HE’BREW: Great Kosher Beer for Your Jewish Wedding

One big plus of moving Huppahs.com to New York has been finding out about HE’BREW beer, a line of great-tasting kosher craft beers. If you want to offer your wedding guests something different at the bar and give the beer lovers in the crowd something they’ll appreciate, serve up some Origin Pomegranate Ale, Hop Manna, Messiah Brown Nut Ale, or one of the line’s other amusingly-named but seriously good brews.

I don’t have the beer vocabulary to even bluff at describing the tastes, but one reviewer who presumably does have that vocabulary was reduced to the word “WOW.” In the 2011/2012 World Beer Championships, where HE’BREW’s maker, Shmaltz Brewing, entered fourteen beers, nine of their beers won gold medals and five won silver. It’s good beer.

HE’BREW beers are brewed in upstate New York, but you can find them in more than thirty states (as well as extremely selected locations in Canada, Australia, and Japan). A newer line of Coney Island Craft Lagers is available through a more limited number of outlets. Shmaltz Brewing’s website provides helpful lists of wholesalers, shops and bars that carry its products.

Related: Special Wedding Details: Catoctin Cocktail with Kosher, Organic, Rye Whisky

Generally, an unflavored beer made with only water, barley, yeast, and hops, without any additives, will be kosher even without certification (for this information, I go to Orthodox-Jews.com). But when you want to get at all adventurous with taste and still keep kosher, you have to look for certification. HE’BREW beers are certified by the Orthodox-grade Kosher Supervision of America.

I raise my glass to the folks at Shmaltz Brewing Company for advancing the art of beer for the rest of us to enjoy and impress our guests.

RELATED: Real Life Wedding: Alanna + Joe’s Brooklyn Neighborhood Wedding

Persian Pomegranate Sangria (Kosher Drink Recipe)

Recipe: Blueberry Sauce (Parve, Vegetarian, Non-Dairy)

This gorgeous, sweet sauce can be made with fresh blueberries in the summer and frozen berries year round.

We post this sauce to accompany our baked pears for an autumn or winter celebration, but can’t you imagine it with something lemony? Let us know how you use it.

The recipe comes from one of my go-to cookbooks, Marlene Sorosky’s Fast & Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays. Not all of the recipes in the book are kosher, but sticking to the kosher recipes, I’ve found them to be not only delicious, but fast and foolproof.

Ingredients for Blueberry Sauce

Maked 5 cups of sauce

• 1 quart (4 cups) fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup water

Instructions for Blueberry Sauce

In a medium saucepan, stir all ingredients together. Bring to a boil over moderate heat and cook, stirring often, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly and sugar is dissolved. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Make-Ahead Option

Sauce can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 weeks.

Recipe: Baked Pears for an Autumn or Early Winter Wedding (Parve or Dairy, Vegetarian)

These pears work for both elegant and rustic menus. Add homemade berry sauce and serve them as an accompaniment to a slice of light wedding cake or as a side dish for a wedding brunch.

Today my daughters and I packed a brunch and brought it to my parents’ house to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The planned menu included poached pears, but last night, when I should have started the poaching, I hung out with a bunch of brothers and sisters and in-laws instead, talking about, among other things, Bill’s latest ice sculptures. So this morning, my daughters and I prepared the pears by baking them. The prep for baked pears is less fussy and less time-consuming than than for poaching, which makes them an appealing dish not just for easy-going family weekends, but for small self-catered weddings, too.

Serve these baked pear halves with a slice of light wedding cake and homemade berry sauce for a complete wedding dessert, or include them as a side dish for an autumn or early winter wedding brunch. We’ll make the berry sauce recipe our next post.

Menorah Ice Carving Hanukkiah

BTW, here’s a pic of the Hanukkiah ice sculpture Bill carved today during a demonstration at Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch in Manhattan.

Ingredients for Baked Pears

Serves 24

• 12 Bosc or Anjou pears
• Cooking oil spray
• ½ cup butter, melted (or for a pareve version to serve with a meat meal, use non-dairy margarine)
• 6 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions for Baked Pears

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
2. Lightly spray the bottom of two 9″x13″ baking pans with cooking oil.
3. Cut pears in half, cut out the core, and peel the pears.
4. 

   Make 4 slices in each pear half, stopping about a quarter inch from the narrow end of the pear.

