Attention all moms of large households, harried rabbis-rebetzins, and other hosts regularly cooking up a storm for crowds: This is for you! Here’s just one exciting menu that will give you a really good idea how to do it simply and naturally, and of course economically, without running yourself ragged! Just ask my Rabbi son: I know a thing or two about how to make exciting meals on a shoestring!

I’ll be demonstrating:

• Turkey chili
• Red cabbage salad with Chinese dressing
• Cooked turnip salad
• Potato herring apple salad
• Barbecued chicken
• Oat mocha cake

My beautiful new book is on sale during the demo, for the discounted price of $30.00

Click here to register!

Filed under: Cooking Demos Gift Certificates, Kosher Cookbooks, Kosher Cooking Classes, Kosher Cooking Demo, Kosher Cooking Demos in New York City | No Comments »

My dear friend Joe Blank, who was my original demo assistant ages ago at Lincoln Square Synagogue, wrote me yesterday that he found in his drawers a letter he sent me almost twenty years ago. It really made my day, so I thought I’d share. Since I am low tech and have no scanner, I am copying it. Here it is:

Dear Levana,
A hearty thanks on behalf of the 118 ecstatic students who enrolled in your Spring Cooking Classes at Lincoln Square Synagogue. It was always a joy to observe everyone relishing the delicious delectable delights as they were being prepared, and then anxiously anticipating the next course. We were all not only inspired by the food, but we also came away convinced that kosher cooking, if prepared properly and creatively, could easily be elevated to the level of fine cuisine.
Of course, the true success of the classes was not merely the opportunity to enjoy and learn your tasteful and appealing dishes, but the manner in which they were masterfully rendered and wonderfully complemented by your unique charm, poise and sense of humor.
Again, on behalf of all your very contended friends at LSS, please accept our unanimous Five-Star Review! Joe Blank

Filed under: Kosher Cooking Classes, Kosher Cooking Demo, Kosher Cooking Demos in New York City, Levana Kirschenbaum | No Comments »

Let me tell you flat out: You won’t get this treat in any New York Bakery. The ricotta filling is wonderful, but you might prefer to use it in combination with farmer cheese, just as long as you use 2 cups total. This will make you 2 loaves, but here’s my trick to simplify the rolling. I make one double-length roll, and cut it right down the center to make 2 loaves. If you choose note to use the crumb topping, all you will need to do is brush the top with egg wash (egg mixed with a little water)

Hint: This is what makes my babka and all my yeasted preparations so light: I resist with a vengeance adding flour to the dough, unless I absolutely have to. you will find that if you knead the dough properly, by hand or by machine, the dough shapes up without any added flour and yields a light an airy pastry.

Dough:

1 ½ tablespoons dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

4 cups flour: all purpose, whole wheat pastry or spelt

1/2 cup unsalted butter (not whipped)

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

Topping:

1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

¼ cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:
Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl, and let the mixture bubble 2-3 minutes. Stir in the remaining dough ingredients. Transfer the mixture to your dough maker and knead 10 minutes, or knead by hand, turning the dough occasionally to make sure all sides have been worked. Soon the dough will get into shape, elastic and resilient when poked with a finger. Sprinkle the dough very lightly with flour all over, place in  a large bowl (remember, it will expand to a little more than double in size) Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm draft-free place one hour.

Roll out on a very lightly floured counter, into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle.  Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl, and spread all over the dough, using it all up. starting from the short side, roll tightly jelly-roll style. you will end up with a 12 inch log. Cut it right down the middle, to get 2 6-inch logs. Transfer to a 2 greased loaf pans, seam side down. Mix the topping ingredients lightly, adding a drop of flour if necessary, to get the texture of coarse meal. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the loaves. Let them rise about ½ hour. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes, or a few more minutes, until golden.

Filed under: Babka Recipes, Dairy Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Jewish Holiday Recipes, Jewish Recipes, Shavouot Recipes, Yeasted Pastry Recipes | 4 Comments »

I think after all the tumult Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chips caused this week, I have the perfect antidote: New Chocolate Kid on the block: Dear Coco. Rachelle Ferneau, the owner, had the inspiration to send me some samples of her chocolate truffles, all twelve flavors in a cool lucite-like box, where you can take a sneak preview of the coming attractions:

Here are all the wonderful flavors, plus the flavor of the month they regularly develop.

