My friend and former roommate Ayelet is an avid baker and makes many delicious desserts, but my favorite by far are her ginger snaps. She baked them often when we lived together, and the whole suite would fill with the warm frangrance of ginger. I could barely wait for them to cool.

I often use Ayelet’s recipes now, but the ginger snaps have never come out quite right. Usually, the dough is too crumbly and the cookies are dry. The results were somewhat better when I monitored the temperature of the eggs and the shortening (which Ayelet never did), but they were still inferior to hers. Finally, I decided to switch to a new recipe. The one I use now comes from Lisa Yockelson of the Boston Globe (March 1, 2006). The flavors are the same, but I find the dough more workable. (Yockelson recommends preparing the dough five hours in advance to allow it time to firm up in the refrigirator, but I have not had trouble rolling the cookies while the dough is soft.) The cookies always come out well, and they are a big hit at Thanksgiving dinner.

Here is the recipe, slightly edited:

Dough
3 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter or margarine, softened*
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons molasses (Yockelson recommends light molasses. I use dark.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, beating all the while.

Add the whole egg and egg yolk. Beat only until incorporated. Blend in the molasses and vanilla.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

If the dough is too soft to roll, place it in a covered dish and refrigirate several hours or up to 2 days.

Sugar Coating
1/2 cup granulated sugar**
dash ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a wide bowl, combine the sugar and ginger.

Take heaping tablespoons of dough into your palms and roll them into balls, then in the sugar mixture until lightly coated. Set them on the baking sheets, arranging them 3 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes for soft cookies, or 12-13 minutes for crisp cookies. The cookies will rise slightly, then settle. The tops will be cracked. Let them stand on the sheets for 2 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

*If you use salted butter or margarine, omit the 1/2 teaspoon salt. (I used Earth Balance last time, and it was fine.)

** The original recipe called for 2 cups of sugar, but that was much more than necessary.

This seasonal recipe comes to you courtesy of Levana Kirschenbaum. It’s a very hearty and comforting soup, and very popular at our Thanksgiving table. Dried chestnuts are available at International food markets.

Cream of White Winter Vegetables Soup

¼ cup olive oil
3 leeks, white parts only, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 small turnips, peeled and cubed
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2” sections
1 cup dried chestnuts
1 celery root, peeled and cubed
2 cups soy milk
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped chives, to garnish (optional)

Heat the oil and sauté the leeks and onion until translucent. Add all the vegetables, the chestnuts and 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Using a hand-blender, blend until smooth. Mix in the soy milk and the spices and heat through. Don’t let the soup boil after adding the soy milk. Garnish with chopped chives.

The OU-certified sharp cheddar we fell in love with last year has finally returned to the virtual shelves. (And this time it’s suitable for Passover.)

Per-bar and by-the-case pricing available directly from Cabot and from KosherGourmetMart.com.

If you read food-blogs (and since you’re here, you probably do) or baking-blogs, you’ve probably seen the No-Knead Bread recipe by now. Originally published in Mark Bitman’s Minimalist column for New York Times, the recipe has been taking the blogosphere by storm. With no more than 20 minutes of active participation, you can have a rustic loaf as good as any I’ve ever tasted. The flavor and the inner-structure are amazing. Here’s a little food-porn for the bread bakers out there:

A beautiful exterior

And an even nicer interior

You will need to plan ahead before you start this recipe, it takes advantage of a long rising time - 12 to 18 hours in a warm spot. The bread is baked in a pre-heated, heavy pot so the steam helps the crust develop - don’t forget to take off any non-oven-safe handles! You can even watch the video how-to to get started.

No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and flip dough over into pot, seam side up. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is nicely browned. Cool on a rack.

NEW TRIBE HUMMUS FLAVORS
www.tribehummus.com (OU certified)
A longtime Sabra fanatic, I’ve recently become hooked on Tribe’s convenient “Snackers” product — four individual servings of hummus, each a different flavor — and their new varieties, including an organic line, are another great reason to give them a second look. In addition to their existing exotic flavors — like “Forty Spices,” Jalapeno, and French Onion — we tried chunky calamata, spicy chipotle, and horseradish — all excellent. Their new packaging is also very nice — perhaps their website will soon take a similar leap into the 21st century. With the label change, it seems the Taunton, MA-based company has abandoned the local KVH heksher for the more widely-recognized OU — a curious trend for many New England companies trying to build their interstate appeal.

