The authors vary, but we all have a cookbook that we turn to again and again for simple powerhouse recipes. Forget how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs? From Julia Child’s Kitchen, page 81. Need a quick kasha varnishkes next Shabbos? The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook, page 205. A recipe for creme anglaise? Larousse Gastronomique, page 390.

Setting Jewish recipes and obscure French preparations aside, and after testing several recipes with excellent results, I’ve supplanted my traditional tomes with the latest from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated, The New Best Recipe. The name doesn’t do the book justice. Not only does the NBR contain 1,000 scientifically tested recipes, but it also features product comparisons (maple syrups, chocolate chips, what-have-you) and general food preparation knowledge (slicing goat cheese, how to prepare vegetables for a crudite platter) that make it an indispensible cooking and entertaining guide. Illustrations, when provided, are clear and concise, and the narratives before each recipe provide valuable insight into the process that went into its development. The authors do not simply list how to prepare something; they instead share the subtleties of the ingredients and techniques involved which can be applied in countless other kitchen situations. (As an added bonus, it’s printed just down the street from where I sit — “America’s Test Kitchen” in Brookline, MA.)

I feel I haven’t even scratched the surface of this expansive resource, but the recipes I’ve attempted so far have all been such overwhelming successes that I’m confidant they speak for the entire volume. Here’s my progress so far:

OVEN FRIES
Soaking potato wedges briefly in hot tap water was the trick for crunchy, evenly browned fries.

PASTA PRIMAVERA
This dish came in handy when I needed a cheese-free vegetarian entree. The careful timing spelled out in the recipe assured perfectly cooked vegetables the creamy tomato sauce.

BEEF AND PEPPER LO MEIN
A few small changes for kashrut and the available ingredients in my pantry, and this was a quick and easy dinner.

ROAST TURKEY FOR A CROWD
This recipe saved the day when preparing for 14 Rosh Hashana dinner guests. My first attempt at a whole turkey, it was incredibly easy, very tasty, and they even recommended using a kosher bird!

BREAKFAST STRATA
This delicious combination of French bread, eggs, and cheese is an excellent way to serve several people at a brunch. If baked in a decorative gratin dish, it can go directly from the oven to the table. Leftovers were excellent cold, too.

FRENCH TOAST
I never thought my simple recipe of challah and beaten egg could be topped, but the science behind NBR’s French toast truly yields a superior product.

RICOTTA CALZONES
I had never made a calzone that wasn’t an utter disaster — puddles of cheese and tomato exploding out all sides of a doughy pocket — until this recipe. The use of ricotta as the foundation for all other filling additives provides safety and predictability — no huge air pockets between filling and upper crust, and no messes in the oven. They look professional, to boot.

CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Another first: I had never made chocolate chip cookies as perfectly round and thoroughly consistent as these. They’re delicious and they look straight out of a bakery. Plus, NBR indicates an Israeli product (Tropical Source) as tester’s preferred chocolate chip brand.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
I’ve already covered the pareve conversion of this recipe on the blog — easy to make and easy to serve.

SUMMER BERRY PUDDING
It’s hard to believe how an unassuming combination of berries and challah can make such a tremendous dessert, with no baking required.

And of course, their foolproof hard-boiled eggs live up to their name. However, I do have one gripe. Many of their recipes end with “serve immediately.” Considering the majority of my cooking is done for Shabbat, I usually need recipes more like, “prepare in advance, then leave on a lukewarm stove for three hours before serving.” In striving for the “best recipe,” the folks at Cook’s Illustrated are willing to sacrifice convenience. It’s nice to have a compendium of perfect procedures, but the realities of everyday family cooking — where meals aren’t served on moment’s notice — need consideration.

That said, this book is still, hands-down, the best thirty-odd dollars I’ve spent in a long time.

This just in: the owner of Ta’am China will indeed be opening a steakhouse, but it will be located on Needham Street in Newton. It will feature steaks, chops, and sushi, and should be quite expansive compared to their current digs on Harvard Street. Lease has been signed, will open in six to eight weeks.

