There are those who say that Dougie’s is passe… not what it used to be. But for those who get to chow in New York only now and then, it can really hit the spot…
I realize that everyone hip already knows all about Dougie’s, but still – I think it is appropriate to talk about our incredible meal.
In the Discussion area:
Emily O asks for help finding pareve recipes for authentic French pastries and ice cream. Read the post and respond!
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In these parts, we have a reliable supply of dairy biscuits in the nearby supermarket bakeries for enjoying as part of a breakfast sandwich or a strawberry shortcake.
But what about when that breakfast sandwich nixes the cheese and piles on the beef fry? Or when that delicious dessert comes after a meat meal?
The answer is a pareve biscuit, of course (and, in the latter case, non-dairy whipped topping). So, I cracked open my recently-purchased copy of Cook’s Illustrated’s The New Best Recipe to resequence their tried-and-true shortcake recipe. Switching butter with margarine (Earth Balance sticks, in fact) was an easy choice, but what of the half-and-half? In today’s experiment, I went with soy milk and two tablespoons of vegetable oil as my cream replacement. I don’t know if it’s related, but my dough seemed much stickier than it ought to have been, so I added more flour (than the 2 cups listed) to compensate.
Long story short, they turned out well for a first try: a bit crustier than a typical buttermilk biscuit, and not as thick (probably pressed the dough out too thin). They’re great warm, but we also enjoyed them after being refrigerated. In the future, I might try making them without sugar and instead with savory flavorings, like garlic and rosemary, as a main course accompaniment.
PAREVE SHORTCAKES / BISCUITS
Adjusted from The New Best Recipe, page 950
Makes 6 shortcakes
• 2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more to dust work surface and biscuit cutter
• 5 Tbsp. (about 2 1/4 oz.) sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt (omit if margarine is salted)
• 8 Tbsp. (one stick) cold unsalted pareve margarine, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. pareve soy milk
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt (if required) to combine. Scatter the margarine pieces over and process until the mixture resembles coars meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Mix the beaten egg with the soy milk and vegetable oil, and pour mixture into the flour mixture. Combine with a rubber spatula until large clumps form. Turn the mixture onto a floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.
Use your fingertips to pat the dough into a 9 by 6-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick, being careful not to overwork the dough. Flour a 2 3/4-inch biscuit cutter and cut out 6 dough rounds (KB note: used a 2-inch cutter and cut 12 rounds total, after combining scraps). Place the rounds 1 inch apart on a baking sheet, brush the tops with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. (Dough rounds can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours before baking).
Bake until the shortcakes are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let cakes cool.
Can a dish other than chulent survive the long cooking hours necessary to serve warm for Shabbos lunch? I’m not talking about warming food up on Shabbos – that’s easy enough. I’m looking for a recipe that gets put up before Shabbos. “Set it and forget it”, as the infomercial goes. My wife believes that such a recipe exists, but I’m skeptical. I’m convinced that ingredients of our traditional chulent recipe enable the long cooking times. I figure that the high-starch content insulates the chulent from moisture loss, and the fatty cuts of meat keep the meat from drying out. Our recent attempt with meatballs-in-sauce resulted in meatballs that would be called “dry and gravelly”, if I was feeling kind.
How about you? Do you have a recipe that you put up on Friday and serve for Shabbos lunch?
KBlog reader David writes in to share this news:
Nature’s Path has a new line of toaster pastries that taste just like Pop Tarts — as I remember them, anyway. Got ‘em in my local (Los Angeles) Trader Joe’s.
The Nature’s Path website lists three flavors — strawberry, blueberry, and apple-cinnamon — all available frosted or unfrosted, and all OU-Dairy, USDA Organic, and free of trans-fats.
Search for retailers, or buy online.
No, it’s not a recipe for cooking Geeks…Sheesh.
For those of you who enjoyed my descent into Turducken Madness, or my description of cooking Beef Brisket for 12-hours – I just wanted to let you know that I’m working on more “food projects” to share with you. When the meat-free 9-days are upon us, I hope to write up my experiences with Plank Grilled Salmon and Grilled Pizza. When the summer is over, we can talk about Deep Fried Turkeys. Boiling oil and a propane burner can be such an exciting combination. :)
In the meantime, I want to offer some interesting links for to those of you who appreciated my genius, back when I suggested that BBQ thermometers should have the ability to be monitored over the internet. (I’m actually 75% finished with an actual Internet-Connected BBQ Thermometer, and by the end of the summer, I’ll have a writeup – with another delicious kosher recipe, of course.) There’s almost always someone on the web who shares your passions, and Geek/Hacker/Cook is no exception. For your reading enjoyment:
Enjoy!
According to the New York Times, the next big thing is going to be tattooed fruit:
A new technology being used by produce distributors employs lasers to tattoo fruits and vegetables with their names, identifying numbers, countries of origin and other information that helps speed distribution. The marks are burned onto the outer layer of the skin and are visible to discerning consumers and befuddled cashiers alike.
…They are also visible to shomer Shabbat Jews, who may be wary of violating the melacha (prohibited work-like activity) of “erasing” on Shabbat by biting into or peeling such produce. As I recall, on Shabbat one may bite into a piece of cake that has writing on it, but one may not actually cut through the letters on the cake. This situation seems similar enough.
Not to give the rabbis any crazy ideas, but I can see easily some kind of ban being place on consuming these fruits and vegetables on Shabbat and yom tovim (festival days). And I’m not so sure I’d disagree with them, at least as much as it applies to cutting and peeling.
Any more info on this out there?
Cross-posted at Devarim.
The latest review from the fine folks at KosherCritic: Pikesville, MD’s Cafe 921…
Cafe 921 can definitely be considered a superior dining experience. Located in a renovated movie theater similar to the Senator Theater in Baltimore, the Pikes at Cafe 921 offers a quality meal without pressuring your budget. You might go just to grab a bite, but before you know it, the enticing smells will force you to add a few more items to your plate.
A good salami should have a little zest to its flavor and some spring to its texture. Rubashkin’s 12-ounce all-beef salami has neither. The texture is mushy and the flavor is mediocre. Choose Abeles & Heymann’s salami or cervelat instead for a much better experience.
The Jewish Ledger reports that Kosher Express, an OK-supervised Chinese restaurant, has opened in the Amity/Westville area of New Haven.
Sydney Perry, Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven executive director, added, “A vibrant Jewish community requires schools, a mikveh, synagogues and agencies which serve the elderly and the needy, a shochet and a mohel. And a kosher Chinese restaurant. With the advent of Kosher Express, which joins the kosher restaurants providing vegetarian delights, New Haven is clearly thriving. Every fortune cookie should say l’chaim.”
Kosher Express
132 Amity Road (Amity Plaza Shopping Center)
New Haven, CT
203-387-7889
Sun – Thurs: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m. – one hour before candlelighting
Sat. night: open one and a half hours after sunset.
