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Since this week we are talking all about breakfast, we thought we would share a collection of fantastic breakfast ideas to fuel your body every day of the week, with some special recipes you can save for a lazier Sunday.

4 Every Day Breakfasts

Breakfast Parfait

Idaho® Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Egg & Salmon Sandwich

Make Ahead Oatmeal

 4 Shabbat Breakfast Recipes (a little healthier than boxed cake, but still a Shabbat treat)

Currant and Oat Scones

Pear Breakfast Cookie

Wholegrain Chocolate Banana Bread

Squash Tea Bread

4 Sunday Brunch Recipes

Vegetable Breakfast Tarts

Apple Pancakes with Maple Apple Sauce

Shakshuka

Baked Quinoa and Oatmeal

To browse through over 400 breakfast recipes click here.

What do you like to eat for breakfast everyday, on Shabbat and on Sundays?

Because we are new olim, Hubby started going to Ulpan. As you probably know, that’s a crash course in spoken Hebrew, but the immediate payoff is a circle of friends – people who are as clueless as you are about how to say in perfect Hebrew, “I think I’m on the wrong bus and I don’t want to go to Solomon’s Mines.”  At least, you’re supposed to learn how to say this fast enough to get off before the bus hurtles into the Negev.

A true Israeli, the Ulpan teacher has a habit of introducing inexplicable grammar rules with the preface “This is how it is; if you don’t like it, start a revolution.” Now of course this all goes down in Hebrew but the word for revolution she uses is “revolutzia.” That’s not one of my classic vocab words from 6^th grade Hebrew class, but I love the sound of it.

Fact is, when I arrived I nearly started a big fat revolutzia of my own.  It was all about yogurt.  Greek yogurt.

Old habits are hard to break you see, even when you resolve to make aliyah and change everything. Wherever in the world I find myself, I like to start my day with a cup (or more) of plain fat free Chobani Greek yogurt sprinkled with Truvia and mixed with fruit. It comes right after my grandma-style hot water with lemon. Every day. First thing in the morning.

So I come to the Promised Land – and there’s no Chobani!  The horror of it all was nearly too much to bear.  My husband’s mother (who really is an angel disguised as a mother-in-law) emailed Chobani to ask if they distribute to Israel.  The simple, sad, intense, frantic return email read: NO!

I was calmed only by the notion that Greece is closer to Israel than the US, so there must be an authentic Greek brand – properly hechshered – just waiting for me at the supermarket.

It wasn’t there. That’s when I got all into revolutzia mode.

But starting a war probably wouldn’t make me all too popular with the locals so I took a deep breath in and out and thought that technically I knew how to and even clearly explained on this here site that it’s oh SO EASY to make your own homemade Greek yogurt.  While it’s something I never had to do before, I decided to try.

So, every two days I make my own – only because my strainer isn’t large enough to handle more than that.  Once the whey is strained along with all the water and dissolved salts and sugars, 3 cups of regular yogurt yield 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt.  So in fact, it’s double the cost of standard yogurt which is in keeping with the hefty price tag of store bought Greek yogurt.  Yup that’s kind of pricey, but why quibble over a few shekels when you’re saving a life? My life. My breakfast. My morning.

So we’ll have to revise our budget, Hubby.   But better that then me starting a revolutzia, no?

Quick little Greek yogurt primer, What is Greek Yogurt? 

The rich texture of Greek yogurt is achieved by straining it through a cloth, a paper bag, or a filter to remove the whey.  Because the whey is removed, even nonfat varieties are rich and creamy. Straining the yogurt removes water and dissolved salts and sugars, so by volume Greek yogurt has twice the protein and less sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar than regular yogurt. The consistency achieved is between yogurt and cheese, and the distinctive tangy taste is preserved. That’s why Greek yogurt has recently become so popular. It has a richer taste and is lower in carbs than unstrained yogurts.

