chanie – Page 42 – Busy in Brooklyn

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: leeks are an underrated vegetable. Thankfully, they are one of the symbolic foods that is customary to eat on Rosh Hashanah, so once a year people actually take the time to pay attention to them!

Leeks are buttery soft when braised, crispitty crunchy when fried and smoky when grilled. In a word: they are versatile. And I’m so happy to share this method + recipe with you!

First, let us consider that since Rosh Hashanah is so early this year, we can still make use of our grills, and if you don’t have one, there’s still time to savor some al fresco dining. PC Richard & Son has everything you need for outdoor grilling – like these Traeger grills that I’m personally hoping to upgrade to, and some more affordable Weber models. I’ve been grilling so much this summer and I can honestly tell you that there’s nothing quite like it. You keep the mess outdoors, the food is full of flavor and meals come together in minutes. It’s a win-win.

I’ll tell you what else is a win-win: the combo of lemony leeks with a hint of sweet honey and garlicky crispy crumbs makes this humble vegetable the star of the holiday table. It also makes the perfect side to some braised brisket, a leg of lamb or grilled rib eye steak. So lets get grillin!

Lemon Grilled Leeks

5 leeks
3 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
honey, to taste
crispy panko crumbs, recipe follows

Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is boiling, prepare the leeks. Cut off the upper portion of the leeks, keeping the white and pale green portion at the bottom. Cut off the opposite end, as close to the root as possible. Peel off the tough outer layers. Cut the leek in half vertically. Wash the leek thoroughly, carefully peeling back the layers to clean the dirt on the inside.

Fill a bowl with ice water; set aside. Place the leeks into the pot of boiling water and blanch for 4 minutes. Remove the leeks with tongs and place into the ice bath. Once cooled, drain and pat dry thoroughly.

Preheat your grill to medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Brush the mixture over the leeks, coating on all sides. Place the leeks on the grill and grill for 3 minutes on each side.

Place the leeks on a platter and drizzle lightly with honey. Top with crispy panko crumbs.

NOTE: If you don’t have a grill you can also roast the leeks in the oven. To do so, skip the blanching, brush the leeks with the oil mixture and roast in a 425 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until tender and caramelized.

VARIATION: For added spice, drizzle the leeks with hot honey. To prepare, add honey to a pot with sliced fresh chilies. Simmer for 1 hour, strain and cool.

Crispy Panko Crumbs

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup panko crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp lemon zest

Method:

Heat olive oil in a frying pan set over medium heat. Add garlic, cook until softened. Add thyme and panko crumbs; sauté until crisped and golden. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, salt and pepper.

This post is sponsored by P.C. Richard & Son. All opinions are my own.

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Hawaij Honey Cake with Labneh Frosting

On August 22, 2018August 26, 2018

by chanie

in Breakfast, Cakes, Dairy, Dessert, Recipes, Rosh Hashanah

12 Comments

If you are lucky enough to own a copy of Millennial Kosher, chances are you are one of hundreds who has made my hawaij garlic confit a staple on their Shabbos table. I for one can not get through the weekend without the intoxicating smell of hawaij wafting through my home. And my challah can’t live without dipping into the fragrant oily dip.

I’m proud to have introduced so many people to one of my favorite spice blends – a Yemenite curry that is famous for it’s use in chicken soup. What many don’t know, however, is that there is also a sweet version of hawaij, traditionally used for coffee. Since many honey cakes incorporate coffee into the batter, I figured that spicing up the cake with some hawaij for coffee was the perfect way to introduce the sweet side of the Yemenite spice.

Besides for the fragrant spice blend, I also incorporated one of my favorite Israeli ingredients – silan or date honey. It’s interesting to note that when the Torah speaks of Israel being the “Land that flows with milk and honey”, it is actually referring to date honey. There is nothing quite like dates from the shuk in Israel, and silan has become a much-loved ingredient in my house. It works both in sweet and savory applications (try it over pargiot!) and it’s delicious when paired with tahini.

Now lets talk about the other unique component of this amazing recipe – the frosting! If you’d never tried making labneh before, it’s so much easier than it seems! Labneh is the Israeli cream cheese – light and creamy with a healthy dose of tang. I’m personally not a fan of classic American cream cheese, so it’s all about the labneh for me!