   Optional: Make four slices in each pear half, stopping about ¼” from the small end. This will enable you to fan out the slices on the plate when you serve it. Or leave the halves unsliced for a more rustic presentation.
5. Place the pears flat side down in the baking pans.
6. Mix the melted butter, honey and spices. Drizzle the mixture over the pears.
7. Cover the pans and bake for 40 minutes or until the pears are tender.

The pears can be stored overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Apricot Rolls for a Middle Eastern Wedding Menu (Vegan, Parve)

These traditional sweets add a Middle Eastern touch to a dessert buffet, hors d’oeuvres reception or, as Gil Marks, points out, a Middle Eastern wedding shower. The recipe comes from Mark’s treasure of a cookbook, The World of Jewish Entertaining.

Ingredients for Middle Eastern Apricot Rolls

Makes about 7 dozen rolls

• 1 pound (3¼ cups) dried apricots, washed and drained
• ½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• ½ cup coarsely chopped blanched almonds or unsalted pistachios

Instructions

1. In a food processor or grinder, grind or puree the apricots with the ½ cup sugar.
2. Sprinkle a large piece of wax paper with additional sugar and spread half of the apricot mixture on top of a ¼-inch-thick rectangle.
3. Arrange the nuts along one side of the rectangle, then roll up from the nut side. Repeat with the remaining apricot mixture.
4. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 2 days, then cut into slices.

Alternatively, mix the nuts into the apricots, roll into ½-inch balls (about 50 balls), and press an additional piece of nut on top of each ball.

Recipe: Traditional Spiced Almond Hors d’Oeuvre (Pareve)

In Hebrew, the numerical value of the word for nuts, egoz, is 17, the same as the value of the word tov, good. Which means that the two things are related to each other. Hence the prevalence of nuts, particularly almonds, in traditional Jewish wedding celebrations.

Spiced almonds also fit into very modern celebrations as a tasty hors d’oeuvre for a cocktail hour or hors d’oeuvre reception. They can be made a week before serving, which makes them self-catered-wedding-friendly.

This version comes from Gil Marks’ cookbook, The World of Jewish Entertaining: Menus and Recipes for the Sabbath, Holidays, and Other Family Celebrations. It’s a great go-to cookbook for celebrations large and small. Marks also includes in his book a more savory version with rosemary and cayenne pepper.

One of the great things about a cookbook collection is remembering how each book came to be on your kitchen bookshelf. I received this book as a gift after teaching for a few terms at the New North London Synagogue. I miss London! And as Shavuout approaches, I really miss the cheesecake at Paradise Bakery on Golders Green Road. Best cheesecake in the world, you used to be only a short walk from home. Sigh. Let’s see… does Mr. Marks include a cheesecake in his cookbook? He has two! I’m feeling better already.

Ingredients for Spiced Almonds
Makes 4 cups

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
• 4 cups (20 ounces) almonds
• Optional: Salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Combine the oil, honey, and spices. Add the almonds and toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast, stirring occasionally, until the almonds are golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make Ahead Option

Store the almonds in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Recipe: Pea Guacamole (Parve Vegetarian)

Photo: Fiona Haynes via Allrecipes.com

This pea guacamole accompanies the sixth hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

This dip accompanies the haddock fish cakes in the royal wedding canape reception menu. You can also serve it with crudites. The recipe comes from the Rancho La Puerta spa in Baja, Mexico.

Ingredients for Pea Guacamole

• 1 cup frozen peas, slightly thawed
• 1 medium Hass avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into ¼ -inch dice
• ½ red or sweet onion, cut into ⅛-inch dice
• 1 jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions for Pea Guacamole

1. In a blender or in the bowl of a food processor, process the peas until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with a fork or potato masher. Add the juice, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Add the peas and mix well.
3. If the guacamole won’t be served immediately, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent browning.

√ More new wedding planning posts…

Recipe: Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole (Parve, Vegetarian)

This is the sixth hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Will and Kate’s canape reception included smoked haddock fishcakes with pea guacamole. Haddock fishcake we do in traditional Jewish cuisine. The pea guacamole we will, like the Brits, borrow from Mexico.

The fish cake comes from The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook, which has a lot of classic Jewish and classic American recipes for entertaining a crowd. The original recipe calls for 2 ½ diameter patties, but I’ve reduced the size to 2″ to produce patties that are more canape-size. That increases the yield to 75.