Conscious of the fact I might have something precious in my charge, I called on my husband and my neighbors, serious chocolate addicts all, and I even got some unexpected members of the jury for good measure: my neighbors’ children, perched on high chairs, their hands outstreched. Wow I thought kids only like M&M: Sorry dearest little Kugel Kids, I was wrong about you!

We have all been at tastings, and have all experienced the moment when all falls quiet: It means only one thing: It’s fabulous!
Which flavor do I recommend? All, no exception. The texture is ideally smooth, and shelf stable, which is an express invitation to order them for friends and ourselves as they will travel beautifully. Each chocolate sits obediently in its little groove, without any help from those pesky foil cups, leaving the look clean and luxurious.

The integrity of the artisanal preparations will not be lost on you: You don’t even need to be a sniffing dog like me to detect the superior caliber of the chocolate and the pure flavoring ingredients. Chocolate goes everywhere, and no flavor is too bold or too exotic to try, au contraire! Chocolate with chili, green tea, sea salt, and whatnot? You bet! I myself do it all the time and it works just great! I should add they are 100% dairy-free, making them ideally suited for Kosher diners after a meat meal, dairy-intolerant diners, and vegan diners alike: One big ecstatic family of chocolate worshippers!

These tiny gems remind me of the French proverb: “Les meilleurs extraits sont dans les petites bouteilles”. When it is this delicious, it hits the spot much faster, all you need is the perfect bite and call it a day…. until the next craving…..

Visit Dear Coco‘s site, be grateful you can’t eat the paper, and behave yourselves until your box arrives in the mail! This is the kind of trouble I wish upon you every day of your lives!

Filed under: Artisanal Chocolates, Chocolate Truffles Recipes, Dairy-Free Chocolate Truffle Recipes, Dear Coco Chocolate, Kosher Gourmet Chocolates Truffles | No Comments »

An All-Moroccan Feast: Yum! As delicious as it was easy, and of course all natural, all excerpted from my new cookbook, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen: Judge for yourself from the thank-you note Salvatore Rizzo, director of DeGustibus,  sent me:

Filed under: DeGustibus, Kosher Cooking Classes, Kosher Cooking Demo, Kosher Cooking Demos in New York City, Kosher Food, Levana Kirschenbaum, Levana Restaurant, Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen | No Comments »

This week I received dozens of messages about these national news that are causing a total uproar: Trader Joe’s delicious chocolate chips are going to be made in dairy equipment from now on To name just one example, here’s an alarmed message  from Rachel:

Worst news ever!  Please take action. Spread the word – according to OK Kosher, Trader Joe’s chocolate chips are going dairy! TJs is usually pretty responsive to comments, so write in and tell them you don’t want them to make this change. Maybe it’ll help!!

http://www.traderjoes.com/about/product-information-form.asp

Another one wrote with alarm “How will I make your Chocolate Chip Cookies for Shabbos? Or your Chocolate Truffles recipe”? Dearest friends, Let’s start by getting this out of the way: Is this really the worst news? I wish all of us terrible news like these every day!
It seems quite counter-intuitive of a giant like Trader Joe’s to take this step, not only for the sake of Kosher-observant diners who would like to serve the cookies at a meat meal, but for that of the large community of Dairy-Intolerant people who would like their cookie and eat it too.

I have a simple solution, and I clamor for it constantly: Let me see you act on it:

Ask all your kosher stores to carry a good brand chocolate product line: It’s all here!

Better yet:
OK Supervision,
Kof-K Supervision,
OU Supervision
Star-K Supervision

Esteemed Orthodox Supervision Rabbis: Let me say just this: Surely you all remember we at Levana Restaurant were the pioneers of Upscale Kosher Dining. How did we do it? We regularly drove you guys crazy so you get the Kosher-observant public the needed Kosher Supervision on many fabulous food products. You all know the rest: BH, the Kosher food industry has grown up to be quite healthy! So: Which one of you will go to those Heimish brands (they will kindly remain unnamed here) who crank out those mediocre inferior chocolate products, and ask them to improve on them? More chocolate less sugar, and you are there! Gosh, how hard could this be? How about that? We would all be very grateful, and we would be happy to patronize our own local brands. AND: we could accommodate the vegan diners, the dairy-intolerant diners. Dearest Menachem Lubinsky, for old times’ sake, could you please prevail upon the Kosher Supervisions to prevail upon the Heimish chocolate manufacturers to PLEASE make a good chocolate chip, end of story!