Homemade Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt with Step by Step Photo Instructions

Many thanks to the amazingly talented photographer, blogger and recipe developer Sina Mizrahi from the TheKosherSpoon.com.  I fell in love with Sina, her cooking her photography, after visiting her beautiful blog.  She opens up about her life, her food, her family and cooks (sometimes) simple meals with seasonal produce that are (mostly) nutritious.  Please visit her site.

Addendum – Many of you in the US have been asking for a Cholov Yisroel Greek Yogurt and now you can get yours.  Kosher Today announced that Norman’s Dairy is releasing the first Cholov Yisroel (higher kosher standard for dairy) Greek Yogurt in 6 flavors.  Look for it at your kosher markets this Winter.

***Giveaway*** Win a sampling of Papa Ben’s Kitchen 5 varieties of Mandelbroyt.   Enter the contest below.

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This week we’re going to share some of our best breakfast ideas.  Before we get started, let’s find out why breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast revs up your metabolism so that you can burn the maximum number of calories to fuel your daily activities.  In America, breakfast is typically the smallest meal of the day and some find it difficult to enjoy much more than coffee.   Research has shown that eating in the morning is essential for optimal performance and overall health.  Kids and adults who eat breakfast tend to do better at school and work and maintain healthier body weight and cholesterol levels as well.

Don’t grab that donut just yet, it does make a difference what you eat.  Refined grains and high sugar foods won’t give you the right kind of energy and won’t help you lose weight.  Your best bet is to choose a meal that combines complex carbs in the form of whole grains, proteins and even fats.   Here are some examples:

• Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana
• Bowl of high fiber low sugar cereal with low fat milk and blueberries
• Yogurt and granola
• Egg and cheese on a whole grain English muffin
• Whole grain waffle and a veggie sausage patty
• Spinach and cheese omelet with a whole grain flat bread

For me, eating between 250 and 300 calories is where my breakfast keeps me full and gives me enough energy while still allowing me to stick to a weight loss plan.  And so while I often choose one of the above meal combinations in the right amount for me, I also have created a couple new recipes I hope you might enjoy next time you want to get a great start to your day.

Apples and Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast

Quinoa is a high protein grain-like ingredient that can be cooked into a hot cereal.  I found that when I cooked it with a diced apple it didn’t even need any sugar. Leftovers were not as appealing for me, so I added an egg and pan fried it in a little oil for a real pancake-like breakfast, Apple Quinoa Pancakes, treat that I ended up eating all week.  I am saving this recipe for Passover too!

One of my goals is to get more vegetables in my diet at breakfast.  For me this is not an easy task until I discovered this wonderful way to recycle roasted squash for a morning surprise,  now I have no reason to miss my 5 a day.

Over the next few days we will be posting a few of our bloggers favorite breakfasts, we hope you get some new ideas and that you will also share some of yours.  What do you like to eat for breakfast?

The transition of summer into fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Because of back to school, you’re thinking. Well, in part, perhaps, but there’s much more: this is when the oppressive mid-Atlantic cloak of humidity vanishes, the air crisps up at night, the leaves turn all the gorgeous colors of the rainbow and the October sky is the brightest blue of anytime else during the year. Don’t even get me started on
the anticipation of Thanksgiving, my favorite meal. But I digress…

Autumn flavors are sentimental, powerful, infinitely memorable. Pumpkins , hearty soups and stews, and desserts with deep, warm fall spices leave delicious lasting impressions. Some time ago I discovered an easy shortcut to infusing warm, spicy flavor into autumn desserts: concentrated chai tea. Left undiluted, this product packs a sweet, spicy punch and instantly adds depth of flavor to desserts such as cakes, muffins, quickbreads and custards – just substitute it for some or all of the other liquids in the recipe.

In honor of the official start of pudding season in October, I recently made rich Baked Chocolate Chai Custards with Spiced Cream (gluten free). The perfect dessert for this time of year, these custards contain the richness of chocolate, the warmth of exotic spices , the comfort of a soft pudding and best of all, the ease of preparation. Enjoy!