See the next blog post for the pea guacamole.

Ingredients for Fried Fish Patties

Makes 75 two-inch patties.

• 4 lbs. haddock fillet
• 4 lbs. cod fillet
• 8 large eggs
• 2 large onions
• 2 level Tablespoons salt
• 1 level teaspoon white pepper
• 2 level Tablespoons sugar
• ¼ sunflower or other flavorless oil
• 2 cups (8 oz.) medium matzah meal

Instructions for Fried Fish Patty Canapes

1. Wash and salt the fish and leave to drain.
2. Cut the onion in 1-inch chunks and put in the food processor, together with the eggs, seasoning and oil, then process until reduced to a smooth puree. Puree the ingredients in batches is you need to. All the seasonings can be put into the same batch.
3. Pour puree into a large bowl and stir in the matzah meal. Leave to swell.
4. Cut the fish into 1-inch chunks. Put into the food processor, to fill the processor up to halfway. Process the fish in batches if you need to. Process for 5 seconds, until the fish is finely chopped, then add to the egg and onion puree. Blend with a large fork. Once all the fish is processed, mix everything together in the bowl with your hands. The mixture should be firm enough to shape in patties. If it’s very soft, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of matzah meal. If it’s too thick, rinse out the food processor bowl with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and stir that in. Leave for at least a half hour or overnight under refrigeration.
5. To shape, dip the hands into cold water and form the mixture into patties that are 2″ in diameter and 3/4″ thick.
6. Fry in oil that almost covers the patties, or deep fry for speed.
7. The patties can be served warm or cold. The cooked patties keep three days in the refrigerator. To re-crisp, heat in 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.

Make Ahead Options

1. Cooked patties can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days using the instructions in the recipe.
2. You can freeze the raw patties up to 3 months. Start the freezing by laying them out in a pan, in layers separated by foil. After they are firm, transfer them to freezer bags. Defrost the patties in single layers on a board, overnight in the refrigerator or 1 to 3 hours at room temperature.

   To serve with the fishcakes: Pea guacamole.

   The next canape: Roast Duck and Fruit Chutney on Fruited Nut Bread

   √ More recent wedding planning posts…

Recipe: Mini Orange Almond Cakes, Dessert Hors D’Oeuvre (Parve, Non-Dairy)

This is the fifth hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Two of my favorite words from the Royal Wedding are “fascinators”, those contraptions a lot of the ladies wore on their heads instead of hats, and “financiers”, the classic French almond sponge cakes. The Queen served them during her canape reception following the wedding ceremony.

Financiers (pronounced fee-nahng-syehr) may have been good enough for the royal wedding, but they have butter in them, so they are out of our kosher-fied menu of meat and parve canapes. As it happens, classic Jewish cuisine includes a parve almond sponge cake. The base combines ground almonds and a mixture of eggs and sugar. There are no grain-based flours and no chemical leavening agents, so this cake is a centuries-old star of the kosher baker and homemaker’s Passover repertoire. There are many variations. This version incorporates orange zest and orange juice. It is the traditional Sephardic orange-almond cake called Torta de las Reyes, “cake of kings”, which makes them a grand choice for your royal wedding.

The recipe comes from The World Of Jewish Desserts, by Gil Marks. His classic recipe calls for baking the cake in a 9″ springform pan, but to make canape-sized bites I used small bundt cake shaped molds.

Because classic financiers are garnished with berries, I placed a raspberry in the center of each tiny torta. The berries’ flavor complements the orange in the cake, and they make a festive touch.

The number of hors d’oeurves you get from this recipe will depend on the size of the molds you choose. The mini bundt cake molds used to make the canape cakes shown in the photo take a half tablespoon of batter, and the the batter yielded 110 hors d’oeuvres.

Ingredients for Torta de las Reyes

• 2 cups (10 ounces) ground almonds (find them at your kosher grocer’s or the kosher aisle of your grocery store)
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¼ cups bread crumbs or matza meal
• 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon orange blossom water, or 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 12 oz. fresh raspberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the molds with a thin layer of vegetable oi.
2. Combine the ground almonds and ¼ cup sugar and mix well. Add the crumbs, zest, and salt.
3. Beat the eggs and remaining 1¼ cups sugar until thick and creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the nut mixture and orange blossom water.
4. Pour into prepared molds. Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes. If you are going to serve the cakes within a day of baking the cakes, you can place a berry on top of each cake about halfway through the cooking time.
5. Place on a rack and let cool.

