Category: Cookbook Reviews

Kosher by Design Cooking Coach Review & Giveaway!

When it comes to kosher cookbooks, Susie Fishbein is in a league all her own. Her talent and professionalism shine through in each new edition of Kosher by Design, especially her latest, Cooking Coach. Like all of the cookbooks in the Kosher by Design series, Susie carries through on her theme in an immaculate way. In Kosher by Design Cooking Coach, Fishbein shares recipes, tips and techniques to make anyone a better cook. Each section is prefaced by a Game Plan in which Susie teaches the fundamental principles of cooking. She shares techniques, advice and amazing tips to help guide you in the kitchen. From kitchen equipment and essentials, to an in-depth guide to preparing fish, poultry and meat – there’s something to learn for everyone. As a blogger who is familiar with a lot of cooking techniques, there was still so much for me to take away from this book.

Besides for the delectable recipes and beautiful pictures, something else I loved about KBD Cooking Coach is the Playbook. In it, Susie gives you ideas for revamping leftovers of some of her dishes. Or as she likes to call it, reincarnating food. Each recipe and idea in the playbook is as good as it’s original. My only issue with this section (and with the whole book, really) is that I wish the reincarnated recipes were printed beneath their originals, instead of in their own section. It makes it a tad bit confusing.

Not surprisingly, Fishbein does not dissapoint with the well-composed recipes in this book. Some of the dishes I look forward to trying include tomato tarte tatin, Jerusalem artichoke soup, strawberry-goat cheese salad, blueberry and fig glazed duck breasts, cornish hen in port & chocolate sauce, pretzel-crusted lamb chops, fall harvest silver tip roast, sole with peach-basil reduction, butternut squash broken lasagna, silan-roasted sweet potatoes & leeks, gooey walnut brownie pie, and almond thumbprint cookies.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of KBD Cooking Coach at Pomegranate Supermarket back in October. Susie conducted a cooking demo in which she prepared the following turkey taco eggrolls. She also shared her great ideas for reincarnating extra turkey filling into stuffed portobello mushroom caps or into marinara sauce for pasta. We were all served a sample of each dish and they were so incredibly delicious, I knew I had to share them with you!

In the spirit of Chanukah, Busy In Brooklyn is giving away a copy of Kosher by Design Cooking Coach! To enter the giveaway, help your favorite blog win the FriendsEat 2012 Best Food Blogger contest by voting. Simply visit the BIB page on FriendsEat, login with your facebook account and click the “love” button. Then, leave a comment below letting me know you’ve voted. For a bonus entry, ask your friends to vote too by posting it on your facebook status. Winner will be chosen at random at 9:00 AM Tuesday, December 18th.

Helene’s Turkey Taco Eggrolls
reprinted with permission from Kosher by Design Cooking Coach, Artscroll Publications
yields 16 eggrolls

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound dark meat ground turkey
1 (1.25-ounce) packet Ortega taco seasoning mix
3⁄4 cup water
5 ounces (½ of a 10-ounce box) frozen spinach, completely defrosted
1 (1-pound) package eggroll wrappers; I like Nasoya brand
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
canola oil, for frying
bottled taco sauce or hot sauce for dipping

1. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large (12-14-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink and just starting to brown. Add the taco seasoning packet and the water. Bring to a simmer.
2. Squeeze all the liquid out of the 5 ounces of spinach. Add spinach to the pan and cook for 5 minutes longer. Stir to distribute the spinach. Cook until all liquid is cooked out. Remove from heat. Cool completely or the eggrolls will be soggy.
3. Arrange an eggroll wrapper on your cutting board facing you like a diamond. Brush the eggwash along the edges of the wrapper. Place 2 tablespoons of filling horizontally in the middle of the eggroll, form into a 4-inch log. Fold the bottom corner over the filling toward the top corner. Fold the two sides in toward the center. It should now look like an envelope. Roll firmly toward the top corner, making a roll 4 inches wide. Be careful not to tear wrapper, and seal the final edge with a brushing of the egg wash. Set aside, seam-side-down. Continue with remaining filling and wrappers.
4. In a deep fryer or in a medium pot, heat canola oil to 355°F. If using a pot, oil should to be deep enough to keep eggrolls from touching bottom of pan, at least 3 inches of oil. Fry eggrolls in batches, about 2-3 minutes until golden brown, turning occasionally; don’t crowd the pot. Drain on paper towels. Serve with taco sauce.

