Neshama Gourmet is still negotiating to get their sausage distributed in Boston, but for those of you in the tri-state area, here’s where Neshama’s two Pesadik flavors (Smoked Andouille and Country Apple) are available:

New York City
Fairway Wholesale (uptown)
Zabars
Whole Foods - 89th
Eli’s Manhattan
Kosher Market Place
Amish Fine Foods

Brooklyn
Key Food - Flatbush
Flatbush Food Coop
Park Slope Food Co-op

New Jersey
Kings Supermarkets
Natural Basic Foods

Westchester / Connecticut
Mrs Green’s Natural Markets
Palmers Market

Long Island
Fairway Plainview, LI
Stop ‘N Shop Supermarkets

Craig Winchell sent us an e-mail last week to announce that, after 20 years in business, GAN EDEN is closing its doors and liquidating its inventory, so his family can move to a community with real opportunities for Jewish education. Their website lists the details of the liquidation sale (half price at the moment).

Craig, we wish you the best of luck. You’re always welcome to share your expertise with us on the blog, perhaps inspiring future generations of kosher winemakers, and we hope you’ll let us know if GAN EDEN reemerges wherever you settle down.

Though I have taken to drinking decent Cabernet Sauvignon with roast beef, I’m still a sucker for the sweet bubbles of Moscato. My favorite, however, is not Bartenura’s blue bottle variety (which, unusually, is no longer “d’Asti”) but Golan Winery’s. To me, it tastes a little fresher, and I like to support Israel with my purchase.

Strangely, I’ve had no luck finding Golan Moscato in the Boston area for several months, so KosherWine.com has come to the rescue. We bought two cases which, even with the hefty shipping charge, came out to about $10.25/bottle.

Sorry for the downtime the site experienced today. Our server was having some troubles around midday, but all has been well since 1:20PM EST. Thankfully, we’ll be moving to a more robust server soon, so expect better reliability.

The Kosher.com website is live again. I ordered from them twice before the site went dark and had a good experience. For the most part they are similar to MyKosherMarket.com, however I think their site is more informative and user-friendly. Also, Kosher.com has more detailed information regarding hechshers for all items. Give them a try. Competition may be a good thing in the on-line kosher market biz.

P.S. All Kosher.com butcher items are KAJ/Rubashkin which may be a positive or negative depending on your viewpoint.

Links:
Kosher.com
MyKosherMarket.com

Like it or not, Passover’s coming. Lessons learned last year: plan out all food and equipment purchases ahead of time to avoid unnecessary spending, make a detailed food inventory and mark exactly what was used, shop early in the morning, and remember that stores are open during chol hamoed.

If those tips aren’t enough, what follows is a list of the kosher world’s annual offering of Passover resources. I’ve included only the special 2005 stuff, but every organization has their share of eternal Passover guidelines.

From Orthodox Union
* Products Not Requiring Special Passover Supervision (PDF)
* Kosher Products, A-F (PDF)
* Kosher Products, G-O (PDF)
* Kosher Products, P-Z (PDF)

From Star-K
* Passover Product Guide

From CRC
* Passover Product Guide
* Frequently Asked Questions
* Official Policy on Passover Medicines & Cosmetics (PDF)

NEW KOSHER RESTAURANT TO OPEN IN BROOKLINE
Several sources have confirmed a rumor that a new glatt kosher restaurant will be opening in Brookline, MA, after Passover this year. The new restaurant, as yet unnamed, will feature a unique combination of Israeli and Chinese foods in a comfortable counter-service setting.

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP, “JEWISH ADVOCATE” TO CHANGE NAME
Boston’s largest Jewish newspaper, having last year changed hands to a British media conglomerate, will also soon be changing its name. The Jewish Advocate has been under increasing pressure to embrace religious pluralism, and starting with its advertising and content, has already tried to pass as less overtly “semitic.” To complete the process, the Advocate’s Board of Directors next week will vote to change the publication’s name to the Jewish-Sponsored, Nonsectarian Advocate. A source close to the newspaper’s editor stated, “To compete in today’s media industry, we have to appeal to a wider audience. The non-Jewish population in Massachusetts is simply a much larger market.” A representative of Boston’s Jewish Community Relations Council hailed the move, saying that “eliminating religious doctrine in a public resource like the Advocate affirms the JCRC’s fundamental principle to promote a democratic, pluralistic, and just society.”