You are welcome! PS let me try again: Dear Trader Joe’s: On behalf of Kosher Customers and Dairy-intolerant customers: Will you please go back to producing your delicious chocolate chips 100% dairy-free? We would all be very grateful! thank you in advance!

Filed under: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Recipes, Chocolate Sauce Recipes, Chocolate Truffles Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Dairy-Free Recipes, Dessert Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Kosher Recipes, Menachem Lubinsky, Orthodox Kosher Supervision, Recipe, Trader Joe's | 21 Comments »

My new version of onion soup includes an ingredient that is invisible but tastes magnificent: Manchego. Let’s enjoy this rare dairy splurge! Fabulous Menu

I’ll be demonstrating:

• French onion soup
• Salmon with fennel and olives
• Artichoke and fava bean casserole
• Endive pear parmesan salad
• Ricotta lemon babka

My gorgeous Hardcover Cookbook is on sale at my demos, for $30.00, a $25.00 discount! By a case of 6 books for $150.00, make a few friends happy, and get a 33% discount!

Click Here to Register!

Filed under: Cooking Demos Gift Certificates, Kosher Cookbooks, Kosher Cooking Classes, Kosher Cooking Demo, Kosher Cooking Demos in New York City, Levana Kirschenbaum, Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen | No Comments »

What a pity we can’t find this treat in Kosher Sushi Restaurants! they are so much fun: Turnip Cakes are a Chinese Dim Sum dish made of shredded turnip and radish  and rice flour. It is steamed, then chilled and cut into cubes. It starts by being just a bland gelatinous cube, but wait till you dip it in sauce and drizzle it with wasabi oil. This falls right into my favorite subject: Cooking with serious ingredients, and ending up with a delicious and fun dish! I have streamlined the recipe to make it ideally easy. I even tried to do away with the initial cooking part, but got gummy results, so this is the way to go!
This is the kind of recipe where you will be glad you have a bamboo steamer: Easy to find and very inexpensive!
You can dress them up all you want, by including some of the optional ingredients I have listed: Add something different each time, and enjoy a variation each time!
Please don’t tell my guests: I am making it for Shabbos!

Ingredients:
A large piece daikon (about 1 pound)

2 large turnips (about 1 pound total)

1 1/2 cups water

2 cups rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

21/2 cups water

Salt to taste

All optional: minced scallions, shitaki, flaked mocked crab, minced nappa cabbage, even minced smoked turkey. In any combination. 2-3 cups total

Instructions:
Grate the daikon and turnip very fine in a food processor. You will get about 4 cups packed. bring to boil with the water, then reduce the flame to medium, and cook covered for 15 minutes.

Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, with the remaining ingredients. Pack the mixture into a round mold that will fit inside one of the tiers of a bamboo steamer.

Select a wok or skillet you can stand a bamboo steamer in. Bring water to boil in the skillet, to reach the bottom part of the skillet. Place the mold on the upper part of the steamer. Cover and cook about 45 minutes. It will look like a firm cake. Alternatively, bake the mold at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Refrigerate until firm, then cut in chunks. Eat as is, or sauté in a little oil 1 minute on each side. Serve with a very simple dipping sauce (a little soy sauce, grated ginger, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil), and wasabi oil (recipe follows)

Wasabi oil

You will love to drizzle some on smoked salmon, hand rolls, seared tuna, and of course the above turnip cakes.

Ingredients:
1 cup wasabi powder
1/4 cup mirin or sake
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup vegetable or olive oil

Instructions:
Blend all but last ingredient in a food processor until smooth. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream, using it all up. Store in a glass jar. Drizzle on sliced seared tuna, turnip cakes, grilled tofu etc…..