Playbook Recipes:

Make a double batch of the filling. It freezes beautifully up to a month. When you are ready to use, defrost it and mix with 1/4 cup jarred marinara sauce to make stuffed portobello mushroom caps. Bake at 350 degrees until the mushrooms are soft and the filling is warmed, about 20 minutes. You can also add an additional 1/2 cup marinara and serve over freshly cooked pasta.

1 year ago: sea bass en papillote
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Chic Made Simple – Review & Giveaway!

When I first received the Chic Made Simple cookbook, I was wowed. It’s filled with beautiful pictures, impeccable food styling, and lots of delicious recipes that are truly, made simple. Esther Deutsch’s new cookbook promises fresh, fast and fabulous kosher cuisine, and it delivers. With appetizers & sides, soups, salads, poultry, meat, fish, dairy and desserts, the cookbook lacks for nothing. Chef’s are fond of saying “We eat with our eyes first”, and no one knows that better than Esther. Her talent for plating and food styling are on full display page after page. As a wannabe food stylist (at least for my blog) this book has taught me a lot.

While styling is important, the food also has to speak for itself. The recipes in Chic are simple enough for the novice cook, yet sophisticated enough for the more experienced chef. Some of my favorite dishes include quinoa patties, pulled meat wontons, roasted chestnut pumpkin soup, sundried tomato basil capons, creole veal burgers, 60-second cajun salmon, fruit tartare, and many more.

All that being said, I do have a few small qualms about this book. As the food editor of Ami magazine, many, of the recipes appeared in the magazine at some point (46 of the recipes in the book have never been published). While it mostly reads like a cookbook, there is some confusion where the pictures don’t entirely relate to the recipe, and some magazine spreads that were stuck in the book, disrupting the flow. The pictures, having been photographed by a few photographers, don’t offer the same style, and some are so highly manipulated, they don’t look realistic. As a graphic designer, I find this very frustrating, but to the untrained eye, most people will not be disturbed by it.

Bottom line: Chic Made Simple does in fact offer chic recipes that are fairly easy. Some recipes use highly processed ingredients, but most include ingredients that you’d find in your pantry. While many will not be able to plate their dishes as impeccably as pictured, the recipes sure seem to taste as delicious as they look.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling me about a simple recipe that you serve in a chic way! And if you don’t already follow me on facebook, like the BIB page here. Winner will be chosen at random at 11:00 PM Wednesday, December 5th. 

Warm Deep-Dish Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Torte
excerpted from CHIC Made Simple: Fresh. Fast. Fabulous. Kosher Cooking By Esther Deutsch, Feldheim Publishers

Ingredients

2 cups oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
4 eggs
4 cups all-purpose fl our
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. (10 oz.) chocolate chips
Store-bought vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the oil, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, flour, baking powder, and salt on medium speed until well combined, about 2–3 minutes. Add the chocolate chips and combine.

2. Pour the batter into two 9-inch round baking pans and bake, uncovered, for 55–60 minutes. Serve the torte warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

3. To reheat, warm the torte, tightly covered, in a preheated 200° F oven for no longer than 1 hour. Serves 16.

Note: This recipe yields two 9-inch round cakes. You can serve the second one as a breakfast cake.

1 year ago: black bean brownies
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The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen
{Recipes, Review & Giveaway}


Levana Kirschenbaum, author of The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen, is a cook after my own heart. She likes to cook healthy food, with minimal ingredients, in a short span of time. That’s not to say that this cookbook is filled with quick-fix dinners. It certainly is not. While it may include 15 variations of 3-ingredient chicken dishes (which I’m thrilled about!), it’s also got plenty of gourmet recipes that require an array of flavorful ingredients.