SUPERMARKET SHELVES EMPTY OF PASSOVER PRODUCTS DUE TO JEWISH LEAP YEAR
Supermarket shelves across the United States will be bereft of kosher-for-Passover products this year following this Sunday’s Easter holiday, leaving the Jewish calendar’s peculiar “leap month” of Adar-II to blame. A memo circulated by Albertson’s, Inc. to each of its supermarkets (Acme, Shaw’s, and Albertson’s) stated explicitly to stock all Passover foodstuffs only until March 27. An executive of Ahold USA, parent company of Stop & Shop Supermarkets, stated, “Every year, the Jewish holiday of Passover coincides with the Christian holiday of Easter. We expected this year would be the same.” Jewish community leaders have expressed outrage at the move. One area man bemoaned, “When Sidney Rabb was in charge [of Stop & Shop], something like this never would have happened!” Small kosher markets nationwide are quietly raising prices for the post-Purim rush.

As any local Bay Stater will tell you, dairy products from Cabot Creamery are a staple in almost every New England home. For this dairy afficionado, growing up on Cabot’s delicious cheddars and other cheeses made it especially difficult to take on a fully kosher lifestyle. Thankfully, that conundrum is alleviated. With great excitement, the Kosher Blog learned early this month of Cabot Creamery’s plans to introduce a sharp cheddar supervised by the Orthodox Union. We made no delay ordering several of the 10-ounce bars from their online store, and have been steadily enjoying them since they arrived promptly by mail.

Cabot’s cheese is the first kosher variety to our knowledge that has been aged to a truly “sharp” degree (up to eight months), and the marked cheddar flavor is testament to that. Despite its age, the cheddar remains creamy (sharper cheddars become drier and crumbly) but firm enough to slice and shred and with ease. Thus, we can say that Cabot’s is arguably the best kosher cheddar available for all-around snacking and cooking.

To learn more about Cabot’s kosher cheesemaking in terms of supervision, economics, and taste, we had the opportunity to interview Cabot’s Direct Marking Manager, Clay Whitney.

When and how did Cabot initially get involved with kosher certification? Was it solely to tap a “kosher” market or did you anticipate increasing demand among non-kosher consumers as well?
Years ago, when our butter and cultured products first became certified kosher by KVH [Va’ad Harabonim of Massachusetts], and our cheese became certified by Tablet-K, we knew this did more than make these products acceptable for consumers who observe the kosher laws. Kosher certification is like the “Good Housekeeping Seal” for all consumers concerned about the quality of the food they eat. We publicized information about our certification through various means, but admittedly, it was not at the forefront during our efforts to expand Cabot’s selling regions.

After analyzing the costs and benefits of certification of our products by the Orthodox Union, we decided to make the change for our butter, cottage cheese, sour cream, dips and whipped cream. These products have been certified by the Orthodox Union for several years and the packaging bears the OU-D symbol.

In the last few years, inquiries about our cheese certification increased from a few to many. We have changed much of our cheese packaging to reference both the kosher certification from Tablet-K and the Halal certification by IFANCA, since both market segments are growing. The changeover to new packaging is continuing as we deplete our older inventories of labels and film.

Did the switch to kosher production require difficult adjustments to your cheesemaking process?
Our production methods are unchanged whether or not the product is certified kosher, but the issues we have to address are 1) the incremental cost of supervision and 2) the impact of the production scheduling requirements.

Although we use only the milk from Cabot’s farm family owners, Cabot’s cost of cheese is dependent upon the national commodity market, specifically the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In volatile market years, such as we experienced in 2004, the impact on the income to our farmer owners can be dramatic, so any increased cost must be carefully considered.

Scheduling production and packaging for the OU-certified product also has a cost in terms of management and efficiency.

The purpose of this market test is to get an idea of the interest for this product. Success in the test could lead to a rollout, which would mean higher volume, larger distribution, and lower costs.

Your announcement of an OU-certified variety stated that it was a result of consumer comments. When did you start to hear demand for Orthodox Union-certified cheese?
As Cabot’s distribution grew beyond the East Coast, and the certification of our products became known, a larger audience has enjoyed Cabot’s kosher products. In the last few years, we have been contacted about our kosher standing more frequently and with varied requests.

Did it increase when Cape Cod’s “Shapes of the Cape” was released (OU-certified featuring Cabot cheddar)?
Other national brands, such as Coca-Cola and Oreos, had caught our attention earlier, but the request from Cape Cod to have the cheddar ingredient from Cabot certified by the OU heightened our awareness of the Orthodox Union’s national presence.