Baked Chocolate Chai Custards with Spiced Cream

Do you love Pumpkin? Here are 10, but click on to see even more.  We have over 100 pumpkin recipes on this site.  With everything from Soup to Cookies to Pizza and Pastas, there is no doubt pumpkin is a versatile ingredient.  It is also an incredibly healthy, one cup of pumpkin puree has only 80 calories and 760% of the DV for Vitamin A.   And it can’t get easier than opening up a can of 100% pure pumpkin (nothing wrong with this shortcut) to add taste and texture to healthy foods your whole family will enjoy.

If you have a can of pumpkin you can make…

Pecan Pumpkin Bran Muffins

Idaho® Potato Pumpkin & Pepita Patties

Pumpkin Walnut Ravioli

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Pumpkin Coconut Tart

Creamed Corn and Pumpkin Soup with Mock Crab

pumpkin chocolate panna cotta

Dairy Pumpkin Dip

Pumpkin Vanilla Bean Sorbet

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Pumpkin Noodle Pudding

Main Image – Baked Pumpkin Penne

Last year in our Best of Kosher 2011 contest, Beth Torah Caterers came out number one.  When I first spoke to them I found out I was talking to the owners daughter and that this company was truly a family business.  She told me they had a story to share and would love for us to share it.  It took a little while, but we finally got a chance to do an interview with them and they even gave us some recipes to try.  Beth Torah Caterers is based in Flushing, NY, but serves the greater NY area, they specialize in Mediterranean food.

Tell me about your family background and how you got into the catering business.

My family’s origin is in Baghdad. We lived in a society where food was such a huge part of the culture. I remember being a little boy and seeing the way my family prepared for Shabbat. It was like a wedding every Friday. The smiles on everyone’s faces gave a new meaning to the word happy.

However as I grew up life got harder especially for a Jewish family in Baghdad. My father passed away and Jewish families were leaving because it became clear that Iraq was no longer safe for Jews.

I escaped with my mother in 1970 and from there we went straight from Israel to America. In America I studied at Queens College and was working part time washing dishes at a restaurant. I started to watch how the food was made and prepared and next thing you know I was helping out with the cooking. My other brother arrived from Israel and that is when we decided to open our own business.

We moved to 42^nd street and we were there for 14 years.

It was around this time I met my wife. One of my friends who I knew from Baghdad gave me a list of Women to go meet in Israel. My wife was the first one and the second I saw her I threw the rest of the list out the window. She was perfect. We were engaged in two weeks and married in two months. It was really with her that the business took off.

She became the heart of the business.  People came to us because had a passion for what we did.  My wife Doris started taking samples of our Iraqi food to different temples to get us a job as the in house caterer.  Forest Hills Jewish Center is where we started and from there we began developing menus and creating a way for Irqai food to be experienced.  To us that was the greatest gift, being able to share our culture with our community.

So, it really is a family business, from the top to the bottom? 

It is a family business. At the head of the company are the Zilkha brothers. Aodi, Jamal, and Elias. At any point throughout the week you can see Aodi’s children in the office helping run day to day activities. Even at events the kids will be working as bartenders, waiters, and cooks, making sure everything goes according to plan. The recipes are ones that have been in my and my wife’s family’s for generations and now it is our pride and joy to share them with you.

Madgooga - Date Balls

What do you like most about catering? 

Catering has so many aspects to it. My favorite part is seeing everything come together the night of the party. Seeing the smiles on peoples faces as everything about their special day turns out to be better than they imagined is priceless.

Tabouleh

Why do you think you won the Best of Kosher award? 

You know that is a great question and it is really all about our customers. We have been in this business a long time and with each new customer we make a friend for life. Our network knows no bounds. Each event is special and each person deserves the best. We know that and it means so much to us to be given this award because that means that our customers feel what we are giving.

Red Kubbeh

What are your future plans for you and your business? 