With an on emphasis on healthy, whole, minimally processed ingredients, Levana still manages to pull out delicious dishes that require little more than fresh produce, herbs and spices. Even her decadent desserts maintain a healthy perspective, without requiring a trip to the health food store for specialized ingredients.

The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen is extremely thorough. I now understand why Levana refers to it as her magnum opus, a comprehensive compilation of her life’s work. In the first chapter, “The Pantry”, Levana guides you in the building your pantry, making each and every recipe look so easy. From dressings to jams and sauces to liquors, this chapter lacks for nothing. While titled “Edible Gifts to Yourself and Beyond”, I find this section to be Levana’s gift to the reader. What greater gift is there to a cook than to be able to learn many of the basic recipes required to build a dish?

The cookbook continues with Soups, Salads, Fish, Poultry/Meat, Vegetable Dishes, Grains/Pasta, Breakfast/Brunch, Breads and finally Desserts. While the recipes mostly stay true to Levana’s Morrocan roots, her dishes span the globe, including internationally-inspired recipes like creole chicken with rice, pad thai, cucumber raita chai and tilapia nicoise en papillotte, among many others.

I love Levana’s addition of suggested menu’s, including feasts by cuisine (Moroccan, French, Italian, Israeli, Asian, Latin and Indian), dietary preferences (dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan) as well as themed menu’s (salads, chocolate, kids). You’ll also find three separate indexes – standard, gluten free and passover.

The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen has a little something for everyone. As for me, I’m looking forward to making the Kabocha sweet potato soup, baked snapper with raisins and pine nuts, chicken with apples, millet fritters, blueberry scones and Indian sweet potato pudding.

If I could critique anything about this cookbook, it would only be to say that I would appreciate more beautiful pictures!

Busy In Brooklyn is happy to be giving away a copy of The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen!

To Enter:

1. Share your favorite Rosh Hashana food/recipe in the comments below.
2. “Like” Busy In Brooklyn on Facebook!

Winner will be selected at random on September 13th, 2012.

BONUS ROSH HASHANAH RECIPES
from The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot & Sweet Parsnips

1 dozen very thin parsnips, peeled and left whole (settle for 5–6 larger ones, peeled and quartered lengthwise)
2 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons sugar or Sucanat
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or less to taste
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a wide heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or a drop longer, until the parsnips are tender and the liquids in the pot have thickened. Pour the sauce over the parsnips. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted Salmon with Maple Glaze

1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon cracked pepper, or less to taste
1 whole side salmon, about 3. pounds, skin off, bones out, trimmed

Preheat the oven to 500F. Mix all but last ingredient in a bowl. Place the salmon skin side up in a baking pan just large enough to fit it snugly in one layer (if you have empty spaces, the liquids will burn). Pour the sauce evenly over the fish. Bake 18 minutes, or a minute or two longer, until the fish is tender but firm to the touch. Transfer to a platter and pour the cooking juices over the  fish. Serve hot, or at room temperature. Makes 8 main course servings, or a dozen ample first course servings. 

Recipes & photos excerpted with Permission from The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen Cookbook By Levana Kirshenbaum www.levanacooks.com

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Kosher Revolution Cookbook Review + Bonus Recipes & Giveaway!

The Kosher Revolution by Geila Hocherman & Arthur Boehm is more than just a cookbook, it’s an education. With formal training using nonkosher ingredients, Gila attempts to revolutionalize traditional kosher cooking and elevate it into modern and sophisticated cuisine. Using groundbreaking techniques, she guides you in converting any recipe into a kosher one. In Chapter 1, you’ll learn Gila’s revolutionary subbing techniques to match the flavor and texture of any dish. The following chapters will take you on a culinary journey through international kosher cuisine. Recipes like Duck Prosciutto, lentil soup with “ham” and surimi crab cakes, are a lesson in using the “kosher revolution” approach. Other recipes such as Peshwari Challah, Onion-Stuffed Knaidlach, and Chicken Livers with Warm Cognac Vinaigratte elevate traditional kosher cuisine into gourmet fare that is anything but ordinary. Many of the recipes guide you in exchanging one or more ingredients to create a a meat, dairy or pareve version. In addition, an indispensable ingredient-exchange chart is included at the end of the book, as well as a list of shopping sources. With 95 recipes, countless tips and invaluable wisdom, this cookbook is a must-have for foodies everywhere, kosher and non-kosher alike.

