I was pretty excited to hear that Manischewitz — well, that anyone — would be making a ready-to-use pareve frosting, since the supermarket shelves are dominated by dairy frostings ($237-million worth, in fact), which are altogether useless in my kitchen. Frankly, I rarely if ever use frosting of any gender, but for those arms-extended, zombie-voiced, must-have-cupcake moments, non-dairy frosting is far more versatile.

Thanks to the fine folks at Manischewitz, I got my hands on a sample container of their chocolate variety (vanilla is also available, $2.29 for 12 ounces) and cracked open my unnecessarily secret stash of Duncan Hines cake mixes for a cupcake bonanza. The frosting was “rich and creamy” as the labeling promised, and it had a thoroughly pleasing chocolate flavor. It spread nicely, not too thick, not too thin, and the remaining frosting is perfectly happy sitting in the cupboard (refrigeration not required) until its next use, any number of months from now.

That is, if I’d ever use it again. You see, despite all this frosting has going for it, the King of Passover Foods has deigned to combine the worst possible Kosher for Passover vegetable oil — cottonseed — with the worst possible method for solidifying it — partial hydrogenation.

For those unfamiliar with the state of nutritional science today, cottonseed oil is in fact an industrial byproduct. After cotton lint has been removed from the cotton seed, the seed is refined to remove its naturally-occurring toxins. (Without refining, the oil is actually used as a pesticide.) It contains a startlingly unhealthy ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids, so what better process to perform on it for use in kosher food than… hydrogenation!

Hydrogenation is a now disgraced process, patented by German chemist Wilhelm Normann in 1903, which is used to convert liquid oils (unsaturated fats) into solid and semisolid shortenings (trans fats). As beneficial as trans fats are for the commercial baking industry — longer shelf life, higher melting point, better texture — they have been proven to be detrimental to heart health even in minuscule amounts.

I would imagine that, thanks to heimishe kosher food manufacturers, the frum community consumes far more than its fair share of partially-hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and thus enjoys more than its fair share of coronary heart disease. That’s why I get so worked up, because I care.

(Please give me a moment as I step off my horse. It’s harder to dismount from these high ones.)

In summary, Manischewitz has succeeded in producing a pareve frosting that spreads well, tastes good, needs no refrigeration, and will slowly but surely eat away your heart. Consider this review an earnest request for the elimination of both cottonseed oil and trans fats from all Manischewitz products.

As an alternative, try this chocolate frosting recipe from Epicurious, using standard kosher conversions. Grab a stick of Earth Balance, and leave it on the counter a while to get warm. Proceed as directed, and add just enough rice milk for your desired consistency instead of the cream.

According to the latest KosherToday newsletter, Duncan Hines cake mixes will be going back to a pareve formulation. The Manischewitz mixes were a decent alternative, but I probably won’t be using them if Duncan Hines is available.

Forget everything I said about saturated and trans fats. Apparently, all I had to do to make the ultimate parve brownies was to reduce the baking time to 20 minutes. I used 1/2 cup of canola oil (as opposed to 1/2 cup + 2 tbs butter or margarine — the standard conversion), and the brownies came out great. When they’re done, the a toothpick inserted into the center should be moist and a little bit fudgy at the bottom.

I’m adjusting the recipe.

I’ve made these brownies several times since I posted the recipe, and I’ve started to realize that, while the dairy version is indeed the ultimate, the parve version could stand some improvement. The main issue, I think, is that the saturated fat in butter gives the brownies a lush, moist texture that the margarines I’ve used don’t match. Hydrogenated oils should theoretically provide the same texture, but Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine probably doesn’t have enough. (It is significantly softer than butter at the same temperature.) Recently, I tried Smart Balance, and the brownies were downright dry. In this case, I think that the issue was simplify fat: Regular Smart Balance is 67% fat, while butter is about 80%. The package says that Smart Balance is “great for cooking and baking,” but don’t be fooled.

One option would be to switch to Crisco vegetable shortening, a favorite of a friend and former roommate of mine. Vegetable shortening (like regular margarine) is somewhat out of favor right now because it is high in trans fat, which, though once thought to be more healthful than saturated fat, is now generally believed to be worse. Nonetheless, as I’ve been implying, it takes a bit of saturated or trans fat to achieve that butterlike texture. Vegetable shortening has less water than most margarine, so it may be just right.

Anyhow, I’ll keep you posted. Not right away, though. I really do have to cut back.

(Cross-posted to Apikorsus.)

Perhaps you’ve had this experience:

You have a recipe that relies heavily on chicken or beef broth for flavor. In order to “parvise” the recipe (or make it vegetarian), you replace the meat broth with immitation chicken or beef broth from a mix. The recipe works beautifully, but you’re not happy about your reliance on phony meat, so one day you nobly prepare a homemade vegetable stock and use that instead. To your surprise, the flavor is one-dimensional and unappealing. You were better off with the mix.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jaime writes:

I am looking for parve margarine that does not have partially-hydrogenated oils, but it’s really been a problem. Do you have any suggestions of brands or alternatives other than using olive oil?

