More Kosherfest Observations
Large Wheels of Brie
Anderson International Foods, producers of Les Petites Fermieres, Monsey Dairy, and Natural & Kosher brands, offers a full-size wheel of brie (in addition to the more prevalent small 4-inch wheels) under the Petites Fermieres label.
English Cheeses
Atalanta Corp., importer of such kosher cheeses as Barkanit and Danablu, now has a line of kosher English cheeses, including Cheddar, Double Gloucester, and Leicester.
Jeff Nathan
Abigael’s chef Jeff Nathan was at Kosherfest. I’d seen him in print and on TV before, but this is the first time I’ve seen him in person. Despite his stature in the gourmet kosher world, he can’t be more than five feet tall!
Kosher Wines
If you’re an afficionado of kosher wines and spirits, Kosherfest is a great event to visit. Several major winemakers, importers, and distributors were there (Abarbanel, International Kosher, Pribokaar, Roberto Cohen, Tishbi Estate, etc.) offering tastes of their latest and greatest wines and an opportunity to discuss the finer points of oenology.
Fred’s Organic Soups
Not only were these guys friendly, but their soups were delicious. We tried their mushroom barley soup, which tasted very fresh and flavorful, as well as their cold strawberry soup, which would be a great meal starter on a hot summer day. All varieties are vegetarian and organic, but that should preclude you from adding your own meat — perhaps chunks of lamb in the bean/barley, or cooked smokey sausage meat to the split pea — to make a hearty entree.
Predictable Israeli Cheese
I carried all my pamphlets and other materials in a large bag given to me by the Israel Dairy Board, labeled “Israel’s Dairy Delicacies.” The bag pictured several delicious looking cheeses. The Israeli companies exhibiting at Kosherfest, however, seemed to focus almost entirely on feta. Note for next year, guys — we have feta covered here in America. Try something innovative.
Man-o-man … a-missing?
It was a bit strange that Manischewitz didn’t have even a token presence at Kosherfest… not that I would expect them to introduce new products that I’d actually buy. They’d probably offer stuff like “Low-Carb Extra Heavy Malaga,” or cheddar-chipotle gefilte fish. Maybe we’re better off in their absence!
Was Sugar River at kosherfest? We have them at whole foods here (short hills area). Fantastic products.
http://www.sugarrivercheese.com/ certified by CRC.
Sugar River wasn’t at KosherFest, but we’ve critiqued their excellent cheeses on the blog before (see archives). I saw them yesterday at the Brighton Whole Foods (they have Barkanit, too).
yeah but Barkanit is creepy. well I dont like brie-esque cheeses. btw, regarding your cheese making adventures have you tried making paneer (indian cheese). It’s super easy to make. Just organic milk, lemon juice or vinegar and that’s it (unless you want to add spices or herbs in at the end. Total time less than an hour. let me know if you want a recipe (if you don’t already have 10)… The best one IMHO is by Yamuna Devi (so what if it’s in this weird, but good Hari Krishna 600 page cookbook). (second place by Madhur Jaffrey). oh and regarding the tastybite products - you can usually get them cheaper if there’s an indian grocer by you. I don’t remember if there’s one in Brighton (i used to live in Allston). but they’re good in a fix.
I do enjoy my Brie, which is a “mold-ripened cheese.” Even if you don’t like it, you should try a baked Brie en croute or deep-fried Brie… gooey and delicious.
The Barkanit, while of the same “creepy” class, is an entirely different animal. Literally. The goat/sheep milk blend is much tangier than any cow’s milk Brie or Camembert.
As for paneer: I haven’t made it specifically, but the lemon ricotta I tried had almost identical ingredients. Organic or “inorganic” (nitrogen-based?) milk probably doesn’t make any difference in terms of cheesemaking, as both supermarket products will be equally pasteurized and homogenized. My two books (see earlier posts on cheesemaking) both have recipes for paneer and/or paneer-like cheeses, I may try one before I take on a hard cheese.
I’m trying to find out if Chef Jeff Nathan vegetarian recipes using Yves products are in his cookbook Supper Surprises?