My son Ben joined our operation this year and plans to continue it in hopes to pass it on to future generations!

I always feel a little glum on the day we switch the thermostat from air conditioning to heat. It means we’re bracing for winter and cold weather, heavy clothing and darkness by 4:00. There’s a smell too as the oil burner turns over for the first time to send hot air through the house.

But after a day or so I remember the bright side. First, I live in New England where the foliage is so glorious that people from everywhere drive up to take a look. So outside my window the view is entrancing.

And there’s the food. After months of light salads and grilled everything my family and I long for the warm, nourishing, rib-sticking dishes that give us comfort when the weather turns fierce.

Like braised meat, perfuming the house as it cooks, enticing us to eat and enjoy a meal with family safe inside. Braised meat is fork-tender and glossy with gravy. It’s my bulwark for the new season.

Braised Short Ribs

Braising has an added make-it-ahead virtue. On Sunday I sometimes cook up a storm, make lots of food and pack it into containers that I can freeze and then take out as needed. Like for during the week when I don’t get home until dinnertime, and the thought of preparing an entire meal is beyond me. As an accompaniment to something I’ve braised I can fix a quick veggie like sautéed spinach or kale and maybe a side order of rice or noodles.

Most Jewish women already know how to braise. We’ve seen our mothers and grandmothers make brisket, haven’t we? And we’ve cooked it too, probably.

But my husband and kids and I have always liked more variety. And so do my brother Jeff and sister-in-law Eileen, who live nearby. We see each other frequently for dinner at one or another’s house during the week. So, when cool weather comes, and I cook lamb and veal shanks, chuck, short ribs and coq au vin, everyone is happy.

Braising is one of the easiest techniques and the recipes are wonderfully forgiving. It’s basically this: brown meat in a pan, add some liquid and seasonings, put a cover on top and slow-cook the dish on the cook top or in the oven until it’s tender.

Really, that’s all there is to it. It’s the same whatever cut you choose. Use a heavy pan, add some vegetable oil and brown the meat. You can flour it first if you like a darker look (flour also thickens the sauce a bit). The only caution is to not crowd the pan. Brown the pieces a few at a time.

Osso Bucco

The liquids? That depends on what you like and what you have. Wine, stock, juice, cider, even water will do. You can add a bit of brandy if you like.

Seasonings also depend on your personal tastes. Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, savory, etc.) or dried. Once in a while I make a braised dish that includes dried fruit, so I add so-called “baking” spices: cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and so on.

Most of the time I include vegetables. Not only do they give the dish more flavor, they add color too, and some, like tomatoes, onions, celery and mushrooms, add moisture.

Kosher meat cuts are ideal for braising. Shank, short rib, chuck, lamb breast, veal breast all cook to tenderness and taste perfection when you cook them slowly. Over the years I have learned that that means VERY slowly. I’ve seen that many recipes will tell you that 350 degrees is best, cooked for an hour or two (or the comparable heat on the cook top). But I always let the dish take more time, with 225 degrees as my guide. Yes, you have to wait longer, but the results are more than worth it.

The days are getting shorter, our lives our busier and when we get home all we really want is a nice hot meal waiting for us. Enter the slow cooker. These pots are not only for cholent.  Keep yours out all week and make easy set it and forget it recipes for everything from dinner to breakfast to dessert.

 

White Bean Soup with Lemon and Garlic Cornbread

A healthy vegetarian dinner can be had with this all in one soup.  Make enough so you don’t have to fight over the leftovers to bring to work the next day.

Greek Chicken and Vegetable Ragout

This recipe requires a little more work for the finishing touches, but the real flavor comes from it’s long cooking while you forgot about it.  Set your rice cooker too and you won’t have much to do for this tasty dinner.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Every slow cooker roundup needs a pot roast!  This would even be great for the early Shabbat dinners especially if you are not home for lunch the next day so you won’t mind using your pot.  There are so many variations for pot roast and this is a great one to try.