Make Ahead Options

If you leave off the berry during cooking, you can freeze the the cakes for up to 2 months. Add the berries up to a few hours before serving, using a small dot of decorator’s icing to stick the berry on the cake.

The next canape: Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole

√ Read more recent posts…

Recipe: Gateau Opera Dessert Canape (Parve)

This is the third hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Photo: cookingathighaltitude.blogspot.com

Traditional gateau opera (opera cake) is made with butter and cream, which is a kosher clash with the meat hors d’oeuvres in our overall menu. So I developed this parve version with some creative substitutions. The biggest substitution is taking out the coffee-flavored buttercream and the ganache and instead using a parve chocolate mousse flavored with coffee and coffee-flavored liqueur. The mousse comes from Evelyn Rose’s The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook. Traditionalists might say that this version isn’t really gateau opera. They might be right, but as someone who attends weddings, I’m not going to feel bad about upping the chocolate quotient in a reception menu.

Ingredients for Parve Gateau Opera Canapes

Makes approx. 70 1″-square canapes

Almond Sponge Cake

• Vegetable oil cooking spray for pan
• 2 cups finely ground almond flour
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 6 large eggs, plus 6 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons margarine, melted

Coffee Syrup

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

Chocolate Mousse

• 8 oz. parve semi-sweet chocolate
• 8 large eggs, separated
• 4 teaspoons coffee dissolved in 2 Tablespoons hot water
• 3 Tablespoons Tia Maria of other coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 Tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

Chocolate Glaze

• 6 tablespoons margarine
• 7 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened, preferably 70 to 71% cacao), coarsely chopped

Instructions for Parve Gateau Opera Canapes

Make Almond Sponge Cake

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray. Line with parchment; spray again.
2. Sift together almond flour and confectioners’ sugar in a mixer bowl. Add whole eggs; beat on medium until light, about 3 minutes. Mix in flour until just incorporated. Transfer batter to a separate bowl.
3. Whisk the egg whites on medium-high in a clean mixer bowl. Gradually add granulated sugar, whisking until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. Fold meringue, then butter, into batter with a rubber spatula just until combined. Divide between pans. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely, then remove from pans and peel off parchment. Store, tightly wrapped, up to overnight.

Make Coffee Syrup

1. Bring sugar and the water to a boil in a small pan over medium heat, stirring until dissolved.
2. Stir in espresso powder.
3. Let cool. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Make Chocolate Mousse

1. If you haven’t already separated the eggs, do that now.
2. Break up the chocolate and stand in a basin over hot (not boiling) water. Heat gently until melted, then remove from heat (Alternatively, melt uncovered for 1½ on 100 percent power in the microwave).
3. Immediately drop in the egg yolks and beat vigorously until the mixture begins to thicken.
4. Stir in the coffee and liqueur. Allow to go quite cold.
5. Beat the whites until they just hold soft peaks, then beat in the caster sugar.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl containing the egg whites and blend together. Chill.

Make Chocolate Glaze

1. Melt margarine and all but 2 tablespoons chopped chocolate in a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
2. Remove top of double boiler and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons chocolate until smooth, then cool glaze until room temperature but still liquid.

Assemble the Cake

1. To assemble, cut cakes exactly in half crosswise into two equal pieces, ending up with four (set one half aside for another use). Place one cake layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a cake board. Gently brush 1/3 of coffee syrup over cake; spread. Using an offset spatula, Spread 1 cup mousse over top. Place another layer on top, brush on 1/3 of the syrup, and spread 1 cup of mousse over top. Add third layer, brush on remaining syrup, and smoothly spread 1 cup mousse over top. Cake can be refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.
2. At least 2 hours before serving, pour glaze over cake; gently spread to completely cover top (don’t worry about sides). Refrigerate until glaze is set, about 1 hour.
3. Trim edges, and cut cake into 1-inch squares using a warm serrated knife (dip in hot water after each cut, and quickly wipe dry, to make sure slices are very clean).

Make Ahead Options

• Make mousse up to 4 days ahead.
• Make coffee syrup up to 3 days ahead.