Labneh is extremely versatile – it can be rolled into balls and marinated in olive oil with different spices, drizzled with some olive oil and za’atar for dipping pita, or made into a sweet frosting with some added hawaij to perfectly compliment this breakfast loaf!

I am totally obsessed over how this recipe came together! The cake is crazy moist, nothing like that dry honey cake we all dread. The hawaij adds just enough spice, but nothing over the top, and the creamy frosting adds a nice tang to balance out the sweetness of the cake.

My favorite part about this cake though, was decorating it!! I had a vision for incorporating my favorite seasonal fruit – figs – and I just love how it came out! Feel free to play around with fresh pomegranate, honeycomb, cinnamon sticks and other fun toppings to make the cake your own.

I always say I’m not a baker, but this recipe helped me realize that even though I don’t like the science of baking, there is still so much room for creativity and if I can get around the technicalities, I can create a masterpiece.

Here’s to a New Year of trying new things, delicious eats and sweetness all around!

Hawaij Honey Cake

1 cup flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp hawaij for coffee, recipe follows
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c oil
1/2 c silan (may sub with regular honey)
1/2 cup warm water mixed with 1 tsp coffee
fresh figs, gooseberries, and dates, optional, for decorating

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, hawaij, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, sugar, oil, honey and coffee until creamy. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until a batter forms. The batter will be liquidy.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.

Cover the cake with a layer of parchment paper and foil and rest overnight. Frost and decorate, if desired, before serving.

Hawaij for Coffee

1 tbsp cardamom
1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves

Method:

Add ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.

Labneh Frosting

2 6oz. containers Norman’s plain Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp hawaj for coffee
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Method:

Line a fine mesh strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Mix the yogurt with salt and place into the cheesecloth. Fold the cheesecloth over the yogurt and cover with a plate and a heavy can or jar. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamed. Remove the bowl from the fridge and scoop out the thickened yogurt into the mixing bowl, beat very lightly to incorporate – do not overmix. Add in the hawaij, powdered sugar and vanilla and stir with a spoon until a creamy frosting forms.

Refrigerate the frosting until you are ready to serve. Frost and serve.

This post was sponsored by Norman’s. All opinions are my own.

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Pina Colada Ice Cream

On August 14, 2018August 26, 2018

by chanie

in Dessert, Diet, Fruit, Paleo, Recipes, Snacks

5 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas. I love me some banana cake with frosting, but I’m not a fan of strawberry + banana anything. Banana “nice cream” is a great invention, but sometimes I want some ice cream that’s good for my body that doesn’t taste like, well, bananas.

Enter the humble pineapple. I’ve turned it into a rotisserie stand in my cookbook, Millennial Kosher, and now it’s solving my nice cream problems with it’s unique ability to blend up into a creamy and dreamy dessert.

Like bananas, the pineapple must be frozen before making “nice cream”, and the addition of coconut and rum makes you feel like you’re on a tropical island somewhere. Which is kinda nice considering I haven’t been to one in about 12 years.

So while my Instagram is flooded with photos of Mykonos, I’ll happily enjoy some of this guilt-free ice cream on my porch in Upstate New York, savoring the smell of grass and the breeze sweeping through the mountains. Enjoy the last licks of summer, it’s almost over! (insert sad emoji face here).

Pina Colada Ice Cream
YIELD: 6 servings

1 ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can full fat coconut milk
2 tbsp rum, optional
2 tbsp maple syrup, or, to taste
pinch of salt

Method:

Place the pineapple in a ziploc bag and freeze overnight. Refrigerate the coconut milk overnight.

Carefully remove the coconut milk from the fridge and scoop out the coconut cream from the top of the can, leaving the liquid on the bottom (drink or discard). Place the coconut cream into a food processor along with the frozen pineapple chunks, rum, maple syrup and salt, Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.

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Grilled Chicken Wedge Salad
with Carrot Ginger Dressing

On August 6, 2018August 6, 2018

by chanie

in Appetizer, Diet, Dinner, Lunch, Meat & Poultry, Paleo, Recipes, Salad

2 Comments

Grilled chicken salad is my dish of choice for summer. There always seems to be some leftover chicken in the fridge and I love the challenge of coming up with new ways to eat it – depending on what I have on hand. I typically go with Middle Eastern-inspired recipes when I use pargiot, or dark meat cutlets, and I go Asian or Indian with chicken breasts.