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

If you are generally a meat or chicken person, you should not forget how useful the slow cooker is for lamb.  Whether in this dish using lamb stew meat or lamb shanks, they are perfect for slow cooking.  And all you have to make is quick cooking couscous and your dinner is ready.

Now that we got dinner covered, what about something sweet?

Note: these can all be made parve, but if you want to make a dairy slow cooker recipe or maybe you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still make these recipes in a pot or even a tin pan covered well in the oven at about 250 degrees.

Apple Confit

This apple confit can be served for breakfast or dessert.  Just think of what your house will smell like when this is cooking, that will be worth it alone, but it is also a healthy sweet warming treat.

Overnight Oatmeal

Yup, you can make breakfast in your slow cooker.  Really you can choose the flavors, but wake up to a hot bowl of this any winter day and you will be a happy person.

Bread Pudding with Pears, Currants and Cinnamon

Bread Pudding, typically thought of as dessert, but could definitely be another hot breakfast option.  Go ahead give it a try and let us know.

What do you like to use your slow cooker for?

Find all our slow cooker recipes here.

Just a quick explanation here about cholent:

On Shabbat, cooking is prohibited. This means if you want something hot during the 26 hours that comprise the Sabbath, you need to a) have whatever you want pre-cooked, and b) a way to heat it up or keep it warm set up before sundown Friday. By no means is this all that is required for food preparation for the Sabbath, but this is the most basic fundamentals, in terms of hot food.

Cholent is a dish that is prepared Friday morning or afternoon and left to sit on a heat source until it is ready to be eaten for Shabbat lunch. The main components of cholent is meat, potatoes, onions, barley, and beans and often kishka (derma). But no two cholents are exactly alike and there are many different versions of cholent. For example, Sephardic Jews make chamin usually made with lamb, rice, herbs and spices and eggs.

I never would have thought that a company would go and make mixes for cholent. To me, how people season and prepare their cholent is so individual, unique to each family, each Shabbat, that to try to replicate and mass produce that flavor would seem to be impossible.

When I was give the chance to review this product, I had to try it. I had to know if something from a box could come close to an authentic cholent taste.

If you have never made cholent before, or you feel you need a bit of help in terms of a spice profile, the Purely American Savory Beef Cholent Mix is not a bad way to go. You add beef, potatoes, (barley if desired) and the contents of the box. Mix with water, let cook overnight. You will have a very tasty, hot cholent waiting for you on Shabbat morning. The flavor and texture reminded me more strongly of a hearty beef stew. It was pleasant, but not what I would have expected for a cholent. The bean blend cooked wonderfully, and the amount of seasoning provided was just right, despite there be no added salt.

I also tested the Moroccan Lamb Cholent kit, all you need to do is add lamb stew meat and red potatoes. It was tasty, but the flavor was milder than I would have expected.  However the flavor profile was just right for lamb and the chickpeas made it more authentic.  Both dishes are easy to make and would be a welcome change for our Shabbat meals.

The most pleasant surprise was the healthiness of the product. The mixes are salt, MSG and gluten free, yet give great flavor. For a packaged product, considering all factors, I would have to say this is one of the more superior pre-packaged products I have seen available to the kosher customer.

Would you try a cholent kit?

**Giveaway**

Now’s your chance, enter to win a Cholent Kit Sampler.  The winner can choose any 6 cholent kits, currently being offered on Purely American, a $30 value.  To enter to win follow the options on rafflecopter below.

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 I want to thank Tamar Genger at JoyofKosher.com for sending me the samples of cholent/stew mixes to review. All opinions are my own.

For this month’s kosher recipe linkup, we are getting back to our roots.  Root vegetables include everything from carrots and parsnips to potatoes and beets and so much more.  Fall and winter are when they are at their prime and as the season changes, root vegetables tend to be a very comforting food, especially when roasted when all their natural sweetness comes bursting out.