The big question on my mind is if this’ll feel like a Chinese restaurant that serves steak, or like an honest to goodness steakhouse? I’m certainly rooting for their success; let’s hope the stars align.

Hope you all had a pleasant yom tov. For whatever reason, today was a big day for kashrut-related news, at least in my local papers. First, and less-strictly local, today’s NY Times has an article on kosher game, focusing on Levana’s upcoming kosher game menu.

Next, the Bergen County Record had two kashrut-related articles, the first a food article on kosher cheeses - “Cheeses give kosher recipes a kick”. It is a pretty interesting look at the range of Israeli kosher cheeses available. The second article is less food-related, but still somewhat interesting. It describes the recent decision to suspend kosher and halal meals at the Passaic County Jail, in Passaic County, NJ.

Word on the street is that local ice cream chain J. P. Licks is considering disassociating from the Va’ad (i.e. they would no longer be certified kosher). I don’t know the reasoning, but we speculate they they want to expand their offerings of non-ice-cream foodstuffs (pastries, breakfast foods, hot drinks, etc.) and limiting themselves to kosher products and ingredients has been a financial and gustatoy hurdle for them. If you have any interest in having the chain maintain its certification - even if you yourself don’t keep kosher, have you ever chosen this as a meeting place with your kosher friends? even if you don’t live in town, do you appreciate having the store available when you are here? - please visit your local J. P. Licks in the near future and, as you pay, let them know your opinion. Also, please spread the word.

Cross-posted to Devarim.

Rocky Mountain Telegram
Two cultures meet for supper
Review of new book Matzoh Ball Gumbo, Culinary Tales of the Jewish South.

South Bend Tribune
Kosher kitchen: Jewish couple switch to cooking according to dietary rules
Tale of family’s switch to observant, kosher lifestyle… replete with another Joan Nathan “fundamentalism” comment.

Washington Post
Bride’s Parents Vs. Ridgewells in a Kosher Food Fight
More on the Ridgewells pseudo-kosher wedding fiasco.

Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
Kosher restaurant undergoes second attack in weeks
St. Petersburg’s “Shalom” kosher restaurant attacked by anti-Semitic vandals again.

The Jewish Week
The (Judean) Hills are alive
On the latest crop of Israeli wines.

Rocky Mountain News
Inmate gets his kosher meals back
Orthodox prisoner whose “kosher meal privileges” were revoked can now eat again. ACLU still fighting the notion that one’s religious diet is a privilege, above and beyond normal food service, which can be revoked as punishment.

The Village Voice
Restrictive diets unite
New York’s vegan-kosher connection.

Cleveland Jewish News
Kosher 101: New Orleanian tackles kashrut
Man makes kosher conversion after unexpected Hurricane Katrina relocation to Cleveland.

With our private night-time tour of Los Angeles coming to end — friends Alan and Rachelle having given us a real insider’s view of their city — it was time to park the ‘Stang, put the convertible top up, and enjoy some fine dining. Our hosts brought us to Greta, a Mediterranean restaurant on Melrose Avenue. The decor, much like the evening’s weather, was crisp and clean, and the open grill visible from the dining area added a bit of excitement. Upon being seated in the cozy dining room, we were served fresh bread with a variety of tasty accouterments — pickled turnip, matbucha, and two other items whose identities escape me. Once we placed our order, I was introduced to the owner, Cedric Marmet, who welcomed us personally, and after learning that I did indeed eat meat, convinced me to change my order from seared ahi tuna to his favorite dish, steak au poivre.

Our first course arrived promptly - the kemia royale, a pairing of two items, Tunisian pizza and tuna brick. The pizza hinted at Tunisia’s historical relationship with France, featuring the nicoise combination of olives, tuna, and chopped hard-boiled egg, over a light tomato sauce and a soft, thick crust. Until then, I had always been put off by the thought of tuna on pizza, having first seen (and avoided) such a topping at Sbarro in Israel, but somehow this combination of ingredients was quite delicious when their individual identities were put aside and enjoyed together within each bite. The tuna brick was also a surprise hit - little triangles of perfectly crisp filo dough stuffed with a bit of tuna and what tasted a lot like tartar sauce. The triangles were perched atop a mound of fresh greens, dressed simply with lemon juice.