The iceberg salad with carrot ginger dressing is my favorite starter at Asian restaurants – it’s just so light and fresh and really the perfect way to start a meal of heavy Chinese food. I’m always picking out the big chunks of iceberg that are wedged into each other, so I decided to make a salad that is all about the wedge!

Traditional wedge salad is smothered in bacon and blue cheese dressing – and aside from the fact that it’s not kosher, I’m not even tempted, because, well….blue cheese. I prefer not to eat food that tastes like stinky socks, you know? But this right here? This is I can get behind. With creamy avocado, peppery radishes and crisp cucumber, you don’t even miss croutons and the dish will leave you feeling light and refreshed – just how I love my summer salads.

Grilled Chicken Wedge Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges
1 cucumber, spiralized (or thinly sliced)
1 avocado, peeled into ribbons (or cut into chunks)
2 pieces grilled chicken, diced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
carrot ginger dressing (recipe follows)

Method:

Arrange all the ingredients on a platter and drizzle with dressing, to taste.

VARIATION: for a vegan salad, grill tofu using the same method as the chicken.

Carrot Ginger Dressing

1/4 c light olive oil
2 tbsp white miso paste (may substitute with tahini paste)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1” piece ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

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Tahini Scones

On July 31, 2018July 31, 2018

by chanie

in Breakfast, Brunch, Cookies, Dairy, Dessert, Recipes, Snacks

8 Comments

I’m fond of calling myself a #bakernonbaker but the truth is, sometimes I surprise myself. These scones were next-level. The crunchiest exterior, pillow-soft interior and crazy flaky – almost like halva! How my little of this and little of that achieved scone-perfection is a mystery even I cannot solve, but I think it has a lot to do with the magic ingredient – tahini.

I’m pretty open about the fact that I’m not into the science of food. I’ve never been a very technical person. Technicalities give me a headache. I don’t find gastronomy intriguing, but one thing I can tell you is that tahini has special powers. Something about it’s fat content makes it bind with other ingredients in a completely different way. Fold it into whipped cream and you’ll get the thickest emulsion that will not deflate – and it will freeze up so smooth and creamy with the texture of ice cream! Mix it with water and you’ve got the silkiest, creamiest dip or stir in some silan and you’ve got a thick fudge. What is it about this magic ingredient that can be used in both sweet or savory applications, mixed into doughs and salad dressings, fudge and candy?

Tahini so fascinates me, I almost want to explore the science of emulsification. Almost. It does something so special to these flaky scones, you’ll never believe they don’t have butter!

Buttery pastries intimidate me. The way you have to get the butter into the perfect pea-size, and you can’t melt it with the heat of your hands. How you have to be careful to handle the dough just-so and not overmix it. How you have to perfect the process to allow for pillows of flakiness in every bite. Too painstaking for this impatient cook.

But cream-based scones? I got this. And so can you. Because it’s just as simple as mixing some ingredients into a bowl and forming them into a disc. And you can thank the magic ingredient, tahini, for doing the work of butter – minus the technicalities.

I thought about glazing the scones (and even posted a poll on my Instagram!), but I decided not to mess with perfection. Sometimes you get something just right and you don’t need to over-complicate things. So I left the scones as-is, allowing the subtle tahini flavor to shine, and served them with a side of dairy whipped cream and fresh berries, ‘cuz really, does it get any better than that?

OK, maybe with a side of a steaming hot cafe hafuch and some fresh figs. (on a porch somewhere in Israel. I’m pushing it now, aren’t I?) The breakfast of my dreams.

Tahini Scones

1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c tahini paste
3/4 c heavy cream, plus more for brushing
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
whipped cream and berries, for serving, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and sesame seeds. Make a well in the center and pour in the tahini, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Stir until the ingredients are incorporated. Don’t overmix.

Place the dough onto the baking sheet, flatten into a 7″ disk and slice into 8 triangles. Spread the triangles out on the baking sheet and brush the tops lightly with heavy cream. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake scones for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

VARIATION: You can add chocolate chips, diced dried fruit such as figs, dates or apricots or nuts such as almonds or pistachios, if desired.

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Busy in Brooklyn

Author: chanie