What makes OU-certified cheese different from your other varieties - with the OU on board, were you once again required to make changes to your cheesemaking process?
The rigorous inspection conducted by the Orthodox Union confirmed that our ingredients and processes are in compliance with their requirements. The standards for our dairy products have been maintained diligently since our cooperative’s founding in 1919 and were instrumental in our being awarded “World’s Best Cheddar” at the 22nd Biennial World Championship Contest. Personal supervision by a rabbi from the OU confirms those standards are maintained to their satisfaction.

[KB Note: See the Kosher Bachelor’s discussion of Cabot’s OU Cheddar for more detail on the difference in supervision.]

There are many widely-recognized national kosher certifiers, like Star-K of Baltimore, OK of New York, Kof-K of New Jersey, and others. What led you to choose the OU as your new certifying agency? Did you consider any other major organizations before choosing to work with the OU?
Our butter and cultured products have been certified by the Orthodox Union for several years, and the OU has been diligent in their efforts to work with us to develop an OU-certified cheddar. We called representatives from synagogues in several states and asked what the predominant and most appropriate certification would be for our products in their area. Our initial impression of the Orthodox Union’s national recognition was corroborated.

In your professional opinion, would you say the texture and flavor is equal to your award-winning standard sharp cheddar?
Absolutely! All our cheddars are produced to achieve the same highest standards for taste and texture. In a blind taste test, you would not be able to distinguish the OU kosher sharp cheddar from the Cabot cheddar that has won every major award for taste.

Kosher cheeses, aside from a few exceptions, are much more expensive than non-kosher cheeses. The average Jewish consumer chalks this up to the cost of supervision, but relatively little is known about the phenomenon. To what do you attribute the price premium of your OU-certified variety over your other varieties? If the demand were great enough, could your OU-certified price equalize with the lower, standard price?
If this test of OU-certified sharp cheddar is successful, the next step is to make it available for kosher and general retail stores. The cost of certifying our entire production by the OU, when only a portion of our sales are impacted by the certification, burdens the cost of all our products. If national retailers see a value to offering this cheddar, and are willing to pay the incremental cost, volume and efficient distribution will drive down the incremental costs associated with certification.

If the demand were great enough, would it be economically feasible to use a widely-recognized, national certifier like the OU for your entire line? Would you consider such a change?
After analyzing the costs and discussing this possibility with the Orthodox Union, we have determined we will proceed on a step-by-step basis to find the point of optimal value to our customers and farmer owners as our sales develop. To misquote a famous book and movie, “If you come, we will build it.” We will be learning a great deal about this product’s impact in the marketplace if this test is successful and the roll out begins.

Any plans to produce other OU-kosher varieties? As I recall from my non-kosher childhood, your Monterrey Jack is stellar.
Thank you for the endorsement. It’s too soon to consider that yet, but not at all out of the question.

Unlike most Kosher Blog product recommendations, this one’s almost as simple as a product can get: eggs. I’ve been using Country Hen Eggs (from Hubbardston, MA) for several weeks now, and have noticed their particularly deep yellow yolks, firm shells, low prevalence of blood spots (haven’t found one yet), and the interesting little newsletters stuck in their cartons. Plus, their birds are raised on a farm that seems almost regal compared to typical chicken treatment: spacious sunlit barns, organic feed, natural ventilation, and outdoor porches.

My review would almost be unequivocal, if I hadn’t noticed in their last carton newsletter that their eggs are now “certified kosher” by Natural Food Certifiers’ Apple-K Kosher Program. I am not convinced that whole, natural eggs require kosher supervision. In fact, even though the Orthodox Union’s article on the subject discusses all the potential issues with modern egg processing that could create kashrut problems, the author concludes, “All of our Kosher concerns regarding raw eggs turned out not to be of any Halachic significance.” Additionally, the Star-K mentions parenthetically in an article on industrial egg use that “eggs commonly available are always kosher.”

Perhaps Country Hen is wasting its money on this aruguably unnecessary certification? “Kosher” or not, they’re great eggs… give them a try. And remember, “brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh!”

My office is a 10-minute walk from home, and a 20-minute walk from a kosher restaurant, so it’s not so bad in terms of my lunch situation. For a quick bite with my coworkers, though, it’s tough if I don’t bring something from home. (I know, you’d at least expect the Beth Israel would have kosher food, right?)