The owner next treated us to an unexpected dish — brick a l’oeuf — which was really nothing more than a fried egg in between circular layers of crisp filo. As we cut the brick into four pieces, the runny yolk spilled out and made a natural dipping sauce. It was an ideal execution of simplicity, and just enough to excite the palette without overwhelming the stomach.

Despite the owner’s apologies that my steak’s sauce would take a bit of time to make from scratch, our entrees arrived promptly. The steak au poivre featured a creamy, peppery sauce over a perfectly grilled steak and was served alongside hot, crispy pommes frites — exactly the right combination of potato to salt. The penne pistou (the French version of Italian pesto) showcased its requisite basil without being overwhelming and the chunks of chicken breast nestled among the pasta were cooked just right. A sprinkling of pine nuts added a nice contrast in texture. The hamburger du chef was a sight to be seen, though it made me wonder where traditional Tunisian fare ended and the chef’s creativity began on Greta’s menu. A large, toasted bun sandwiched a hefty half-pound beef patty topped with grilled pastrami, harissa, red onion, mayonaisse, tomato, lettuce, and a fried egg.

Were it not for the late hour and our full stomachs, we would have tried a dessert or two, but that will have to wait for our next visit. Without a doubt, we’ll stop here again when we return to LA.

Under supervision of the Rabbinical Council of California.

I really wanted to avoid taking any visible measures against spam comments, preferring to work behind the scenes to weed out the scum of the Internet, but the recent spate of nonsensical spam has changed my perspective. Now, with every comment, the Kosher Blog kindly asks you to enter a six digit confirmation code, displayed in the comment form, to make sure you’re, you know, a human. I’m told this strategy is already circumventable by the evil spambots, but we’ll see how it goes.

Did you know that there are different flavors of honey? Honeybees can get their nectar from a variety of plants - limiting their feeding to a specific plant will result in honey with a specific taste. You’ve heard of the classic Orange Blossom Honey, right? It’s not just a brand-name, it’s a diet. Orange blossom and clover are the most popular varieties of honey, but there are many other tasty varieties to choose from.

At our Rosh HaShana table, the tradition of dipping apples in honey can take quite a while - with at least 5 varieties of apple, and 7 varieties of honey this year alone. The fruity honeys are most popular with the children - there were cranberry, raspberry, blueberry & lime honey. Of those, I liked lime honey the best. Besides for differences in taste, varietal honeys can have different scents and colors. Chestnut and buckwheat honeys are strong and dark - more like molasses. My wife can’t stand them, but I think they’re the best of the bunch. Very assertive flavors, and not what you expect from honey. We also had “forest honey” at the table. The producer’s website claims that it’s produced “on the alpine areas from honeydew and forest blossoms” - it was a nice balance between the ‘fruity’ honeys and the ‘molasses’ honeys.

Next year, I’m going to try to get pine honey. Sounds intriguing. Why not try some flavored honeys at your holiday table?

According to Gil Marks, this coconut-cardamom rice pudding is a traditional Rosh HaShanah dessert among Indian Jews. As always, I can’t vouch for Marks’ accuracy, but I can vouch for deliciousness of this rich, sweet pudding.

You can substitute soy milk for up to half the coconut milk.

Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)
2 cups water
1 cup white rice
5 cups coconut milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 cardamom pods or 1/2-1 tsp. ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, sugar, cardamom, and salt. Simmer, uncovered and stirring frequently, over medium heat until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Yields 6-8 servings.

There are a number of ways to make matzo balls light and fluffy. This recipe uses beaten egg whites:

3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup matzo meal
1/2 tsp salt

Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly beat in yolks. Fold in matzo meal and salt. Form into balls with a spoon and drop into boiling water or soup stock. Cover and simmer for 1.5 hours. Remove with slotted spoon so that all liquid drains off.

Yields 10-12 balls.