The next canape: Poached Asparagus with Lemon Sauce

TRY THESE, TOO:

• Recipe: Mini Orange Almond Cakes, Dessert Hors D’Oeuvre (Parve, Non-Dairy)
• Hors D’Hoeurves Recipe: Haddock Fishcake with Pea Guacamole (Parve, Vegetarian)
• Recipe: Poached Asparagus with Lemon Sauce for Dipping (Parve, Non-Dairy Canape)

Read the latest posts

Recipe: Quail Eggs with Celery Salt Canape (Parve/Vegetarian)

This is the second hors d’oeuvre recipe in our kosher-fied royal wedding canape reception menu. The total menu serves a 40-person reception.

Source: tradenote.net, a European quail egg supplier

Quail is kosher, and so are quail eggs. In fact, the Torah tells us that when the Israelites wandering in the desert cried out to God for meat, God sent them quail to eat.

Quail eggs with celery salt are often served as part of an English breakfast. They also make a filling, earthy canape. For breakfast they are usually served in the shell or with the shell half peeled off, but when serving them as reception finger food remove the shells entirely before you serve them.

Ingredients for Quail Eggs with Celery Salt

Makes 60 eggs.

• 5 dozen quail eggs
• 2 Tablespoons celery seeds
• 6 Tablespoons kosher salt (sea salt)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Garnish: Enough leafy herbs to generously line the serving basket or platter.

Instructions for Quail Eggs with Celery Salt

1. Boil half of the eggs at a time. Bring a large pot of water to boil over moderately high heat. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Rinse immediately under cold water.
2. Peel and dry the eggs.
3. Grind or crush the celery seeds, salt, and pepper together. Keep the celery salt covered and dry until ready to use.
4. For an attractive presentation on the buffet, put the peeled eggs in a basket or on a plate generously lined with leafy herbs. Put the celery salt in a bowl alongside the eggs.

Make-ahead Option

Boil the eggs a day ahead. Store in the refrigerator. Peel before serving.

The next canape: Parve Gateau Opera Dessert Canape

√ Read more recent posts…

Special Wedding Details: Catoctin Cocktail with Kosher, Organic, Rye Whisky

Source: catoctincreekdistilling.com

Every once in a while I get really excited about bringing you a new find.
This is one of them: Catoctin Creek distilled spirits from Catoctin Creek distillery.

The distillery, located in Virginia, is only two years old. All their whiskys, brandies, and other distilled spirits are certified kosher, certified organic, and — based on all the awards they’ve won — certified delicious.

I’m all for choosing one or two wedding details that will surprise and delight your guests, and I’m all for serving one amazing featured drink in lieu of springing for a full bar. A featured cocktail using a Catoctin Creek spirit fits the bill. The Catoctin Coctail recipe and description below are from Catoctin Creek’s website, catoctincreekdistilling.com.

Show off the cool looking bottles at the bar so everyone knows they’re getting something new.

Catoctin Cocktail

Source: catoctincreekdistilling.com

This is a variant on the classic “Canadian Cocktail” but is so much better when made with a 100% rye whisky. Mmmmm….. delicious, eh!
.
2 oz Catoctin Creek Organic Rye Whisky
1/2 oz Cointreau or triple sec
1/2 tsp superfine sugar
1 dash bitters (Peychauds is a good one)
.
In a shaker half filled with ice cubes, combine all the ingredients. Shake well, strain and pour into a cocktail glass.

On Project Wedding: How to Make Your Own Wedding Cake

Source: ProjectWedding.com; Make a Homemade Wedding Cake!

A must share for backyard wedding mavens: Project Wedding has just posted instructions for assembling a wedding cake, decorated with herbs and greenery. Sweet.
.
If you need to bake a non-dairy, (parve) wedding cake or whip up some non-dairy frosting, see these recipes at Backyard Huppah:

• Hazelnut Wedding Cake Recipe for 50 People
• Delectable Non-Dairy Frosting Recipe for Homemade Wedding Cake

Go to cake instructions at Project Wedding…

Mushroom and Walnut Pâté Recipe for Hors d’Oeuvres Reception (Parve/Vegetarian)

For the final item on our hors d’oeuvres reception menu, we’re serving up this savory, celebration-worthy pâté. We’ve pulled together the full list of hors d’oeuvres in the Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu.

This pâté is vegetarian and parve. Serve it on a buffet table with thin slices of French bread.

The recipe comes from “W” on allrecipes.com, who picked it up at a winery’s wine tasting party. I’ve substituted margarine for butter to make the pâté fit into a meat menu. I also incorporated the recommendation of several commentors to add a splash of white wine to the mushrooms as they sauté.