NEW NESHAMA ORGANIC SAUSAGES (Star-K certified)
www.neshama.us

If anyone out there has an aversion to reheated turkey products, then rejoice! Not only are Neshama Gourmet’s latest additions USDA Organic, they’re made completely of chicken. These Mild Italian and Andouille links are heavenly, perfect for all-around grilling or incorporating in your favorite jambalya or turducken stuffing.

DANIEL’S KOSHER CHARCUTERIE (OK certified)
www.danielskoshercharcuterie.com
We had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Teboul, founder and chef of Daniel’s Kosher Charcuterie. He treated us to his three new kosher saucissons, smoked beef salamis which each reflect a unique culinary region of France. The classic salami,saucisson de Lyon, is a nice upgrade from your usual salami. The saucisson de Marseille is a spicy variant with which Daniel recommends a glass of Rosé. Saucisson de Paris is infused with spices and fresh garlic — all three are delicious. Our only regret was that the flavors weren’t stronger! We look forward to their spread outside New York.

GRYFE’S PIZZA, MUFFINS, AND CHALLAH
www.gryfes.com (C.O.R and/or Kof-K certified)
Gryfe’s Kosher Bakery of Toronto has the right idea when it comes to kosher baked goods — keep them natural, free of trans fats, and full of whole grains. Their muffins were tasty and conscienciously-sized. The pomegranate bran variety was refreshingly tart, and the low-fat blueberry has only three grams of fat, 150 calories, and keeps the carbs at a reasonable 28 grams. Their single-serving, fully-cooked frozen pizzas come in both regular and whole-wheat. Pop a whole-wheat pizza in your lunch box (or your kid’s) and by lunchtime it’s defrosted and ready to eat. They’re not artisinal, but they make an easy, enjoyable snack or meal. Soon to hit the shelves are their new par-baked pull-apart challahs. Out of the freezer and into the oven for a few short minutes, these all natural challahs — in plain, whole wheat, raisin, and half plain / half wheat — are a delicious way to lighten your pre-Shabbos workload.

KASHA: MORE THAN JUST VARNISHKES
www.thebirkettmills.com
Evelyn Spath of The Birkett Mills — maker of Wolff’s and Pocono Organic kasha products — reintroduced us to the wide world of buckwheat which, incidentally, spans much farther than your grandmother’s kasha varnishkes. I highly recommend ordering a copy of their cookbook which is full of delicious (though not always kosher) recipes — buckwheat chili, anyone? — and tips for incorporating the whole grain into your diet. For example, buckwheat flour works well in pastry dough since it’s gluten free — reworking won’t make your pastries tough.

OUTRAGEOUS COOKIE DOUGH
www.fatboycookies.com (OU certified, dairy)

Frozen cookie dough is nothing new, but gourmet dough that makes cookies this good while being kosher, free of trans fats, and freezable for up to a year is a welcome discovery. Each two pound box contains 27 cookie dough cubes — bake as many or as few as you like. Or make some of each of their six flavors: chocolate chunk, otameal raisin, peanut butter chocolate chunk, white chocolate pecan, cranberry walnut, and dutch chocolate chunk walnut.

SO DELICIOUS SOY ICE CREAMS
So Delicious Creamy Vanilla is the de facto pareve ice cream topping for fruit desserts in our home, and their new novelty products will also get the nod after our meat meals. So Delicious Minis have fewer calories and less fat than Tofutti Cuties, and the plastic wrapping is cleaner and easier to use than traditional paper wrapping. Creamy Raspberry and Creamy Orange bars are also low in fat and are only 80 calories each.

TEMPTATION VEGAN ICE CREAM
www.welovesoy.com (CRC certified, pareve)
Ben and Jerry’s is to standard ice cream as Temptation is to standard soy cream. This line of pareve, vegan ice creams leaves out the dairy but keeps all the richness and flavor. The mint chocolate chip flavor employs two natural mint sources for full impact, and the peach cobbler flavor was just plain superb. As an added bonus, Temptation is made by people who really mean it — a couple of bona fide vegans who are committed to a quality, premium product. Find Temptation at your local Whole Foods Market or wherever delicious, socially-conscious products are sold.

