In Secret Restaurant Recipes (Mesorah, 2014), Leah Schapiro and Victoria Dwek learn the secrets of the best kosher restaurants around the world and pass them on to readers. Recipes include Deviled Kale Salad, Duck with Sour Cherry Reduction, and other sumptuous dishes.
In Everyday Secret Restaurant Recipes (Mesorah, 2015), the dynamic duo of kosher cookbooks present recipes "from you favorite kosher cafes, takeouts and restaurants." Using the same format, there are chapters for Starters and Sides, Soups and Salads, Sandwiches, Chicken and Meat, Fish, Brunch and Lunch, and Baked Goods and Desserts. In the Table of Contents, each recipe is listed with the restaurant where it was created; the back matter includes a list of restaurants by country, state, and city, and a detailed index.
The recipes are presented on double spreads with clear color photographs that will have our mouth watering -- Morning Scramble from Boeuf and Bun in Brooklyn, made with with a burger, beef fry, an egg (on a bun) with sauteed mushrooms, potato sticks and horseradish mayo quickly comes to mind. The assembly of this one is beyond my culinary skills, but the Harvest Twist Salad from The Pantry in Toronto, made with sweet potato and feta (yum!), served with a Tomato Rice Soup from the Sunflower Cafe in Brooklyn, makes for an easy weeknight meal. A Tuna Melt (from Bagels and Greens in Brooklyn) becomes a gourmet meal with a cheese/garlic sauce and made with tortillas. And as for inventive names, the Cali Love Panini from Holy Schnitzel is made with chicken breast, roasted eggplant and a pesto mayonnaise, topped with avocado and sun-dried tomatoes (good thing you can't see drool on the computer as I think about making these for dinner). The Asian Noodle Salad from Rimon in Israel sounds amazing, although I would probably skip the housemade teriyaki sauce and use my mother's, z"l, secret recipe. Zucchini Pasta, sometimes called "Zoodles," is full of vegetables (from Alice's in Brooklyn), and in the comfort of my home, I would not have to go across town to Crawford's to get a Creme Brulee Freezer.
How about some authentic Gong Bao Chicken from Dini's in Beijing?
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
3 Tbsp
cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
Pinch coarse
black pepper
oil, for frying
2 Chinese leeks
or scallions
3 Tbsp salted
peanuts
Sauce:
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp vinegar
2 tsp hot sauce
4 tsp ketchup
Place chicken into a small bowl.
Sprinkle with cornstarch; top with water and black pepper. Mix to coat the
chicken. Let stand for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok or
sauté pan over high heat. When oil is very hot, add chicken cubes in batches;
fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
Drain oil from the pan. Add soy
sauce, sugar, vinegar, hot sauce, and ketchup. Cook until sauce thickens
slightly, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and scallions; toss to coat. Top with
peanuts.
Tidbit: Dini makes her own version of hot chili sauce to use in the
restaurant. She says it’s the Asian equivalent of Israeli red schug.
Home Cook: We’ve tested this with all different types of hot sauce and
they’ve all been successful. Halve the quantity if serving this dish to
children.
Recipe from Everyday Secret Restaurant Recipes by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek
Reprinted with permission from the copyright holders: ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications
There are tips for home cooks, interesting descriptions of the restaurants, and insightful advice between the chapters about cooking fish, plating, and sandwich tips. The chefs who shared their secret neither received nor gave remuneration ($$) for the inclusion of recipes in this volume.
On the one hand, part of the restaurant experience is eating things that you cannot or would not prepare at home due to lack of time, equipment or inclination. Some of the recipes require ingredients that are not available in some places -- golden tomatoes, artisanal breads, and more unusual kosher fish.
On the other hand, its very cool to recreate favorite dishes in your own kitchen and impress family and friends with tastes and textures from restaurants. My rule of thumb is usually no more than 10 ingredients and no more than 5 steps in the instructions, and happily, most of these recipes conform, so I will be using it quite often. It is a rather large tome (336 pages), so it will be a challenge as I keep it FAR from the cooking area. For those of us who don't get out much, Everyday Secret Restaurant Recipes is a great way to travel the world of kosher cuisine.
!בתיאבון
(Be-tai-avon - healthy appetite in Hebrew)
As always, some real cats of Israel:
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Reading!