Ingredients for Mushroom and Walnut Pâté (Parve)

• 1 cup walnuts
• ½ cup minced shallots
• ½ cup unsalted margarine
• ¼ pound shitake mushrooms, chopped
• ¼ pound crimini mushrooms, chopped
• ¼ pound portobello mushrooms, chopped
• Splash of white wine
• 1 Tablespoon roasted garlic puree
• ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions for Mushroom Pâté

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.
3. In a large sauté pan, cook shallots in margarine over medium heat until translucent. Then add chopped mushrooms, garlic, splash of white wine, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is evaporated.
4. Process toasted walnuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor until mixture forms a thick paste. Spoon in the cooked mushroom mixture, and process to desired texture.
5. Place mixture into well-oiled ramekins or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
6. When ready to serve, turn pâté out onto serving platter.

Make Ahead Option

Pâté can be prepared the day before and refrigerated overnight. Wait to turn out the pâté until just ready to serve.

√ Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

√ Read more recent posts…

Scrumptious Macaroon Recipe for Dessert or Hors d’Oeuvres Reception (Parve)

This week at Backyard Huppah, we’re all about hors d’oeuvre receptions, a great option for small weddings. We started with tips for Hors d’Oeuvre Receptions, and all week we’ll be posting hors d’oeuvre recipes for a 40-person reception. The menu will be kosher, and meaty (with vegetarian options), with make-ahead options for couples self-catering their reception.

See the full Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

Macaroons are a traditional Jewish almond cookie. They are baked without a leavening agent, so they hit the table most often during Passover, but they make a great sweet tidbit in an hors d’oeuvre reception, either on a buffet table or passed on trays after the cake is cut. They’re also great for a dessert reception. These macaroons are chewier than the canned version, and they’re easy to make.

Ingredients for Macaroons (Parve)

Yields 36 cookies

• 2 cans (8 oz. each) almond paste
• 2 egg whites (extra large)
• 1 cup sugar
• 18 maraschino cherries

Instructions for Macaroon Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Break almond paste into small pieces and place into food processor or mixer. Add sugar and mix well.
3. Add the egg white and mix until moist and sticky, about 2 minutes.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Alternatively, use a large pastry bag fitted with #6 star tip and pipe stars about 1½ inches.
5. Bake 20 minutes on middle shelf, move to upper shelf (about 4″ above middle shelf) for approximately 8 minutes until golden brown. Move parchment paper with cookies onto baking racks to cool. When completely cool, carefully peel macaroons off paper.
6. Store in airtight container.

Make Ahead Option

Macaroons can be made several days ahead and stored in an airtight container.

√ See the full Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

√ Read more recent posts…

Hors d’Oeuvre Recipe: Baba Ganoush on French Bread (Parev)

This week at Backyard Huppah, we’re all about hors d’oeuvre receptions, a great option for small weddings. We started with tips for Hors d’Oeuvre Receptions, and all week we’ll be posting hors d’oeuvre recipes for a 40-person reception. The menu will be kosher, and meaty (with vegetarian options), with make-ahead options for couples self-catering their reception.

√ See the full Hors d’Oeuvres Reception Menu

Martha Stewart, who offers this version of baba ganoush, calls it “eggplant caviar”. You can, too, if you want, but it’s just as delicious without the pretense.

Ingredients for Baba Ganoush on French Bread Toast Recipe

Makes 60 hors d’oeuvres

• 4 eggplants (about 4 pounds)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ cup finely grated fresh ginger
• ¼ cup sesame oil
• 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• French bread, sliced thin and slightly toasted
• Fresh coriander, chives, or scallions for varnish

Instructions for Baba Ganoush on French Bread Toast Hors d’Oeuvres

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, brush all sides with ¼ cup of the vegetable oil, and lay face down in an oiled shallow pan. Roast until the eggplants collapse and are tender, about 45 minutes. Cool, saving the juices.
3. In a medium, non-reactive saucepan, heat the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the ginger to boiling. Reduce the heat and add the remaining vegetable oil and the sesame oil. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Scrape the cooled eggplant from the skin and chop fine. Add the oil mixture to the eggplant, along with the remaining ingredients, and blend well. Season to taste and refrigerated overnight to let flavors meld.
5. To serve, spoon eggplant mixture on toasted and garish each with herbs.

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