Kosher Elegance

Colorful Green Bean Salad

Serves approximately 12

Salad:

1 1-pound package frozen green beans

3 cloves garlic

3 peppers in a variety of colors

1 carrot

1 handful dried cranberries

1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

4 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

Briefly cook green beans in water until crisp. Drain and let cool slightly. Chop garlic, peppers, and carrots into small cubes and add to green beans. Add dried cranberries, almonds, and sesame seeds. Mix dressing ingredients, pour over salad, and toss well.

Tip: To preserve that fresh, bright green color, transfer beans to a bowl of ice water immediately after cooking. No one will believe the green beans are cooked!

Cubed Potatoes with Apple and Red Wine Filling

Serves 8

8 large potatoes, unpeeled

1 teaspoon salt

Seasoning:

4 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon paprika

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Apple-wine filling:

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons margarine

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, and cored

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup sweet red wine

1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large pot, cook the unpeeled potatoes in water with salt. Make sure not to overcook them; they don’t have to be completely soft because they will also be baked. Drain, cool, and peel potatoes. Then use a sharp knife to cut each potato into a well-defined cube.

Use a melon baller to scoop out a small amount of potato from the top center of the cube.

Mix the seasoning ingredients and brush on all sides of the cube. Bake for 15 minutes.

Apple-wine filling: Slice apples very thin, preferably in a food processor or with a mandoline. Heat oil and margarine in a frying pan. When margarine is melted, add apple slices and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the honey and wine and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the frozen berries and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

For an elegant presentation, place 1 potato square on a plate. Fill the indentation at the top with apple filling and garnish with a small sprig of greens.

For a simpler presentation, leave the potatoes in their natural shape and proceed according to directions.

Tip: When making potatoes for mashing, cook them in their skins. In addition to retaining more vitamins, the potatoes absorb less water and produce a better puree.

Tip: A mandoline is a terrific gadget to use when a recipe calls for thinly sliced fruits and vegetables. While professional mandolines are quite expensive, they come in a wide range of prices. A lower-end household model is fine for most cooks and stil turns out spectacular results.

Show-Stopping Fillet of Trout

Serves 8

8 slices fresh fillet of trout (4 fish, preferably small)

Marinade:

6 tablespoons olive or canola oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Freeze fish for half an hour before slicing. Cut each fillet in half lengthwise. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate fish for half an hour (you can marinate the fish for up to 24 hours).

Arrange a strip of fish along the wall of a muffin cup, continuing with another strip in a spiral fashion until the entire cup is full. Bake for 15 minutes until nicely golden.

Tip: For a colorful presentation, prepare a small salad from fresh coriander and thin strips of hot pepper. Season salad with a bit of olive oil and salt and place a small mound of salad on top of baked fish.

Garlic Butter Rolls with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Brush these rolls with garlic butter partway through the baking. The butter and garlic give the bread a great flavor, along with a crispy crust and a glossy sheen.

Makes approximately 30 mini-rolls

Dough:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

3 1/2-4 cups flour

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

Garlic butter glaze:

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 handful chives, finely chopped

Mushroom cream sauce:

1/4 cup butter

2 cups fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream or 1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bunch parsley, chopped

Dough: Place yeast in a mixer bowl. Add sugar and1/2 cup of the lukewarm water. Allow yeast to stand for 10 minutes. With mixer running slowly, add the flour, butter, salt, and remaining 1 cup water. Knead for about 8 minutes and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Shape dough into bite-sized, oblong rolls (similar to mini-baguettes) and bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. While the rolls are baking, melt butter and mix it with garlic and chives.

Remove rolls from oven, brush with the flavored butter and return to oven, baking until golden brown.

Mushroom cream sauce: Melt butter in a pot. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. Add flour and mix slightly. Add cream or milk and salt and cook until mixture thickens somewhat. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley. For an especially creamy texture, blend the mixture in a food processor or with an immersion blender.

For an elegant presentation, pour mushroom cream sauce into a small, pretty dish (or into disposable, clear liqueur glasses), stick a small skewer into each tiny roll, and gently place one atop each cream-filled dish. The skewer makes it easy to dip the roll in the cream sauce.

Tip: You can make the rolls ahead of time and freeze them.

Tip: For mezonos rolls, replace one cup of the water in the dough with a cup of apple juice.

Cream Cheese, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

Makes 1 7 x 11 inch pan

Base:

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/3 cup boiling water

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup raw cane sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 heaping tablespoons sour cream

Chocolate mousse:

7 ounces milk chocolate

1 8-ounce container heavy whipping cream

Peanut butter mousse:

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1 8-ounce container, minus 4 tablespoons, heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 tablespoons butter

¼ cup milk

4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons corn syrup

3½ ounces white chocolate

Base: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix cocoa with boiling water. Add remaining ingredients. Transfer to a7 x 11 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Chocolate mousse: Heat chocolate with heavy whipping cream and stir until completely combined. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Beat mixture for a few seconds until the color lightens. Spread mousse over the cake and freeze for half an hour.

Peanut butter mousse: Beat cream cheese with confectioners’ sugar for about 4 minutes. Add peanut butter. In a separate bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with sugar until stiff peaks form, and fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread over chocolate mousse and freeze for 2 hours.

Topping: Cook all topping ingredients except white chocolate, stirring until well mixed. Add white chocolate and stir until completely combined. Chill for half an hour. Pour topping over peanut butter mousse and freeze for 3 hours. Slice cake into squares or rectangles. Serve partially frozen.

Tip: For an extra chocolate garnish, melt 3½ ounces bittersweet chocolate and spread in an even layer on 3 x 1/2 inch acetate sheets, 1 sheet for each mousse square or rectangle. Place the sheets on an upside-down egg carton (for hygienic reasons, make sure it’s plastic) to create chocolate waves, as pictured. Freeze for 10 minutes, leaving sheets on egg carton. Remove chocolate waves from acetate sheets, place atop cake, and serve.

Chocolate Cups with Chocolate-Orange Cream Filling

Makes approximately 35 small cups

Cups:

10 1/2 ounces pareve bittersweet or pareve white chocolate

Chocolate-orange cream:

4 eggs

4 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding powder

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1 8-ounce container Rich’s RichWhip

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons good-quality orange liqueur

Decoration (optional):

fondant balls or coarsely chopped pistachios

Cups: Melt chocolate. Pour into a special mold made for chocolate cups in the shape of your choice, filling molds to the top. Wait 2 minutes and turn mold over to drain off excess chocolate. Clean the surface of the mold with a spatula and freeze for 10 minutes. Very carefully remove the cups from the molds.

Chocolate-orange cream: With a mixer, beat eggs with vanilla pudding powder for 6 minutes. Melt chocolate. Mixing slowly, add melted chocolate to beaten eggs. In a separate bowl, whip RichWhip. Fold chocolate mixture into whip. Fold in orange zest and liqueur until completely combined. Transfer cream to a pastry bag and fill chocolate cups. Decorate with chopped pistachios or small fondant balls if desired.

Tip: Because the cups are hollow, they are extremely fragile. For sturdier cups, pour a second layer of chocolate into the molds once the first layer has hardened. These cups are less elegant and not as professional looking, but they have a better chance of surviving unharmed.