This is an important question because most margarines are dairy, and the most prominent pareve brands (Fleischmann’s unsalted and light sticks, Mother’s) use hydrogenated oils (trans fats).

For spreadable pareve margarines that are free of trans-fats, I recommend Smart Balance Light (Brandeis butter, as we call it), Earth Balance, or Fleischmann’s Light — all in “tub” form. We make a tasty spread by mixing one of these with finely chopped chives and garlic — great on challah.

For pareve stick margarine that’s free of trans-fats, I recommend either Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (salted) or Earth Balance Shortening (unsalted). They both work great when baking.

I’ve seen a few fleishig soup recipes that recommend drizzling non-dairy whipping liquid (i.e. Rich’s Whip) in striking patterns as a garnish. While this works well, I wanted to find an alternative that didn’t require unnatural chemical combinations. Since cocount milk is also white and sweet, I gave it shot. Over high heat, I reduced a can of Goya coconut milk by half, giving it a pleasantly creamy consistency. It was very well received when swirled over store-bought butternut squash soup.

And while we’re speaking of coconuts, has anyone tried using cream of coconut to make pareve whipped cream?

Just a quick something I learned when making several batches of dried-cranberry cookies in the past month: not all pareve white baking chips are made equal. Specifically, the Lieber’s “Decorating Chips” available at many kosher shops should be avoided entirely. They have no flavor to speak of, and actually detract from the quality of the cookie.

We did manage to find an alternative with decent vanilla flavor — Oppenheimer-brand Shoko-Chips Lavan from Israel.

Perhaps in other parts of the kosher world there are more pareve chip varieties?

This just in — thanks, Marsha!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Secaucus, NJ - (November, 2005) Manischewitz, the leader in Kosher foods, announced today that the company will introduce a new line of Pareve (non-dairy) cake mixes. The announcement follows the recent news that Duncan Hines has discontinued its popular Pareve cake mix line. The new line of Manischewitz Pareve cake mixes will be introduced at Kosherfest on November 15th and 16th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Initially the line will consist of Extra Moist Yellow and Chocolate Pareve cake mixes, with other flavors to be added over the next few years. Manischewitz, already well-known for their line of cake mixes used for the Passover season, understands that Kosher families enjoy being able to serve delicious cakes at Shabbos, holidays and other meals in which meat may be eaten. “Manischewitz is constantly looking for ways to meet the needs of today’s consumer,” says Jeremy J. Fingerman, President and CEO of R.A.B. Food Group, LLC owners of the Manischewitz brand. “We decided to introduce a new line of Pareve cake mixes when we realized that the Kosher consumer needed a simple and delicious solution for their everyday Pareve needs. These products will also appeal to consumers that are lactose intolerant.”

Manischewitz Extra Moist Yellow and Chocolate Cake mixes will be available in early May 2006 in 18.25 oz. boxes and will retail for approximately $2.49. The R.A.B. Food Group, LLC is a specialty food company that includes the Manischewitz, Season, Guiltless Gourmet, Horowitz Margareten and Goodman’s brands. The company offers a diversified line of premium food products that cover approximately 60 different categories.

Occasionally, I go through a phase during which I try to cook everything “from scratch,” with pure, fresh, natural ingredients. The first ingredient to be villianized during such phases is parve chicken soup mix, or, as Carmel calls it, “Tastes Like Chicken Soup.”

On my saner days, however, I tend to regard such mixes as valuable additions to the pantry. As long as they are not overused, phony chicken soup mixes can add a needed dimension of flavor to meatless soups and certain other recipes. Last Rosh HaShanah, I discovered that, with the right additions, they can even provide the base for a very tasty vegetarian matsa ball soup.

The broth can be prepared in tandem with real chicken soup, using the same vegetables, herbs, and spices. (For me, that means carrots, celery, onions, fresh dill and parsley, dried tarragon, and freshly ground pepper.) The key to a genuinely flavorful vegetarian broth is to caramelize the onions. This can be done by cooking the onions in margarine or vegetable oil over high heat for 10 minutes, and then over medium-low heat for an additional 30-45 minutes. The vegetables should be cut into spoon-sized pieces and sauteed, and the herbs should be finely chopped.

Sound like stone soup? Well, it’s not. The mix is vital. Don’t exceed the proportion of mix to water recommended on the package, though, at least at the outset. You can add more at any point if the soup seems to bland.

So, as long as we’re talking about sauces… I just spied the label of my fresh, as yet unopened bottle of French’s Worcestershire Sauce. The label proclaims proudly, “NOW EVEN RICHER!” Apparently, “even richer” also means “less kosher.” No more OU heksher to be found.

No big deal, right? Well, to my knowledge, French’s Worcestershire was the sole pareve sauce of its kind [update: luckily not true, see comments]. Lea & Perrins, the brand synonymous with W-shire, contains enough anchovy to be designed “OU-Fish” and thus unacceptable for use with meat. French’s, however, with markedly less anchovy puree, worked well in kosher burgers and marinades.