We are giving away one free copy of The Kosher Revolution Cookbook. To enter, share with us your ideas on revolutionalizing kosher cuisine in the comments below. How do you up the ante on traditional kosher dishes? A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, November 11th, 2011.

{Update, November 11th, 2001: the winner of the Kosher Revolution cookbook giveaway is…drumroll….Leah Abraham! Congratulations Leah!}

BONUS RECIPES

 

Eggplant Rollatini
serves 6

Baked eggplant slices rolled around a meatless filling is a kosher favorite. My version ups the traditional ante as its served with a sauce that includes smoky red peppers, a great eggplant counterpoint, plus creamy mascarpone. The dish is luscious but light, and can also be made ahead, see my Tip. It’s a great family favorite too.

Geila’s Tip: You can prepare the filling and/or sauce ahead and refrigerate. Or bake the dish ahead, allow it to cool, and refrigerate. Reheat in a 300°F oven and serve.

Ingredients:

3 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick (about 18 slices)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
One 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes
2 roasted red peppers (see Step 3, page 48)
2 large basil sprigs
6 puréed roasted garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
One 15-ounce container ricotta
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1. Place the eggplant slices on paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with the 2 tablespoons salt. Allow the slices to release their bitter juices, 20 to 30 minutes.

2. To make the sauce, cut the tomatoes in large chunks, combine with the peppers in a medium bowl and purée with an immersion blender, or in a food processor. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomato and pepper purée, basil, garlic, oregano and 1 teaspoon of the salt, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the flavors are blended, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cover 2 medium cookie sheets with foil and brush with the olive oil.

4. Wipe the excess salt from the eggplant, roll in the paper towels and squeeze the rolls gently to remove more moisture. Transfer the eggplant to the cookie sheets, and bake until tender and somewhat translucent,15 to 20 minutes. Cover the slices with foil (to trap steam that will prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan) and allow to cool.

5. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mascarpone, nutmeg and the remaining teaspoon salt. Transfer half of the tomato sauce to a 8 x 12-inch baking dish.

6. With your hands, and using 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cheese mixture,make roll-shapes. Place one part way down from the wide end on an eggplant slice, roll to enclose it, and transfer to the baking dish seamside down. Repeat with remaining cheese mixture and slices. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant, sprinkle with the Parmesan,and bake until tender, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Miso-Glazed Black Cod
serves 6

New York’s Nobu restaurant, 1985: Chef Nobu Matshushia’s miso-glazed black cod. Me on first taste: Wow! I longed to make a kosher version of this great dish, but had to bide my time until kosher miso and sake became available. On that happy day I set to work—and here it is, a dish you’ll enjoy often and that’s baby-simple to make. All you do is marinate black cod in a simple miso-sugar mixture then broil or grill it. The caramelized skin is delightfully crispy, and really compliments the sweet, moist flesh. Served with Baby Bok Choy with Garlic (page 136)—or by itself with any bitter green—this is stellar dining.

Geila’s Tips: This also makes an elegant starter. Just reduce the portion size by half andserve the cod on greens lightly dressedwith Asian Vinaigrette (page 32). I also use this glaze brushed one eggplant when I grill it. Serve the eggplant with roasted meat.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake or dry white wine
11/4 cups white miso
2/3 cup sugar
6 black cod fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), skin removed

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the mirin and sake and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute (to cook off the alcohol), reduce the heat to medium, add the miso, and stir until dissolved. Add the sugar,increase the heat, and stir until the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

2. Dry the fillets with paper towels and put them in a gallon-size sealable plastic bag. Add the miso glaze, seal and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours.