I really love the ease and simplicity of roasted root vegetables and enjoy these any time of year.  Cut them up, toss with a dash of olive oil and salt and pepper, maybe throw in some fresh chopped rosemary or sage and roast at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.  You can’t get much easier than that.  But for our kosher recipe link up, I wanted to do something a little more interesting.

I happened to get a couple of acorn squash from my CSA and figured that would give me a starting point.  Sure I could have just stuffed it with just about anything and enjoyed a filling meal, but I was looking for something a little lighter. I remembered my fabulous squash chips and decided they would make the perfect topping for a salad along with roasted acorn squash seeds, lentils and a sprinkling of cheese.

There is nothing like using the entire vegetable and acorn squash seeds taste even better than pumpkin seeds, their oversized orange cousins.  All you have to do is remove the seeds, clean and dry, toss with a drop of butter or margarine and salt and roast at 375 for about 10 minutes.  Set aside.  Roast thinly sliced acorn squash chips.   Cook the lentils, my favorite are the French green lentils, and then layer your salad with a simple Dijon mustard vinaigrette.  Top with a sprinkling of your favorite cheese, like goat or feta, and have a perfect fall salad.  I’ll be rooting for you every step of the way!

Lentil Salad with Acorn Squash Chips Recipe

I often talk about how Hubby and I are polar opposites.  In food and in life.  And at the pizza shop.

He is a crazy connoisseur of all things pizza and has his favorite shops and favorite toppings and even knows exactly what time to show up where for the freshest out of the oven pie and the best selection.  He likes plain, Sicilian and Chicago.  He likes ziti, onion rings, spicy fries and falafel balls ON (yes you read right ON!) his pizza.  He also douses his pizza in tahina.

Now I guess it’s not really fair to say we don’t have the same taste at the pizza place.  I do like and eat everything as stated above – save for the tahina.  I only use it when I am down to my crust cause tahina and cheese just irks me out.  But I like tons more toppings that he wont even touch.  Fried eggplant, caramelized onions, mushrooms, mushrooms and more mushrooms AND a whole-wheat-cheese-less-salad-slice will do me right when I am “watching” what I eat.  Hubby is slightly offended by all this pizza heresy… and I am just plain sad because it keeps us from ordering lots of slices to share.

This butternut squash and arugula pizza though is thankfully all mine.  I am not sharing and I am happy it’s so not Hubby’s thing because it is so special and spicy and savory and sweet and serves my party for 1 just perfectly.  The goat cheese is creamy, and the fresh arugula add s a nice peppery bite to this masterpiece.  You can sub in pumpkin or sweet potato for the squash, ricotta for the goat cheese and can add caramelized red onions if you are so inclined.  That would make it more like this recipe, Roasted Pumpkin Pizza with Caramelized Onion and Ricotta, which just happens to be the winner of last year’s pumpkin recipe contest and it was crazy good! Made it for myself for lunch and then again for dinner. True story.

A quickie tip… if you don’t feel like cubing and roasting the squash use canned pumpkin.  Mix a can with the maple syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes and a pinch of kosher salt and spread it on the dough like sauce.  Sprinkle on the cheeses and bake as directed.  Top with fresh arugula before serving.

I’ve gotta check the stores here in Israel to see if they carry the frozen pizza dough (does anyone know where I can pick some up?) if not I will swing by the shop and ask to buy a ball of raw dough.  The shelves here in Israel are stocked with pumpkin, squash and sweet potato just like in the US.  So it may not feel like fall here — but I can still eat like it’s fall.

Enjoy my Butternut Squash and Arugula Pizza and make sure to let us know how it is in the comments.

I very sadly threw out a whole stalk of celery last week. It was a completely wasted purchase. Frankly, I had forgotten about it, and it had gotten buried in the vegetable drawer under some squashes. When I found it, it wasn’t salvageable.

