Kosher Blog

Strawberry Shortcake, Cream On Top

“I think next week will be the last week for strawberries.”

That’s what the guy at the farmer’s market told me today as I bagged my half gallon of berries. So, all you fellow New Englanders, get them now! Local strawberries are different from the ones from California or Florida: smaller, more delicate, and red all the way through. Of course, all you need to enjoy them is a bowl — no, I take that back, you don’t need a bowl, but you do need a napkin. At any rate, you certainly don’t need extra sugar or cream. But having made and eaten my first strawberry shortcake last Friday, I don’t think I’ll go another summer without one. There’s just nothing like strawberries and cream, let alone bright red, juicy native strawberries and freshly whipped cream with real vanilla. And, of course, shortcake. I used this buttermilk shortcake recipe, which was lovely. (I use SACO cultured buttermilk blend.) Sadly, when I went to take a picture of my last, carefully guarded shortcake, I discovered that the batteries in my camera were dead. I guess I could have run out and bought new ones, but I didn’t. I just grabbed a spoon and enjoyed.

Here’s my version of the recipe:

For the Shortcake:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk (or 3 tbs powdered buttermilk and 3/4 cup water)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Whipped Cream:

1 pint whipping cream
4 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the shortcake: Combine the dry ingredients (including powdered buttermilk, if using) in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add the butter and continue to pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the liquid ingredients and pulse until the dough comes together.

Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup or an ice cream scoop to drop dollops of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (They won’t be neat.) Bake 15 minutes, or until golden.

Make the whipped cream: Combine cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. (It will not be as stiff as commercial whipped cream.)

Just before serving, slice the shortcakes in half and top with whipped cream and strawberries. (I just put the components on the table and let my guests assemble their own.)

Yield: 10 shortcakes

Also recommended: David Lebovitz’s Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (I commented on the recipe here) and strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

(Cross-posted to Apikorsus. Icon courtesy of A Veggie Venture)

Adventures in Cheesemaking: Mozzarella

When Shavuos comes around, a Kosher foodie’s thoughts often focus on cheese. “What cheeses are now available Kosher?” “What cheeses haven’t I tried yet?” “Where can I buy great cheese?” And my favorite “What’s the best cheesecake recipe?” (I have my personal favorite) This year, I decided to try something new - making my own cheese.
Continue reading Adventures in Cheesemaking: Mozzarella »

New kosher grass-fed cheeses, and a pasta in which to appreciate them

This has been a busy summer in the kosher cheese world — or, at least, in my kosher cheese world — as I’ve discovered two new brands of high-end cheese — Mainland and 5 Spoke Creamery.

For no particular reason — the wonderful smells, maybe — I often spend a few minutes dallying through the troves of specialty cheese whenever I get to my local Whole Foods. On one such expedition the most peculiar thing caught my eye — a heksher, and a legitimate one, no less! Of course, on further inspection, the OK heksher was the least extraordinary aspect of the product which caught my eye.

This particular mild cheddar was organic, made of milk culled from grass-fed cows, and imported from New Zealand. The grass-fed milk gives Mainland Organic Cheddar a more complex flavor than any other mild cheese I’ve tried — definitely worth including on your next cheese platter. (The steep price — $7.00 for eight ounces — might preclude you from enjoying it on a more frequent basis.)

Over at my local kosher market, new cheeses also popped up, with equally delightful credentials: these were made of hormone-free raw milk by an Amish farmer. (I can practically hear Garrison Keillor saying “Made by Norwegian bachelor farmers … so you know they’re pure, mostly.”) Well, “5 Spoke Creamery” presents us with three Kof-K certified, artisanal varieties — Red Vine Colby, Redmond Cheddar, and Herbal Jack — all with the complexity of flavor and superb texture one should expect of finer raw-milk cheeses.

