Kosher By Design

Picture Perfect Food for the Holiday & Every Day

With the frenzied anticipation generally reserved for the appearance of a rock star, the orthodox community is always abuzz when Susie Fishbein comes to town! I’ve been to her appearances. The excitement is palpable.
   Fishbein burst on the scene in 2003 with the publication of “Kosher by Design: Picture Perfect Food for the Holidays & Every Day” (Mesorah Publications, $27.47). Eight more cookbooks in the Kosher by Design series followed.
   This effervescent author has turned kosher cooking on its proverbial ear. Julie Ghodsi of Golden Dreidle in Tustin, Orange County’s headquarters for all things Judaica, reports, “All of Susie’s cookbooks have a loyal following, and my customers love them, from the very observant to Reform. They sell themselves.”
  Just what is this revolution in kosher cooking that Fishbein has spawned? An orthodox Jew and mother of four, Fishbein understands that today’s observant Jews want to prepare many of the same exciting dishes found on restaurant menus and serve them with style. Those who grew up on Grandma’s shabbos brisket now embrace the likes of Rack of Lamb with Fig-Port-Shallot Sauce. “Kosher food doesn’t have to be simple or bland,” noted Fishbein by phone from her New Jersey home. “Just about every ingredient is available out there kosher.”
    Routinely dubbed the Jewish Martha Stewart, Fishbein squirms at the comparison. “I’m flattered, but it’s not really accurate,” she said. “Martha Stewart is all about a lifestyle. I take shortcuts she would never take. It’s not about putting on a show. These are recipes the family will want to eat over and over.” And they do. So popular are these dishes that guests recognize them on each others’ Shabbos tables!
    “The recipes and serving ideas require a minimum of fuss to achieve the maximum aesthetic impact,” Fishbein noted. “I don’t aim for the level of chef. I’m aiming for the person who cooks on an everyday basis, every Shabbos basis, every holiday basis, people who want things to look elegant and different, but don’t want to spend seven hours in the kitchen. Wherever I can I try to keep in mind all levels of expertise. Many people don’t have a lot of confidence in the kitchen. I want to give them that confidence.”
   In 2016, Fishbein announced that the ninth book in the series, “Kosher By Design Brings It Home,” would be the last. Far from going into retirement, she has continued to lead culinary tours and give cooking classes, calling on skills she developed years before as a fourth grade science teacher. Her “Kosher By Design Cooking Coach” ($29.75) really shows off her teaching skills. Its 120 recipes ranging from simple to complex, every day to special occasion, and spanning the globe with delicious international options, are accompanied by over 400 full-color photos and Susie’s personal food and budget stretching tips. The book is divided into 10 coaching sections containing “game plans” for refining one’s culinary skills in the kitchen, and each major section is proceeded by valuable lessons, including tips and techniques such as how to skin and pin-bone fish, how to prep fresh herbs, why you only need three primary kitchen knives (and how to sharpen them), how to plate and garnish, and how to “reincarnate” leftovers.
   The book is full of tips that take the guesswork out of any recipe. Want to defat your chicken cutlets? Bake them instead. “If you are watching your fat intake, this is a good technique to try,” she writes. “Place a cookie cooling rack in a jellyroll pan. After breading your chicken, place it on the rack. This will elevate it out of its juices and allow air to circulate above and below the breaded cutlet as it cooks. Spray with nonstick cooking spray for a little crispness. Bake in a preheated oven, usually 375°F for 20 minutes.”
   These days the thing that is keeping her most busy are her culinary tours to Italy and Israel.
   “Each November I take groups to Florence and take a classroom in the Cordon Bleu cooking school,” she said, “and all day long we’re out in the beauty of Tuscany, and then in the evening I teach classes with the Italian chefs and the Jewish history piece. Then in May I do northern Italy, and we do things like truffle hunting, and we learn about things like Giandujot, which is the predecessor to Nutella, and we drink wonderful kosher wines.”
   Her next culinary tour to Israel will be in September. “We basically use food as a vehicle to get people to share their stories,” she added. “There’s so much untapped food beauty in Israel. There are people who have been to Israel 20, 25 times who come on my trips and say they see a side of Israel they have never seen before.”

Hot And Crispy Chicken with Mango Slaw

Mango slaw:

1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into small dice

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 cup mayonnaise

5 tablespoons sweet chili garlic sauce

3 cloves fresh garlic

1/2 jalapeño pepper, with seeds

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hot and crispy chicken:

All-purpose flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups cornflakes

1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted

1/3 cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Canola oil

1. Place coleslaw mix, onion, mango, and almonds into large bowl. In quart container using an immersion blender (or in food processor), combine mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, garlic clove, jalapeño, salt and pepper. Pour over slaw and mix well. Allow to stand while preparing chicken.

2. Place flour into first part of 3- part breading station. Place beaten eggs into second part.

3. Place cornflakes, almonds, sesame seeds, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt into bowl of food processor fitted with metal “S” blade. Pulse a few times, leaving coarse crumbs. Place mixture into third part of breading station, starting with flour, shaking off excess; then into eggs, wetting chicken evenly; then into crispy coating. Press down to get a nice even coating.

4. Heat canola oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat to come up 1/4-inch on skillet. Test oil to see if it is hot enough by dropping a bit of coating into oil. If oil bubbles around it and it turns golden, oil is ready. Place chicken into hot oil and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown. You may need to do this in batches. Use tongs to carefully flip each piece. Remove to platter. Top each piece of chicken with some of the slaw.

Gooey Walnut Brownie Pie

This recipe calls for a box of brownie mix, but you need only half the box. Easy solution: Make two pies! “You can store the second one, covered in the fridge for up to five days – or make a friend’s day!” Fishbein writes.

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup light corn syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 cups shelled walnut halves

1 (19.9-ounce) package chewy brownie mix and ingredients listed on box for fudgy, not cakey result (I like Duncan Hines brand)

2 frozen deep-dish pie shells

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. In bowl of stand mixer, beat melted butter or margarine with brown sugar and salt until smooth. Pour in corn syrup and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition. Stir in walnuts and set aside.

3. Prepare brownie batter as instructed on package for a chewy, not cakey result, if it gives you that option.

4. Remove 2 frozen pie shells from freezer and divide brownie batter evenly between the two. Spread walnut mixture evenly over brownie batter.

5. Bake, uncovered, for 50 to 55 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffy. The centers will still be a little jiggly. Cover with foil if crusts start to brown towards end of baking time. Store in refrigerator and serve cold.

Jlife Food Editor Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” (Workman) and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook” (an e-book short from Workman), a columnist and feature writer for the Orange County Register and other publications and can be found on the web at www.cookingjewish.com.