Thankfully, the Children’s Hospital cafeteria has just begun offering several pre-packaged Sabra-brand products (the local Sabra, not the New York one) including hummus and taboulleh, certified by Va’ad Harabonim of Massachusetts. Today, I tried “dardara,” a type of lentil salad. Simple, wholesome and delicious: lentils, brown rice, caramelized onions, oil, salt, and water. It’s tasty when cold and would make a good hot side dish.

(A Globe article to which I linked in an earlier posting on Sabra mentions that their products are available at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I haven’t checked, but my guess is that they’re incorporated within their salad bars, and not sold in individual containers. So, kudos to Children’s for making this kosher employee’s life easier!)

This past Shabbat, we diverged from our usual romaine-strawberry-craisin salad and tried something that tied into our Tex-Mex menu a little better: Baby Spinach with Mango and Candied Pecans. The salad, though simple, was very good, and I was truly wowed by the candied pecans.

What makes these nuts special is that, in addition to the typical sugar, the coating contains a bit of balsamic vinegar. The end result is a unique sweet-sour combination that ties in perfectly with the mango and vinaigrette of the salad, and is a great snack just on their own. (I would have happily munched them all away if I didn’t need them for the salad.)

No special occasion for this installment of Adventures in Beef — with my wife at school late Thursday night, I wanted an easy, tasty dinner and left the choice up to my butcher. I turned down his suggestion of a rib steak; I wanted something new to try (and a bit cheaper). He offered up two hanger steaks, amounting to about three-quarters of a pound. He assured me they’d be very tender.

After completing the rest of my grocery shopping, I returned home and fired up the broiler. In the interest of really tasting the meat itself, I seasoned the steaks with only fresh cracked black pepper before broiling them for five minutes on each side. I ended up with delicious, perfectly medium to medium-rare beef, which made a hearty meal alongside a pile of hot steak fries and an ice cold glass of Diet Coke. I have to admit, though, that despite the meat being quite tender, it was also quite salty, so I’ll be sure to rinse it more thoroughly next time, and I’d consider trying an adventurous marindate to spice it up.

Thanks to the fine folks at Nature’s Door Foods, we recently had an opportunity to sample several new non-dairy spreads — exotically flavored, tastefully packaged, and certified pareve by the Orthodox Union. Available in five flavors, these soy-based “spreadable cheese alternatives” are cholesterol-free, lactose-free, and sugar-free. Priced at $4.99/each, they are very competitive with quality cheese spreads.

Our esteemed tasting panel featured a wide varieties of tastes and spanned the gammut of kashrut, from full to no observance, to assure a fair evaluation. We enjoyed the spreads with simple savory crackers, and a variety of beverages were available to freshen our palates.

The first characteristic we noted about the spreads was the range of consistencies. The Cucumber & Dill variety was less viscous than the others, almost exhibiting a pourable quality. This could have been a result of uneven refrigeration, so it didn’t phase us. In general, texture was fine.

Regarding taste, for each of the flavors, there was at least one panelist who especially liked it and typically one panelist who especially disliked it:

Gourmet Peppercorn
Intense peppercorn flavor, judged too strong by all but one panelist, who nearly deemed it his favorite. Despite the use of all natural ingredients, the overwhelming strength of the peppercorn “came off as an artificial taste.”

Cucumber & Dill
Cucumber flavor served as a mild background to the stronger dill. Generally agreeable, only one severe dislike.

Garlic & Herb
Strong garlic flavor enjoyed by all — easily our favorite. High marks for flavor and texture nearly identical to real-cheese Boursin.

Spinach & Artichoke
Enjoyed by those who appreciate artichokes.

Chipotle
Smokey flavor with a pleasant heat that presents itself after a few moments. Half the group found the flavor unpleasant.

Overall, we found the spreads tasty, but difficult to consume in significant quantities without tasting synthetic. However, as an option among many party snacks, they’d probably integrate well as-is. They also show real promise when used in recipes and as convenient stand-ins when altering dairy recipes for meat meals. Swap in their Garlic/Herb spread for Boursin in those mashed potatoes, or try one of the recipes available on the Nature’s Door website. (In fact, it would behoove NDF to develop more recipes for their products.) Aside from the peppercorn abberation, these soy products could give Tofutti a run for their money.

Category	Score
Taste	2.5
Presentation	3.5
Value	3
K-Factor™	3
TOTAL	12

King of the Hill episode on FX right now, at the Austinental Hotel:

DALE: I’m Gribble of the Gribble party. We requested four standard rooms on your kosher floor.
CLERK: I’m sorry, sir, we don’t have a kosher floor.
DALE: This is an outrage! How do you intend to placate me? Wait till my pastor hears about this! My god is a vengeful god!
CLERK: Sir, please, we don’t discriminate against — whatever you are.