I’ve sent a brief note to French’s hoping to find an explanation for the change. Will post a response when it arrives.

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.

My favorite kosher Thanksgiving guest is an easy mouth to please — she has open-minded taste buds and is just so happy to get out of NYC and take a nice field trip to good old Randolph, Massachusetts! My mother bought a box of these pareve cookies — Paskesz’s Mint Creme — and we could not believe they were pareve. They are better than any cookie we’ve ever had. PERFECT FOR SHABBAT! Warning: The box will be gone before you know it.

My mother can’t get enough of Ina Garten’s homemade gravy. The recipe does look good, but I don’t usually have cognac lying around and I can’t put heavy cream into my gravies. I chanced upon an unlikely alternative at a recent trip to Whole Foods — Hain Pure Foods “Vegetarian Chicken-Flavor Gravy Mix.” It’s an unassuming packet of powder, to which one simply adds a cup of cold water and thickens by bringing to a boil. Surprisingly, the gravy tastes good without any adulteration. But, truth be told, it’s even better when you pour in some delicious turkey grease from the bottom of your roasting pan, stirring vigorously. I’m sure cognac wouldn’t hurt either!

(The “Brown Gravy Mix,” unfortunately, tastes like concentrated vegetable broth with caramel coloring. Maybe a good candidate for fleishig enhancements, but weak on its own.)

From the Condiments & Dressings Department: KBlog reader Joshua and some friends recently bought a case of Manicardi kosher balasmic vinegar (sold online), and were gracious enough to dispatch a bottle of it my way. Manicardi actually has a decent product. The bottle is substantial and pleasant-looking, which is a big deal if you keep your oft-used cooking bottles out on the counter. Naturally, flavor is what it really comes down to, and this vinegar certainly stands above the Bartenura, Manischewitz, and Kedem balsamics. It’s not stellar by universal standards (ranking relatively low on the industry’s quality scale), but its plesant tang, slight sweetness, and absence of harsh aftertaste makes it the best kosher balsamic I’ve tried.

I chanced upon another kosher balsamic product at Cirelli Foods — Cindy’s Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette. It’s a great, all-purpose dressing (OU-certified) and even better, it’s locally produced by Custom Blends, Inc. of Brockton, MA.

Making chocolates a rabbi can love
The latest addition to Sweet Satisfaction’s shelves makes an appearance on the Globe’s food page: Christine Buhr’s pareve “Renaissance Chocolates” (Va’ad Harabonim-certified). Just in time for Rosh Hashana, $15 1/2-pound and $30 1-pound boxes make great gifts. We bought a couple boxes today, so post-chag, I’ll give my critique.

This is what the “Pareve Magic” category is all about. If you enjoy Ben & Jerry’s “Cherry Garcia” or J.P. Licks’s “Cherry Garciaparra,” you’ll love Double Rainbow’s “Very Cherry Chocolate Chip.” And even better, you can love it after your favorite fleishig meal — it’s a “Soy Cream.” Big cherries and chunks of chocolate permeate this delicious dairy-free dessert — if you weren’t told it was pareve, you wouldn’t know. Available (if you’re lucky) at area Trader Joe’s.

WANTED: A recipe for exceptionally moist pareve cornbread. Please note that the cornbread recipe in The Kosher Palette falls into the “bone dry” category.

E-mailed or commented recipes greatly appreciated.

Here it is folks, the recipe for the best hamentashen I’ve ever had. Three notes: use “Dutch process” cocoa powder (e.g. Droste) — it has a stronger flavor and richer color. The pareve butter flavor is made by McCormick — if you don’t like using “imitation” ingredients, skip it. Find the best preserves you can for the raspberry filling; I like the “778″ brand preserves from Israel.

Chocolate-Raspberry Hamentashen

1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. pareve butter flavor
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 jar raspberry preserves

In an electric mixer, combine margarine, sugar, egg, vanilla, and butter flavor until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to mixer and blend together until well mixed. Divide dough into four pieces and chill for one hour. When chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly-floured surface to approx. 1/4 thickness. Cut 3-inch rounds. Re-roll scraps. Place 1 teaspoon raspberry preserves in center of round and fold three sides up to form a triangle, leaving some preserves visible in the center. Pinch the corners and place on greased cookie sheet, two inches apart (hamentashen will expand). Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

As the religious person’s fairy tale often begins, “Last night I was stranded in Kew Garden Hills” — and I discovered the most amazing pre-made (as in, not from a bakery but from a package) babka ever. (Sidenote, I’m somewhat against the spelling “babka” because I always say “bubkie” but I’m not sure how I would feel about purchasing a snack with said title revision… anyway…) From Stern’s brand, this was “baked by 15th Avenue Food Corp, Brooklyn NY 11219, tel 718-633-5850″ — it’s amazing. Tastes like Cinnabon, for all those treyf-ies out there. (Thus my categorization.) Pareve and moist, so many layers… I need to throw out the rest of it so I don’t eat it! (Plus today is Danny’s wedding, where we’ll all be eating for like ten hours straight… oy…)