3. Bring the fillets to room temperature. Preheat the broiler or place a grill pan or heavy skillet over high heat. Wipe excess glaze from the fillets and broil or grill, turning once, until brown and glazed, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve.

 

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Bitayavon Magazine Review + Sample Recipe + Subscription Giveaway!

Busy in Brooklyn is giving away a ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to Bitayavon Magazine. For a chance to win, “like” our facebook fan page (click the “become a fan” button on the side of the blog or go to www.facebook.com/busyinbrooklyn to get to our fan page). A winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 17th.

If you love cookbooks as much as I do, you probably love cooking magazines too. Cooking magazines, to me, are like mini cookbooks, with a lot more advice and interesting food-for-thought (pun intended!). And so back in the day, when eBay used to offer magazine subscriptions for next to nothing, I subscribed to a LOT of them. Here’s the problem (besides for the fact that I had piles and piles of cooking magazines) – every page you turn to has another mouth-watering photo that you just have to make. Then you look at the recipe and either it has meat seared in butter, or it’s loaded with nonkosher unmentionables. And so, after admiring the food photography of loads of magazines, I let the subscriptions run their course and I didn’t renew a single one.

Imagine my excitement when I heard about the new kosher magazine, Bitayavon. I was first in line for their premiere issue back in February, and I couldn’t wait for their spring edition. The premiere issue was full of exciting recipes, articles and tips. The spring issue shines even more, with brighter pictures and even better recipes (yes, even, and especially, the Pesach ones). You’ll find a nice mix of simple fare for the on-the-go cook, and more advanced recipes for the gourmand.

The Pesach issue boasts over 70 recipes and tips. It starts off with protein-packed family dinners like Quinoa israeli salad and Bran Flake crusted turkey breasts. The “Going Gourmet” section is chock-full of original gourmet sandwich ideas such as Banh Mi, a Vietnamese recipe that uses leftover roast chicken as well as a Tiramisu sandwich using store-bought sponge cake. The recipes are paired with mouth-watering photos as well as additional winning recipes from the sandwich contest that was introduced in the previous issue.

The magazine continues with a twist on traditional recipes such as “gefilte fish crab cakes” and an “eggplant deli roll”. These deconstructed recipes are creative and simple enough for the novice cook. It’s Pesach section runs the gamut of fish, salads, meat/poultry, sides and desserts. Each recipe is clear with numbered instructions. You will find original preparations such as salt encrusted sea bass, as well as chicken noodles, all paired with an apropo wine.

Rounding out the issue are articles on kashrus, the kosher challenge abroad, seasonal recipes, an interview with a chef and a look at a cookbook, among others. The magazine is well thought out, with interesting topics and an all-encompassing menu (both in the articles and recipes) for the kosher consumer.

I guess I will be subscribing to a food magazine after all. This time, only one.

Bitayavon!

Chocolate Souffle
Servings: 8

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 large egg yolks
12 egg whites
1 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Using pastry brush, brush sides of ramekin with oil and a sprinkle of sugar, put in fridge to keep cold.
3. Melt chocolate in a double broiler.
4. Mix egg yolks with melted chocolate.
5. Beat egg whites until foamy and slowly add sugar, mix until firm peaks form.
6. Incorporate 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate mix, mix well.
7. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites into chocolate mix.
8. Fill ramekins half way with souffle mix, gently bang ramekins on counter so batter will settle evenly.
9. Fill ramekins till the top. Smooth batter with a knife and run finger around edge of ramekin (helps souffle rise).
10. Place souffle in the oven and lower temperature to 350 degrees.
11. Bake for 12 minutes.

Thanks to Bitayavon Magazine for sponsoring the subscription.
Photos & Recipe courtesy of Bitayavon magazine.

{UPDATE added April 17th, 2011: Mashi Laufer of Brooklyn, NY has won the Busy in Brooklyn subscription giveaway! Congratulations Mashi and Chag Kasher Vesameach!}

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