They’re also on the pricey side, but I couldn’t help myself from devoting some to a decadent macaroni and cheese. After the jump, enjoy an excellent recipe I’ve adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

Continue reading New kosher grass-fed cheeses, and a pasta in which to appreciate them »

Ben & Jerry’s Raspberry Ice Cream

Raspberry isn’t the first flavor that comes to mind when I think of Ben & Jerry’s, but it’s listed in the “Greatest Hits” chapter of their recipe book, so I figured I’d give it a whirl. I’m glad I did. This ice cream is delicious, creamy, and very fresh-tasting, with little juicy bits of berry throughout. And the raspberries came from the farmer’s market, so I get to use Blush again!

One thing I should mention about the Ben & Jerry’s book is that the recipes couldn’t be much easier. They’d never ask you do anything as complicated as tempering eggs or seeding berries. I’m okay with a few seeds, but I’m not comfortable feeding my guests raw eggs, so I substituted their egg-free sweet cream base for the one with eggs. If you’re willing to live on the edge, you can add two whole eggs and substitute one cup of milk for the half-and-half. Ice cream with eggs supposedly keeps better long term (not that I would know).

Since my raspberries were pretty mild, I also reduced the sugar from 1 1/2 cups to 1 cup, and I thought it was about right. Use your judgment.

Without further ado:

Raspberry Ice Cream

1 pint fresh raspberries
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
2/3 cup half-and-half

Combine the raspberries, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and the lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the remaining sugar, a little at time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the half-and-half and whisk to blend.

Drain the juice from the raspberries into the cream mixture and blend. Mash the raspberries and stir them into the cream mixture.

Transfer the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes a little over 1 quart.

(Cross-posted to Apikorsus.)

Farmer’s Market Finds

We foodies tend to get excited when summer comes around and farmer’s markets start popping up everywhere. Summer’s almost over, though, and so far, I’ve found very little at my local farmer’s markets that seemed blog-worthy. Maybe it’s because it’s been a drought year, or maybe I’ve been making lousy choices. Either way, most of the the produce I’ve picked up has been no better than what we get at the supermarket. A few times I bought “interesting” items, such as shungiku, which the sign at the market said was “good in stir-fries.” When I got home to my computer, I learned that shungiku is also known as “edible chrysanthemum,” and that’s what it tastes like — a flower. (Sorry, but eating flowers has never been my thing.)

Then, recently, the yield started to improve, culminating in this batch of heirloom tomatoes, which I bought on Monday:

They were a mixed bag, but the good ones were very good. As I collected the tomatoes at the market, I scribbled down their names with little descriptions (such as “big bumpy red”); if my notes are accurate, the ones in the picture are (from top, left): Green Zebra, Black Plum, Red Zebra, Speckled Roman, Brandywine, Pineapple, and Costoluto Genovese. The Speckled Roman was decidedly the sweetest and most flavorful (though this probably has more to do with the individual crop and even the particular tomato I selected than the cultivar). The Black Plum and Green Zebra tomatoes were also very good. In general, the greener tomatoes were crisper and easier to slice, but otherwise they tasted very similar to the red ones.

Continue reading Farmer’s Market Finds »

Ice Cream Maker Update

I have, in fact, been using my ice cream maker quite regularly. I just haven’t posted many recipes, partly because so few of the desserts I’ve made have stuck around long enough to have their pictures taken. It’s a pity, since some of them were quite pretty, but so be it. I may as well post the recipes, anyway. (Several can be made without an ice cream maker; I’ll mention that wherever applicable.)

One of my first dairy desserts was a maple-pecan ice cream from Joy of Baking. It was very good, rich and custardy, with a prominent maple syrup flavor. I served it with bread pudding, but it could easily stand alone.

Lots more after the jump!

Continue reading Ice Cream Maker Update »

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

A friend of mine (we’ll call her the Enabler) recently asked whether I’d be making ice cream for Shavuot — maybe cheesecake ice cream? I answered that I’d thought about it, but I couldn’t very well make ice cream to serve with cheesecake, let alone cheesecake ice cream.

But apparently I could.

