Category: Dairy

Pizza En Croute

Happy Chanukah!!!!! The holiday of donuts, latkes, fried food, gelt and cheeeeeeesssseeee is here! Does it get any better?

Of course we don’t count calories on Chanukah, because we celebrate the miracle of the oil where a small jug miraculously lasted for 8 whole days and the story of Yehudit who bravely lured a Greek general with wine & cheese and them chopped off his head in his drunken slumber. I mean how can we not honor our history and tradition by filling up on goodies??! You don’t have to ask me twice!

Of course Chanukah is also special to me because I was born on the fifth night, and 16 years ago, I got married on my birthday. I made that choice because I knew that the day held so much blessing and power, and I held onto the belief that it would carry me through my married life with lots of good vibes and the power to illuminate.


I never imagined that life would take me on this unexpected journey. That I would one day become a food writer, and that I would be blessed to carve out this humble space for myself on the web, and on your bookshelf. I feel especially grateful this Chanukah for all the miraculous blessings of the past year. For more success than I could have ever imagined. My heart is so full and I don’t even know how to thank you. So I’ll just keep cooking and sharing what I love, because that’s the only way I know how.

So I made pizza en croute. Because pizza has my heart. And I’m sure it has yours too. I used Makabi’s mini balls because it’s Chanukah after all, and because they’re the perfect size to take the place of brie – as a riff on the classic “brie en croute”.

I top ’em off with whatever I have en hand, and that’s really the best part about these – they’re so easily adaptable. Top the cheese with marinara, ketchup, pesto or olive tapenade and you’ve got yourself a party appetizer that will fly off the table!

Wishing you a CHEESY holiday!!

Pizza En Croute

9 Makabi Cheese mini balls
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1/2 cup marinara sauce, plus more for dipping
toppings of choice (chopped brocolli, spinach, onions, olives, tomatoes mushrooms….)
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, for eggwash

Method:

Remove cheese from wrappers. Gently roll out the puff pastry and cut into 9 squares. Place cheese balls in the center of each square and top with marinara sauce and toppings of your choice. Pull the 4 corners of each square together and twist closed. Brush with eggwash and bake for 30-40 minutes, until puffed and golden.

Serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping.

TIP: to keep the cheese from oozing out during baking, pinch the openings closed or bake in a cupcake tins, as in this recipe.

NOTE: if desired, you can drizzle vegetables with olive oil and dried herbs such as basil and oregano.

This post was sponsored by Makabi Cheese, all opinions are my own!

Related Recipes:

dried fruit brie bites
parmesan lasagna chips with pizza hummus
broccoli Parmesan poppers
zucchini parmesan chips
3-cheese pull apart buns

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Hawaij Honey Cake with Labneh Frosting

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. 

Related Recipes:

parsnip honey cake with cream cheese frosting
honey cake with caramelized apples
bourbon honey cake balls

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Tahini Scones

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.

Related Recipes:

halva krembos with sesame cookies
halva and ricotta stuffed figs
tahini frappuccino
tahini puppy chow 

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Breakfast Cones

I think it’s about time I share my secret to making it through the summer without giving in to my ice cream craving each time the ice cream truck comes around (that’s about 6 times a day here in the bungalow colony!). It’s also how I get my kids to stop asking for money every time they hear “Come and make a bracha, the kosher ice cream truck is here!”. (Who am I kidding? they still ask for money every time they hear it!).

My secret to ice cream without the guilt? BREAKFAST CONES. Yup. Ice cream cones for breakfast. And why do I not feel guilty about this stroke of genius might you ask? Because when I considered the fact that my kids would eat leben (pure sugar), frosted flakes (also pure sugar), pancakes (pure sugar when you count the amount of maple syrup they pour over it) or a chocolate protein bar (pure sugar + bits of protein) for breakfast, I figured a sugar cone filled with fruit and yogurt was just as bad, if not better, than all those options.


Putting all the breakfast things into a sugar cone is also a great way to bribe the kids to get ready for camp every morning. Hurry up and get dressed and I’ll feed you ice cream for breakfast! Does this make me the best mom ever? Or the smartest? I think both!

It all started with my fruity yogurt parfaits that I couldn’t get enough of this summer. The amazing seasonal berries and delicious fruit were so refreshing, especially when topped off with some plain yogurt, a bit of raw farm fresh honey and granola. It was the perfect breakfast, lunch, or light dinner, and I loaded up on it.