Do you sometimes throw out vegetables, too? Or maybe fruit? At times, I’ve bought gorgeous fruit, only to find it later, after it had grown fuzzy because I had forgotten about it. Statistics show that I am not alone (According to the EPA, in 2010, about 34 million pounds of food was thrown out in the United States!).

I’ve been trying to cut back on food waste, and regularly go through the fridge. I still may not use every fruit while it is perfect, but I have become pretty good at finding ways to use the less-than-perfect produce I sometimes find in the fridge.

When I have fruit (and even some vegetables) that’s past its prime, but not spoiled yet, I try very hard to turn them into something delicious. You know the kind: the ones that are a little wrinkled, or have a couple of bruised spots (just enough that the kids look at them and shake their heads)… Instead of letting them rot, I have begun to bake muffins! (Lots of muffins.) Just remove the bruised spots before you get started. (I even mix them up. One of my kids’ favorites was the time I mixed mashed ripe bananas with mashed ripe plum. Oddly, they insisted there was honey in those muffins!)

Any Kind of Muffin
Some other ideas for past prime produce (please, cut away any obviously not-good parts before you make these recipes):

• Roasted Vegetable Gazpacho
• Apple Kugel
• Streusel-Topped Sweet Potato Muffins

I finally made it to Pardes.  The winner of our Best of Kosher Restaurant from 2011 and a much talked about dining destination in Brooklyn, NY.  A lucky night of free babysitting from the in-laws meant that I could venture out a little farther and get to Pardes with a couple of friends ready to share.

Before I went I put a call out on Twitter asking for recommendations and overwhelmingly everyone raved about the tasting menu, where Chef Moshe Wendel will bring out course after course of his own special creations for $110.  Unfortunately, I was too late to order the tasting menu which requires 24 hours advance notice.   But that gave us ample opportunity to sample lots of items from the regular menu and craft our own “tasting” menu.

We started with the jar of house made pickles, unsure at first about all the mixed vegetables inside, we were expecting mostly cucumbers, but were delighted to enjoy veggies like fennel and taro to whet our appetite.

Then they tantalized us with the Amuse Bouche – a small spoonful of white bean puree and olive tapenade – delectable.

One of the surprise hits of the night was the heirloom tomato salad.  It was the height of tomato season Chef Wendel showed great restraint and and let the flavor of the red, ripe tomatoes shine through, with crispy salmon skin, a light vinaigrette dressing and fiddlehead ferns (those were my favorite).

Moving on to more foreign territory, we all agreed to try the goat terrine since most of us had not had gotten our goat before.  It was a very unusual dish served room temperature, gelled in an aspic and alongside a mustard slaw and a whole fried egg.  To be honest I am not sure I am an aspic fan, but it was particularly delicious when everything was eaten in one bite, the flavors complemented each other perfectly and the whole thing was incredibly different from anything I’ve ever tasted.

The Beef Cheek Pizza and the Green Eggs and Lamb were suggested as the specialties of the house recommended by the waiter.  Both were unique dishes and generous in size, but we found the flavorings lacking.   The pizza dough was crisp and delicious, and the beef cheeks were moist and tender, but the whole pizza needed a little more oomph.  The green eggs and lamb was filled with veggies and a rustic quality that would make it a perfect dish for colder weather, but on this summer evening I found it a touch bland.

I really enjoyed the corn salad with duck bacon, I’d order a bowl of duck bacon if it was ever on the menu.

All of the above dishes were appetizers or small plates. We also shared two larger main courses.  The Rib Eye and the Tender with Celery Puree and Roasted Cipollini (onion).  Between the four of us, two preferred the rib eye while two preferred the tender.  Both were cooked perfectly and the portions were generous.  I think it just came down to which cut of meat you prefer.

There is no question that Chef Wendel thinks outside the kosher box and offers us a place to explore and taste very different foods.  You will certainly enjoy the experience and find some treasures along the way.

Have you been to Pardes? I would love to hear what you have to say.