Let me explain. The cheesecake recipe we’re using this year (a no-bake version, since our oven is broken) calls for 12 ounces of cream cheese. Cream cheese comes in eight-ounce packages, so we bought two and had four ounces extra — exactly the amount called for in this recipe. And strawberries are at the height of their season, so we had two pounds in the fridge. Tell me that isn’t a sign from God. (Actually, don’t. I prefer the illusion.)

In any case, I’m very pleased with the result. The ice cream has a mild cheesecake flavor without being overwhelmingly rich, and the fresh strawberries really hit the spot. Here’s the recipe:

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adapted from Joy of Baking

4 oz cream cheese
3 large egg yolks
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (divided)
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used extract)
1 pound (about 2 dry pints) strawberries

1. In the inner container of a double boiler (or any medium stainless steel bowl), blend the cream cheese, egg yolks, and 2/3 cup sugar with a whisk or, preferably, an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). (At this point, you may wish to begin heating the water for step 4.)
2. In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half to the scalding point along with the vanilla bean, if using. (If using extract, do not add it at this point.) Stir frequently to prevent a skin from forming. When the cream reaches the scalding point, the milk will begin to foam up rapidly. Immediately remove from heat. Take out the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds out with the back of a knife, then mix the seeds back into the half-and-half.
3. Slowly pour the scalding half-and-half into the cream cheese mixture while whisking the mixture to prevent the eggs from cooking. (If any lumps do form, force the mixture through a strainer.)
4. Fill the outer container of the double boiler (or a saucepan) with water and bring to a boil. Place the bowl or container of custard over the simmering water and heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 170 degrees F or coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and continue to stir for a few minutes. Set aside.
5. Cut up half the strawberries and puree them in a food processor or blender. Stir the remaining two tablespoons of sugar into the puree, then stir the puree into the custard along with the vanilla extract, if using. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate several hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
6. Freeze the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chop the remaining strawberries. Remove the ice cream from the machine and stir in the strawberries. Transfer to freezer to harden.

Cross-posted to Apikorsus.

Thoughts on Pizza…

With Shavuos starting this week, the focus is on dairy recipes. Cheesecakes! Blintzes! Pizza! Yes, pizza. At my house, Shavuos lunch is the time for my annual pizza making blitz, where I make (or attempt to make) a selection of gourmet or fancy pizzas. I don’t have a full review of what pizzas I’ll be making, but here’s some of my thoughts and plans:

• Styles of Pizza - A great pizza is whatever style of pizza you like the most. Deep dish, thin-crust, stuffed-pizza, doughy and chewy - they’re all good. My style of choice is the one that is commonly referred to as New York Style (go figure). Fairly thin crust, floppy enough that the slice needs to be folded to be held. My crust recipe comes from Peter Reinhart’s American Pie.
• Oven Automation - I think I’ve mentioned my hacked oven here before. My oven predates Sabbath/Holiday modes, so I had to build a circuit into it so I could have it turned on automatically on Yom Tov. I assume no responsibility if you’re crazy enough to try the same.
• High Temperatures - This particularly verbose page has changed my pizza baking forever. The most important factor is a high temperature oven. Commercial pizza-ovens reach a minimum of 750 degrees. 550 degrees just won’t cut it. My oven also predates an open-door sensor, so I clipped the lock and bake pizzas during the self-clean cycle. Neither I nor KosherBlog.net will assume any responsibility for people who decide to do something so monumentally stupid! I haven’t gotten an infra-red thermometer yet, but I’m guessing that I’m baking pizzas at about 900 degrees. It takes about 2 minutes to cook a 9″ pizza! The crust comes out better than any I have ever made. Crispy, bubbly, amazing.
• Cheese - I like to try a variety of cheeses on my pizzas. This year I’m using pepper-jack and fresh mozzarella di buffala for the first time. The mozzarella came from KosherItalia.com. Just a word of advice - I found the cheese rather bland, straight from the package. 2 days before using the cheese, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the water the mozzarella balls are floating in. It improved it considerably, in my opinion. Also make sure that you dry the cheese off as much as possible before baking, or you will have a super-hot puddle on top of your pie.
• Toppings - Some ideas I’m toying with. Caramelized Onions. Potato & Rosemary. Wild Mushrooms & White Sauce. White Pizza (ricotta cheese). Roasted Garlic. Roasted Poblanos & Pepper-Jack. My kids are partial to canned-corn on their pizzas.