I was skeptical that pareve cornbread could be moist at all, never mind an award winner. Imagine my surprise when Cook’s Illustrated reported a recipe for vegan cornbread that actually won the blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair… and those folks know their corn.

DANA SLY’S BLUE RIBBON VEGAN CORNBREAD
Serves 9

2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
6 Tbsp. water
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C cornmeal
1/4 C sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. table salt
1 C soy milk
1/4 C canola oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
4. Add the ground flax seed mixture, soy milk, and canola oil to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth (do not overbeat.)
5. Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

UPDATE — 10-Mar-05
The “secret” to the recipe is a mysterious ingredient I’ve never worked with before: ground flaxseed, or “flaxseed meal”. When cooked briefly with hot water, it gets very thick and gummy and adds body to the cornbread that more fat or a dairy product otherwise would. Even better, a mere two tablespoons of ground flaxseed contains four grams of fiber and three grams of protein, plus other random healthful things that ward off cancer and decrease cholesterol. A wonder food, indeed, and it makes a very moist, pareve cornbread.

Levana Kirschenbaum, author of Levana’s Table, will be giving a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma in The Shops at Columbus Circle on Thursday, March 17th. The Pesach seder oriented menu will include:

• Tilapia-stuffed Seabass with Watercress Horseradish Sauce
• Roasted Garlic and Artichoke Soup
• Lamb Shanks and Dried Fruit stew
• Roasted Asparagus
• Endive and Apple Salad with Walnut Dressing
• Almond Wine Cake with Strawberry Sauce

All ingredients and utensils will be strictly kosher. There will also be a cookbook signing. Class is from 6 to 8 pm. Fee is $60.00. You must register in advance: 212-823-9750 or contact Marlene at wscolumbuscircle@yahoo.com.

Also, check out http://www.levanacooks.com/ for more of Levana’s delectable cooking classes. The March 14th class will feature Israeli Street Food:

• Fish Chraimi
• Marinated Eggplant slices
• Falafel Balls with Hummus Tehina and Israeli Salad
• Za’atar-rubbed Mulaouach with Schug
• Spinach Borekas
• Rugelach

Anyone notice the mysterious absence of kosher restaurants in the Jewish Advocate’s “Restaurant Guide” this week?

From the Cabot Cheese website:

OU Kosher Sharp Cheddar - Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheddar that is certified kosher by Orthodox Union (OU-D) will be available exclusively from this website starting this March. All of the cheeses in our online store (except for Smoky Bacon Cheddar) are already certified kosher by Tablet-K and certified halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA). However, we have received many consumer inquiries about providing OU-certified cheddar, so we are conducting this market test. If successful, we will make this product a permanent addition to our web shopping selection. In the future, we may even explore making it available through your local supermarket. It’s coming here in March — be sure to tell your friends.

Many thanks to elf for pointing this out!

UPDATE: Coming March 12!

Rib eye, with it is melt-in-your-mouth combination of tender meat and well-distributed fat, is among the top cuts of all beef, kosher or otherwise. But whereas this delectable vittle is already pricey at a non-kosher $9.99/lb, it’s typically out of reach for everyday enjoyment.

Fortunately, we recently had a special occasion to celebrate, and our butcher was happy to sell us a roast. Figure half a pound of raw meat per serving. Our 3.6-lb. slab would handily feed four people with seconds.

A nice aspect of a rib eye roast is that it requires relatively little preparation. With my beef at room temperature, I tied it up with string, and gave it a quick coating of Kitchen Bouquet before loading it up in our Showtime Rotisserie (a great tool for Friday night cooking — set it before Shabbat begins, and your chicken or beef is roasted and ready for carving when you get home from shul). At 18 minutes per pound, the beef was done in just over an hour. The same rule applies when roasting in a 350-degree oven — 18 minutes/lb. to attain a 140-degree internal temperature. (For medium-rare, 130-degree meat, shave off a minute or two per pound. Use a meat thermometer for greatest accuracy.) In any situation, let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch wide servings.

Our roast came out to a perfect medium doneness, meaning those of us who enjoy properly cooked beef could enjoy the inner layers and those of the “shoe leather” persuasion could chow on the outermost slices. Served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and tender green beans, it made a most excellent meal.