THOU SHALL SNACK: LATKE CRISPS
www.thoushallsnack.com (OU certified)
Latke crisps are a flawless conversion of the Chanukah staple into a tasty snack product. Available in two flavors — plain (pareve) and sour cream & onion (dairy) — they taste just like latkes, but they’re baked, and no grated knuckles, either. Yes, they’re all-natural and trans-fat-free. We look forward to creator Jill Ginsberg’s future snack creations!

YONI CHUTNEYS
Yoni-brand hot & spicy chutney from Israel was the surprise hit of the day among the Kosher Blog brigade. Its intense but complex flavor puts it far beyond the average chutneys on the shelf, which are often no more than simple mango jams. Unfortunately, the manufacturer’s website — toem-olam.com — is inaccessible, and their main distributor had a hard time understanding my question about the product’s availability. I guess I’ll just keep my eyes peeled.

KEDEM SPARKLING JUICES
We like to keep a few bottles of Kedem Sparkling Blush grape juice in the wine rack for our wine-averse guests, but their new Moscato, Zinfandel, and Merlot juices are pure marketing. Maybe they’ll fool your kids.

Stay tuned for more Kosherfest coverage, including the cheese scene, wines and liquors, organic meats, and security products. Review of Solo also on the way!

I laugh when I watch all the pandemonium on television cooking shows before Thanksgiving. After so many yom tov and shabbos meals, I’m overjoyed to have a holiday when the cooking can be done without restrictions just moments before serving — what a breeze!

I formalized our menu this evening. We’re having a smaller crowd than usual, but I’d rather cut down on the volume of food rather than the number of dishes, since it’s hard to give up the familiar recipes one comes to enjoy and expect each year.

ROTISSERIE ROASTED TURKEY
Courtesy of our Showtime Rotisserie. Filled loosely with aromatic vegetables and lemon slices, our 10-lb. turkey will cook for 12 min/lb. Set it and forget it.

SUGAR-FREE SPICED CRANBERRY SAUCE
No one needs all the sugar it takes to overcome a cranberry’s natural tartness, so this year I’ll replace it with Splenda in my favorite recipe (from Epicurious).

SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH ORANGE-MAPLE DRESSING
This is a great make-ahead recipe which I usually reserve for wintertime Shabbat lunches. Rather than steam the sweet potato chunks as this recipe instructs, I roast them at 400 degrees until just browned around the edges — more flavor that way.

WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH STUFFING
As far as I’ve come with brown rice, sometimes you just have to eat stuffing. This year, I’ll try my traditional recipe with whole wheat challah from Rosenfeld’s in Newton Centre.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS
I used to buy only thin asparagus to avoid tough, woody ends, but trimming a thicker stalk and peeling the bottom half a bit provides an equally tender vegetable with a bit more to sink one’s teeth into. I toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roast at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

BROWN BREAD
Like grapenut pudding, brown bread is a local tradition. The molasses and dried currants give it a thoroughly colonial character, and the environmentalist in me loves baking in used coffee cans. (Substitute soy milk for the real milk.)

INA’S GRAVY
Ina Garten’s recipe for homemade gravy is superb, just make sure to supplement the chicken broth with some deeply browned turkey drippings. Naturally, I nix the cream, but the cognac remains to give it some punch. (Pour the liquor away from the flame, by the way. I momentarily set my hand ablaze last year when an errant drip of cognac caught fire.)

APPLE PIE WITH VANILLA SOY CREAM
The family stand-by. I’ve taken a liking to Cook’s Illustrated’s latest deep-dish apple pie recipe, but this time, my wife’s in charge of dessert, so it’s her call.

It’s been two years since I’ve reported on Kosherfest, what with last year’s show being a relative disappointment with regard to innovative products. This time around, flanked and fortified by a crack team of Kosher Blog product analysts, we’ve got lots of good news to share. Expect the main Round-Up by Monday, followed by special reports from other members of the team, with topics ranging from kashrut security to the latest in fine wines.

After watching these videos, I’ll definitely consider Blendtec’s Total Blender for our next blender!

Will It Blend: Golf Balls
Will It Blend: Coke Can Smoothie
Will It Blend: Marbles
Will It Blend: Rake Handle

Plus, it nice to see the resurgence of hokey corporate cinematography.

