaz from a company called How Do You Take Your Coffee? As you can guess, their product does have something to do with the black stuff. Yep, I’m talking about Java, Juice, Joe or whatever you call coffee. But in this case, the coffee in question is specially sourced to be eaten as a gourmet chocolate confection—what the company calls their Eating Roast. Now, chocolate coffee beans may not be new, but How Do You Take Your Coffee? has taken these coffee confections to new heights. Here’s my interview with Sam Williams, Jr. from How Do You Take Your Coffee?

Q. Deluxe chocolate-covered coffee beans doesn’t seem like your average career move. What gave you the idea to create coffee products that are designed to be eaten?

A. A friend, who is a lifelong entrepreneur, introduced me to chocolate-covered coffee beans several years ago. Even though I wasn’t a coffee drinker, I enjoyed them and was taken by the idea that coffee beans can be made to appeal to a broad audience.

At the time, I was approaching two decades of service with a large consumer products firm while pursuing an executive MBA. Business school stirred in me the desire to create something from scratch and to consider fresh ideas.

Q. So, it was like a life dream, how cool!  But the marketplace is packed with new products. How are yours different from other items on the market?

A. Javaz is our flagship product and designed to appeal even to people who don’t drink coffee.  Javaz are 100% fairly traded organic Arabica coffee beans selected and roasted especially to eat and are generously coated with premium chocolate.  Then, they are finished with a real sugar shell which is colored with caramel.  Sounds different than your typical chocolate-covered coffee bean, right?

Q. They sound divine. I can’t wait to try them. What about your other products? I’ve heard that Java Rocks are very popular.  What are they exactly?

A. Java Rocks are our most candy-like product but they are still sophisticated from a culinary perspective.  We use the same coffee varietals as our other products, but not the whole bean.  We grind our Eating Roast coffee into “rock” pieces and cover them in a milk, dark or black chocolate coating. They are wonderful on their own or as a topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Q. I’m getting a buzz just thinking about them. You also make GoGo Beans and Roboostas, how are they different from Javaz and Java Rocks?

A. Both are energy snacks made from Robusta coffee beans, which have about 50% more caffeine than Arabica beans.  To make the GoGo Beans, we carefully select Robusta coffee beans, which are then coated in a milk chocolate confectionery coating that is fortified with a pharmaceutical-grade energy pre-mix and then coated in an orange candy shell. The Roboostas are coated in fortified dark chocolate and then in a coffee-colored shell.

Q. The confections sound like coffee on steroids! Do all your products contain caffeine? Do they contain more caffeine than a cup of coffee?

A. Yes.  After all, our two main ingredients—coffee and chocolate—naturally contain caffeine. And in some cases, yes, our products do contain more caffeine than a cup of coffee.   A typical cup of American coffee contains 80-100 mgs of caffeine.  GoGo Beans and GoGo Drops are our most potent products because they are fortified with extra caffeine, so they have 133 mgs per serving.  Roboostas contain 93 mgs of organically occurring caffeine per serving.  In contrast, Java Rocks only contain approximately 34 mgs of caffeine per serving, which is about the same as 1/3 cup of coffee.  Interestingly, the caffeine levels in our coffee beans can vary seasonally, but these figures are from recent independent lab tests.

Q. I remember eating chocolate-covered coffee beans as a kid.  The chocolate was waxy and the bean was bitter.

A. The analogy we like to use is “don’t drink the wine you cook with.”

Q.  I don’t know, I cook with some pretty good wine, but I take your point.  So, how do you get such incredible flavor in your products without that waxy-bitter feel many other chocolate-coffee beans have?

A. By pairing specific coffee varietals (which are selected and roasted especially to be eaten) with chocolates that are best suited for a particular confection, we strive to satisfy the cravings folks never knew they had.

Q. Where do you get your ingredients?

A. That’s part of our secret recipe.  However, I will share that finding qualified suppliers has, so far, been the most challenging and time-consuming part of getting our company going.  We try to use suppliers who are leaders in their field in supporting socially responsible farming.  Many of our products use fairly traded organic coffee and most are 100% natural.

Have you tried Javaz or other How Do You Take Your Coffee? confections? Please let us know by leaving your comments.