Filed under: Asian Recipes, Daikon, Dim Sum Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Levana, Levana Kirschenbaum, Recipe, Turnip Recipes, Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen | 2 Comments »

This past week we went to three BBQs, including last night’s Lag Baomer gig, with our Rabbi, his lovely wife and his delightful children-sous chefs. I wasn’t sure  what was harder to resist: The kids or the delicious goodies they were flipping. In one short week I ate as much meat as I usually would in about a month. AND: We are invited to a BBQ this Mother’s day. I am so maxed out, but can’t pass up a chance for togetherness and good cheer. So my mostly-salad days will have to wait a drop longer. Meanwhile, here is what I made last year mother’s day, and I think you’ll love it as much as our guests did!

• Cauliflower Potato Frittata

• Baby Spinach Salad with Avocado, Tomatoes and Endives

• Sliced Scotch Salmon with Sliced Lemon and Caper Berries

• Babaghanoush

• Cheddar Dill Scones

• Blueberry Scones

• Fruit Salad

• Semolina Almond Cake with Lemon Syrup

• Ricotta Berry Parfait

• Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Raspberry Lemonade

Filed under: Berry Recipes, Brunch Recipes, Cake Recipes, Cauliflower Recipes, Cheddar Dill Scones, Dairy Recipes, Frittata, Kosher Recipes, Levana, Levana Kirschenbaum, Recipe, Whole Foods Cookbook, Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen | No Comments »

I think you can tell: These are nothing but trouble! A snap to make, dairy-free, luxurious, luscious. I am including all variations. I would walk miles for the Sea Salt Caramel Truffles, my favorite. But trust me: All of them are worth making.

Reinventing Cream: For a richer texture, I use a simple trick which you will often encounter throughout my books, to augment the “milk” fats in many dishes: I add soy or rice milk powder (easy to find in health food stores or online) to my dairy-free milk and obtain the rich and dense texture of cream, or quite close. It is also much less caloric than the dishes containing dairy cream.
As always, use very good quality chocolate: why bother with anything else?
If you would rather omit the egg yolk (which gives the dough a nice gloss and malleable texture) and keep them vegan, you will still get a wonderful truffle, so go for it!

So, here comes! Told you they were trouble!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy or rice milk powder
1/4 cup soy or other non-dairy milk (oat, rice, grain, almond)
1/2 cup natural non-hydrogenated margarine (health-food stores)
2 cups semisweet real chocolate chips, very good quality
1/4 cup pure cocoa powder
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup brandy, rum or bourbon

Instructions:
Whisk the milk powder and the milk in a small saucepan until smooth. Turn on the heat, set at a low flame, and add the margarine, chocolate chips, cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk until the mixture is just melted. Turn off the heat, add the egg yolk and brandy and mix until incorporated. Refrigerate the mixture until set, a couple hours. Handling minimally, shape into little balls (do not smooth: leave them a little bumpy, that is the trademark of truffles), and roll into cocoa powder. Keep refrigerated and tightly covered in plastic wrap until serving time.

Variations:

• Sea Salt and Caramel: My great favorite.  A fancy sea salt will not be a waste here. No liquor. Add 1 tablespoon sea salt and 1 tablespoon pure caramel extract (health food stores, or online. In a pinch, settle for Starbucks caramel syrup)
• Espresso truffles: Add 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder, decaf OK
• Peppermint truffles: Omit the rum, and add a few drops peppermint extract (health food stores).
• Nut truffles: Add 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts or pecans to the mixture. Or place a toasted hazelnut in the center of each truffle.
• Raspberry truffles: Omit the rum, and add 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam and 3 tablespoons Creme de Cassis to the mixture.
• Peanut butter truffles: Replace the margarine with 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter.
• Spicy truffles: Get racy!  Omit the rum. Add one (just one!) of the following:  all ground: 1 tablespoon wasabi, 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, 2 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons ginger, 1 tablespoon cardamom, 2 tablespoons orange zest.
• Roll the truffles in chocolate sauce (1 cup chocolate chips melted with 1 tablespoon oil), grated coconut or coarsely ground toasted nuts instead of cocoa powder.

Filed under: Chocolate Recipes, Chocolate Truffles Recipes, Dairy-Free Chocolate Truffle Recipes, Dairy-Free Desserts, Dairy-Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes, Kosher Natural Foods, Kosher Recipes, Kosher Whole Foods, Levana, Levana Kirschenbaum, Pareve Recipes, Recipe, Vegan Chocolate Truffle Recipes, Vegan Chocolate Vegan Recipes, Whole Foods Cookbook, Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen | 7 Comments »