When I wanted something a bit more ice-creamy, I’d just stick a yogurt in the freezer for an hour or two, until it got kinda frozen, and load it up with fresh fruit. Once, when I ran out of granola, I crushed up some leftover sugar cones (cuz they are my absolute fave!) and put them on top. And voila! The fruit yogurt cone was born.

When you consider the fact that a single sugar cone has just 50 calories and 3g of sugar, it’s a lot healthier choice than a cup of orange juice (110 calories, 22g sugar per cup) or store bought granola (260 calories, 11g sugar per half cup). And lets not even get started on some of the cereals we are feeding our kids! So, when you do the math…. a sugar cone filled with yogurt, some fresh fruit and a spoonful of cereal is definitely a reasonable breakfast that is great for kids. And you can make it as healthful as you like – go with plain yogurt and nuts and seeds for a healthier version, or fruity yogurt with cereal for a more indulgent one.

Breakfast Cones

sugar cones
yogurt of choice (optional: freeze for an hour or so)
fresh fruit
cereal, granola, seeds or nuts of choice
honey or maple syrup

Method:

Place a berry at the bottom of the cone (this keeps the yogurt from dripping out) and fill with yogurt. If you want to get fancy, place the yogurt into a ziploc bag, snip off the corner and pipe it into the cones. Top with fresh fruit, cereal, granola, nuts or seeds.

VARIATION: Use cottage cheese instead of yogurt.

ABOVE COMBINATIONS:

strawberry yogurt + strawberries + chia seeds
blueberry yogurt + blackberries + cornflakes
strawberry yogurt + banana + granola + honey
vanilla bean yogurt + raspberries
cinnamon yogurt + apples + apple cinnamon cheerios

Related Recipes:

ice cream sundae cookies
corn flake crunch ice cream
ice cream clowns

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Kosher Shrimp & Grits

Before you go ahead and close your browser, no you did not make your way onto a treif blog, everything on here is still kosher! I can’t get over how real those shrimp look, can you?

So to be honest, I’m not really one for kosherizing treif dishes. Like I don’t do cheeseburgers with fake cheese or buttermilk fried chicken with soy milk. It’s just not my thing. But when I saw a package of grits at Shoprite last week, I just had to buy it. I’m a big fan of farina (the wheat version of grits, which are made from corn) and I love all things corn, so I was intrigued. I also mistakenly bought a package of mock shrimp instead of mock crab (we are obsessed with this kani salad in this house) so that’s how this kosher version of shrimp and grits came to be.

Now shrimp and grits is real Southern comfort food, and definitely more of a winter dish than a summer one – so I incorporated some fresh corn and a basil pistou to cut through the heaviness and lighten things up. A squeeze of lime in the creamy cheddar grits also goes a long way.

So, for an anti-tofu, real-food person, I have to be honest and say that the shrimp tasted amazing, but was definitely on the rubbery side. When I made this in my Instagram story, many readers suggested butterflying the shrimp by cutting it in half lengthwise, so I’ve made that suggestion below. But honestly, when I make this again, I’m just going to use kani (mock crab) since we are huge fans of that in this house (and ironically one of my readers messaged me that her dad, who is not religious, ate kani at her house and said it tasted just like shrimp!).

I’m stoked that I managed to plate this up all pretty for a blog post for you guys, its been great having a break, but I’ve missed posting!

 

Kosher Shrimp & Grits

Mock Shrimp:
1 1/2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
10.5oz. pkg surimi shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
kosher salt, to taste

Heat the butter over medium heat and add the garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the shrimp and spices and saute until coated and heated through.

VARIATION: You may use kani (mock crab) or firm white fish, such as cod or halibut instead of the shrimp. For cod, dice into chunks and saute until cooked through.

Corn:
1 tbsp butter
Corn from 3 cobs
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter over medium heat and add the corn. Saute until tender and season with salt and pepper.

Basil Pistou:
1 bunch basil
1/3 c olive oil
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

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

Grits:
1 c quick 5 minute grits
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c half and half or heavy cream
Juice of half lime

Prepare the grits last, right before serving. Bring the stock up to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and and slowly stir in the grits. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, cheddar and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To assemble the shrimp and grits, divide the grits between 6 bowls and top with fresh corn, basil pistou and shrimp. Serve immediately.

Other Fish Dishes:

kani salad
spicy tuna melt twice baked potatoes
tuna pasta salad
fish tacos

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