Stuffed baked potatoes are a warm, comforting and inexpensive way to get dinner or brunch on the table.  Stuffed baked potatoes can be simple with butter and cheese or as complex as caviar and truffles. They can be served as the DISH or as a side.

How to choose your potato:

Make sure that the skin has a nice even brown tone without a greenish cast. Inspect the potatoes thoroughly to make sure that there aren’t any significant bruises, discolored spots, or sprouts.  A sprout of any size can be toxic, but you’d have to eat many sprouts to get sick. Do not buy potatoes if they have sprouted or have a green tint to the skin. Potatoes that have a greenish hue are “light-struck” which causes a build-up of a chemical called Solanine. This is a natural reaction to the potato being exposed to too much light. The green part, if eaten in large quantity, can cause illness.

When baking a large amount of potatoes at one time, choose potatoes with uniform shapes and sizes; they’ll cook more evenly and get done at the same time.

Fingerling Patatas Bravas

This classic Spanish favorite makes a delicious side dish as well as a zesty course in a tapas menu. Usually the potatoes are lightly fried in olive oil and tossed with the sauce; I have added a twist to the dish by stuffing the potatoes with my Spanish favorite, Romesco Sauce. The creamy sauce will open the palate and satisfy the appetite.

Stuffed Fingerling Potatoes with Caviar and Creme Fraiche

Elegant and luscious. This is a perfect example of a “high-low” dish. Chefs love dishes that take a simple and inexpensive or “low” ingredient and then “bedazzle” it with something sophisticated or a “high” ingredient. Stuffed fingerlings with caviar and crème fraiche are perfect for a special occasion or a stylish side.

Corned Beef Hash Tailgater Stuffed Potato

Bring your appetite for this hearty spud. This is a perfect game day potato when huge russet potatoes are the vehicle for the delicious filling, or use a smaller potato and serve the robust dish for brunch, topped with a fried or poached egg.

Curried Vegetable Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes! Sweet potatoes (Sweets, as I call them) are a staple in my professional and home kitchens. I think a great injustice has been done to the sweet potato with the typical Thanksgiving preparation that includes marshmallows, cherries and sometimes pineapple-YUCK! I am amazed that many people eat them only once a year and only with all that stuff on them.  Sweets are nutritious and versatile. Sweets pair well with spices including curry flavors. If you have never tried curry, this is a great dish to experiment with. The dish can be served as a side dish or light entrée.

There is a popular custom to eat fish on Shabbat and many people regularly start the Shabbat meal with a cold fish appetizer like gefilte fish.  It is nice to have something you can make ahead and serve cold, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the same each week.   To be honest growing up with jarred gefilte, I never thought I liked any form of gefilte.  In college I was introduced to the frozen loaf and found that it actually could taste quite good and doesn’t have to come with jelly.  Since then I have found so many new ways to make and serve a cold fish appetizer and have been inspired by Jamie’s ideas too.  Here are some new ways to serve and old food.

Starting with Jamie’s famous Spiced Gefilte Fish, so gorgeous it made the cover of her first book, Quick & Kosher From the Bride who Knew Nothing.  Now it is time for you to try it.

Gefilte Fish Cakes with Horseradish Sauce

For something that really changes it up try these gefilte cakes, they are easy to make using jarred or frozen gefilte loaves, but even those gefilte haters will enjoy.

Gefilte and Salmon Terrine

I learned to make a fish terrine like this when I was in Paris quite a few years back, but then made it easier by using a defrosted loaf of gefilte.  The spinach can still be difficlut to work with, but once you get the hang of it, it is worth it.  You will love how gorgeous it comes out.

Spinach Gefilte Fish

Or if you don’t want to fuss with spinach leaves on the outside, make this incredibly easy oven baked spinach gefilte fish, I have converted many so called gefilte haters over to the love side with this recipe.

Then of course you could go the homemade route or try this very different fish terrine made from Halibut and Salmon, it really isn’t a gefilte fish, but does make a perfect cold fish appetizer.