Alan Lazerow offers two great articles on the kashrut issues of whisky. The first, a two-parter, explains whisky production and implications for kashrut in great detail — geared toward those light on whisky knowledge but comfortable with halachic terms. The second is a reformulation for the Scotch Blog, which leaves out the whisky background and uses more accessible Jewish terminology.

• Kosher Whisky, Part I (Production)
• Kosher Whisky, Part II (Aging & Maturation)
• Whisky and Orthodox Jews

UPDATE: Alan also makes the Kosher Blog’s day with his report on Bailey’s Irish Cream:

I, of course, cannot speak for your local rabbinic authority. All I can do is report that the product sold in the UK, which is 100% kosher, is the same product, from the same machinery, as the contents of a bottle that you can find in your local liquor store here in America. Cheers!

The question of whether kosher meat is healthier, safer, more humane, or generally better than unkosher meat is a persistent one. I often given quick, casual answers when it comes up in conversation, but I think the matter warrants an honest, thoughtful response. My perspective is by no means the last word, so do comment as necessary. But as this is a hot topic, please understand that respect for Jewish law is a prerequisite for any submissions. I plan to update this entry as time goes by should I discover any omissions or errors. Many thanks to Avi Finegold for his thoughts on the subject.

Jewish ritual slaughter, or shechita is predicated on respect and compassion for the animals whose lives we take for food. For thousands of years, it was the only humane game in town. In order for an animal to be certified kosher, it must be slaughtered according to exacting religious standards, and its internal organs must pass a close inspection after slaughtering to make sure the animal wasn’t diseased in any way. The ritual slaughterer, or shochet, recites a blessing over the entire process, including a blessing specifically for covering the animal’s blood. The slaughter is done with a perfectly sharp knife (called a chalaf) that is inspected for any inconsistencies both before and after the cut. The cut must be done in a swift, smooth, uninterrupted manner that causes an immediate drop in blood pressure in the brain, rendering the animal instantly unconscious. Should the cut be interrupted or done improperly in any way — thus causing the animal pain — the animal is declared completely unkosher.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Kosher-NY.com launched with the aim of providing a comprehensive resource for New York kosher dining. It’s an excellent effort, and a gargantuan one — the site has several areas where further development would be desireable.

The site features a large directory — about 160 establishments in all — ranging from dining halls and coffee shops to some of the finest kosher joints in the country. The main list includes neighborhood (midtown, downtown, etc.) and type (milk, meat, and “vegetarian”), and individual listings include further details like address, contact information, kosher supervisor, hours, and a small Google map that shows nearby subway stops. Certain entries have short reviews written by Kosher-NY staff.

On top of that, concise restaurant info and restaurant suggestions based on location can be requested directly from your cell phone, or sent to your phone from the website — a great feature.

Given that the site doesn’t cater to my particular demographic, I asked a local for his impressions on the site. Here are our combined thoughts and suggestions:

• Including subway data is a necessity for Manhattan, but the instructions are a little confusing, both for residents and out-of-towners. Links to driving and subway directions (provided by HopStop) should be included prominently in the listing text, and not relegated to the marker within the map.
• A more data-intensive browsing interface should be developed to include more important fields like cuisine, kosher supervision, and whether a restaurant has been reviewed. Since the site’s policy is to include restaurants with any kind of heksher, most visitors will appreciate the saved click by knowing the level of supervision up front. Make the list sortable by each field.
• Add an advanced search, with which the user can clearly select all of his desired attributes.
• The reviews seem accurate, just add more of them, and enhance reviews with lots of pictures. With so many kosher options available, the human factor is critical in helping people make dining decisions.
• Allow visitor comments and ratings. Keeping reviews and other data fresh is difficult, so learn from Zagat and Shamash — let other people help out.
• Consult a web usability expert to improve the site design and add some professional polish. For example, link underlining is inconsistent, and a black background with grey text can be difficult for some to read.
• Add “e-mail this listing to a friend” functionality.
• Include all the data fields available on other sites, like methods of payment, restaurant features, price range, and menus.

Such a site was long overdue, and if maintained and extended vigorously, Kosher-NY.com will be here to stay. We wish the site’s creators the best of luck.