new york | Hospitality has always been a part of the Passover tradition, Susie Fishbein reminds us.
Jews on their last night in Egypt were told to invite a neighbor to join them if necessary, to make sure they consumed all the meat of the offering they were commanded to eat, she explains in her 2003 cookbook, “Kosher by Design.”
Her new cookbook, “Kosher by Design Entertains,” provides plenty of ideas for all kinds of occasions when family and friends get together, whether or not they’re consuming offerings.
“Passover, unlike other holidays, is really geared for family,” Fishbein says, “and there are likely to be children of all ages at the seder. So, thinking of decor this is not an occasion for your fine crystal and china.”
The seder tends to run late, too, another reason to de-emphasize the elaborateness of the setting, she says. “It’s a night for being part of the family, not to end up in the kitchen with piles of dishes to wash.”
In fact, she says, to be very practical, there are some beautiful paper plates and disposable utensils available now which would be a very acceptable way to go.
“This holiday is about so much more than the food, but you can still find creative ways to be informally elegant,” she says. In her earlier book she suggested simple rose and ivy topiaries as table centerpieces, and she still recommends them. They last well, she points out; you can keep such a topiary on the table for the eight days of Passover, perhaps just replacing a rose or two as needed.
Entertaining is clearly not just an abstract theme for a book. As she spoke from her New Jersey home, she was audibly in the midst of preparing a dinner party, setting her table, clearly in delighted anticipation of her evening.
“The idea for this new book came to me because, as I went around the country on book tours and talking to people, I found people’s faces would light up when they described how they used my recipes for special occasions, when they had people in,” she recalls. “They recounted this with such joy.
“It got me thinking people really do like to open up their homes. When you’re talking of occasions, there’s nothing like doing it at home.”
It started that way for her, she says, growing up with a tradition of family entertaining. Now, she remembers “so many different occasions when I’ve opened up my home, and when it just wouldn’t have been the same at the local restaurant.
“There’s some effort but the payback is so great.”
Her reassuring advice for hosts: Don’t think you need to produce a 16-course meal for a dinner you have at home. Just plan a simple menu and let casualness become the tone of the evening. “People arrive dressed up — for my dinner tonight guests will come well dressed — but then the jackets come off and it’s just about who’s in this room, once they sit down at the table and eat together. That’s what makes it so special.”
“Kosher by Design Entertains” offers recipes, advice and settings for a variety of occasions, from an engagement party to a picnic to a “just for guys” event. The book’s attractive format includes plenty of color photos.
Among its recipes are the following, which Fishbein suggested for seder menus.
Carrot Coconut Vichyssoise | Serves 6-8
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 medium Idaho or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
16 oz. baby carrots, or 2 cups sliced carrots
1 leek, sliced, white and pale green parts only
1 shallot, diced
dash ground white pepper
2/3 cup coconut milk (see note)
1/2 cup soy milk or light cream (see note)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. dark molasses
Place the stock, potatoes, carrots, leek and shallot into a medium soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until vegetables are very tender.
Season with white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes longer. Add the coconut milk. Remove from heat. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender right in the pot and puree for a full 3 minutes. Stir in the soy milk or light cream (or nondairy substitute).
Place the soup in the refrigerator and cool for at least 5 hours.
To prepare the garnish, place the balsamic vinegar and molasses in a small pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low for 6 to 8 minutes, until reduced by half. Place in refrigerator; it will get thicker as it cools.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Then with the tip of a spoon, or a squirt bottle, add a swirl of the balsamic to each bowl.
Note: Coconut milk, a thick, creamy mixture of coconut meat and water, is parve. There are a number of kosher brands that are available. Coconut milk is sold in cans and is different from cream of coconut, which is very sweet and used mostly for drinks. (The clear liquid inside a coconut is not coconut milk; it is called coconut juice.)
To make soup kosher for Passover, substitute a nondairy creamer.
Roasted Garlic Chicken Stuffed With Dried Fruits and Nuts | Serves 4
1 head garlic
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
10 to 12 dried apricots
5 dried mission figs
1/2 cup shelled, raw, unsalted pistachio nuts
1 whole (3 to 5 lbs.) chicken or pullet, washed and patted dry
1/2 orange, unpeeled and sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
kitchen twine
3 Tbs. margarine, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Holding the head of garlic on its side, cut the top 1 or 2 inches off the top of the bulb to expose the cloves. Place the head in the center of a square of foil, on a small baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Close the foil packet. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, chop the apricots, dried figs and pistachios into very small pieces.