Have a good and tasty Yom Tov!

Purim Recipes and Stuff

It has occured to me that I should perhaps post my real Purim recipes before, say, Pesach. Above is a picture of the food at our vegetarian, buffet-style Purim Seudah. (The drinks and desserts were at other tables.)

On the menu:

Challah Rolls: From my usual challah recipe, which I’ll share some time, bli neder.

“Asian” Orzo Salad: Based on this recipe, from Sadie’s Luncheonette. I used tofu and halved the vegetable oil, compensating with extra soy and teriyaki sauce. You can see other changes I’ve made to the recipe in the comments on Sadie’s post. (By now, it’s pretty far removed from the original Paula Dean version.)

Bow Tie and Broccoli Salad: This is a recipe that I learned from my friend and former roommate, Jill. It consists of bowtie noodles, steamed broccoli, mayonnaise, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. The raisins, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds are sauteed in sesame oil until the raisins are plump and the sesame seeds are golden, and then everything is mixed together. I don’t bother to be consistent with the proportions.

Lentil Salad: Based loosely on this recipe from Alanna of A Veggie Venture. Alanna lowered the olive oil to vinegar ratio in her dressing from more than 3:1 to 1:2; I stuck with 1:1 and added some fresh lemon juice. I used the same veggies as Alanna, minus the radishes and chives and with the addition of sliced green olives.

Chickpeas with Charmoula Vinaigrette: There is a custom to eat chickpeas on Purim that dates back to the Middle Ages, according to Gil Marks. The practice is based on the midrash that Esther kept kosher while in Ahashuerus’s palace by eating only legumes and seeds. We tried a new chickpea recipe this year, from Myra Kornfeld’s The Healthy Hedonist. (I made some adjustments, since I was in a hurry, but it still came out great.) Here’s the recipe:

1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds [I used a reduced quantity of ground cumin]
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice [from about 1 large lemon]
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed [I used canned]
3 tablesppons extra-virgin olive oil

If using whole cumin seeds, toast them in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant, then grind with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. [Obviously, I skipped this step.]

Now, throw everything in a food processor, beginning with the garlic and herbs, followed by the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and ending with the liquid ingredients. Process well, taste for seasoning, and pour over chickpeas.

All right, so that last step wasn’t quite in accordance with the book, but it works perfectly well.

And now for my favorite new recipe of the holiday: Bourbon Ice Cream!

I got the recipe from CDKitchen, though I’ve seen nearly identical ones all over the internet. The main distinguishing feature of this version is that it uses 1/2 cup bourbon per gallon rather than 1/4 cup. (That’s about 10% ABV, I think, so it’s not for children, pregnant women, etc.)

And as a bonus, DH making kiddush:

Until next year. . .

(Cross-posted to Apikorsus)

Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream

I got an ice cream maker for Chanukkah!!!

Definitely the best toy I’ve gotten in years. I started with a few simple recipes, but I had my eye on this one from the outset. Just look at these reviews! (Yeah, I know. With three egg yolks, a cup and a half of heavy cream, and two kinds of chocolate, it would be sad if it didn’t earn four forks. But still.) Then I saw that this month’s Sugar High Friday theme was “chocoalte by brand.” It was beshert.

Unfortunately, I missed the SHF deadline for posting. No matter. The brands of chocolate that I used aren’t unusual, but they were new to me. Between budgetary concerns, having a lousy supermarket and no car, and the frequent need to keep things parve, I use Shaw’s cocoa powder and Hershey’s unsweetened baking chocolate most of the time. This was my chance to try something better.

(Before I go on, a plug: if you like making desserts, you really must visit this month’s SHF. Not every brand of chocolate reviewed is kosher, of course, but there are over 100 amazing-looking recipes.)
Continue reading Chocolate Velvet Ice Cream »