With your finger, loosen the skin of the chicken, going under the breasts, thighs and legs. Massage the fruit mixture under the skin, getting it into the cavities where the skin was loosened. Stuff the orange slices and the rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs closed with kitchen twine. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan; try not to let too much of the fruit and nuts drip out into the pan; they will burn.
When the garlic is soft and caramelized, remove it from the oven and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skin. Rub it all over the outside of the chicken. Drizzle the margarine over the top of the chicken, letting it run down the sides.
Bake uncovered for 11/2 hours, basting 2 or 3 times with the pan juices.
Roasted Beet Salad | Serves 4-6
2 medium-to-large red beets, scrubbed but not peeled
2 medium-to-large golden beets, scrubbed but not peeled
olive oil
kosher salt
dried thyme
1 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
3 Tbs. orange juice
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. balsamic or apple cider vinegar
2 oz. frisee lettuce
3 oz. red leaf lettuce
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 oz. blue or Gorgonzola cheese (optional for dairy meals)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice off the top and bottom of each beet. Slice into rounds as thin as possible, 1/4-inch thick or less. Drizzle each beet slice with olive oil, brushing it to evenly coat. Sprinkle with coarse salt and thyme. Place on prepared baking sheet. Roast 18 to 22 minutes, until the beets are soft and slightly shrunken. The smaller or thinner beets will need to come out of the oven first so they don’t burn. Set aside. Keep the colors separate as they will bleed otherwise.
Prepare the dressing: Using an immersion blender or a whisk combine the honey, mustard, orange juice, olive oil and balsamic or apple cider vinegar. Blend or whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the frisee and red leaf lettuce leaves into a bowl and lightly dress, tossing to combine, reserving 6 tsp. of the dressing.
Arrange the roasted beet slices in alternating colors in a single layer on each plate. Drizzle a scant tsp. of the dressing over the beets. Place a tall mound of the greens in the center of each plate, allowing the beets to peek out. Sprinkle with walnuts evenly over each plate. If using cheese, crumble over each mound of lettuce.
Hasselback Potatoes | Serves 8
8 small Idaho baking potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes
8 garlic cloves, sliced into thin slivers
sea salt
coarse black pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Using a sharp or electric knife starting at one end and going to the other end, cut deep slits (about 3/4 of the way through the potato) on top of each potato, 1/8 inch apart, being careful not to cut all the way to the bottom of the potato. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Place a garlic sliver into each slit. Sprinkle each potato with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake 1 hour, baste with the pan oil and then continue to bake for another 30 minutes, until potatoes are soft.
Pineapple Truffles | Makes 50-60 truffles
1 1/4 cup firmly packed sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1 medium pineapple, ripe
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
4 large egg yolks
In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, process 1/4 cup coconut with 1/4 cup sugar. Remove to a bowl or ziplock bag. Set aside.
Cut the pineapple out of the shell. Discard core and cut the flesh into chunks. Puree pineapple in blender or food processor. Transfer the pureed pineapple to a medium pot. Mix in 1 cup coconut, 1/2 cup sugar and the confectioner’s sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until all the liquid evaporates, about 30 to 35 minutes, stirring often to make sure the mixture is not browning on the bottom. If the mixture is starting to brown, lower heat slightly and stir more often. The mixture will turn a dark golden color. Turn off the heat.
Remove 1/2 cup of the pineapple mixture and mix it into the egg yolks to temper them. Add the tempered yolks to the pot and mix, back on the heat, until dry and pulling away from the sides of the pot, about 5 minutes.
Place the pot in the freezer and chill completely.
Remove the pineapple mixture from the freezer. Using a tiny melon baller or 1/4-
teaspoon measure, make balls. Roll balls in the coconut-sugar that was blended in the first step. If the truffles get too sticky to roll, place the mixture back in the freezer for a few minutes.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheets and place in freezer. Once frozen, remove and store in an airtight container in single layers separated by parchment paper. Return truffles to freezer.
Serve right from the freezer or place in little paper candy cups or on a platter 10 minutes before serving.