By COLlive reporter
Chabad of Brooklyn Heights Sisterhood enjoyed a cooking demonstration by the author of Kosher By Design series, Susie Fishbein, with over 60 women in attendance from Downtown Brooklyn.
Sarah Kaufman welcomed Fishbein and shared a Torah thought about Shavuos. Rachel Terry made delicious cocktail drinks that were passed around.
Fishbein shared her experience in the Kosher world of cooking. She enlightened the women with tips and tricks of being the modern day “balabosta.”
She demonstrated how to make a delicious creamy hummus sprinkled with steeped tomatoes, chicken lollipops and a healthy version of Baklava. She created a menu that was delicious, healthy and child friendly. Samples were passed around where participants got a taste of Susie’s gourmet cooking.
SAVORY GOAT CHEESE STRUDEL
Source: Kosher by Design by Susie Fishbein
12 thin asparagus spears (only the top 3 to 4 in.)
2 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned with gills scooped out
olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large Vidalia or Spanish onion, sliced into thin rings
1 sprig fresh thyme, stem removed
4 tbsp. sugar
1 cup white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
14 oz. goat cheese
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 package phyllo dough sheets, defrosted
2 cups Merlot or other dry red wine
1 tsp. cornstarch
Preheat over to 425. Place asparagus and mushrooms on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice mushrooms into very thin slices; set aside.
Heat the 1 tbsp. olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook for 6-8 minutes, until translucent. Add leaves from sprig of thyme and sugar. Cook for 6-7 minutes; onions should be caramelized. Add vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer; cook about 12-15 minutes or until the vinegar is almost all gone. Make sure not to burn onions, and stir occasionally. You should have a soft nest of golden sweet onions. Season with salt and pepper.
While onions are still hot, place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add goat cheese and pulse until thoroughly combined. Remove and reserve at room temperature.
The dish can be made in advance up until this point and brought back to room temperature, assembled and cooked before serving.
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold sheets of phyllo dough so you have a large horizontal rectangle in front of you. Using a sharp, not serrated knife, make a vertical cut down the middle so you are left with two stacks of vertical rectangles.
Take one sheet of phyllo, brush with melted butter, and top with another sheet of phyllo. Do this again so you have a stack of four buttered sheets. Form an even, log-shaped mound of the cheese mixture along the bottom shorter edge of the pastry.
Top with 3 asparagus spears and a few slices of Portobello. Roll once to cover filling. Fold the right and left sides over the centre and roll, jelly-roll style, until completely closed. (Like a blintz.)
Brush with melted butter. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat 3 more times. Bake uncovered for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
Place the Merlot in a small saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 teaspoon water. Whisk into Merlot. Bring to a boil; sauce will thicken. Drizzle over the strudels, or place in a squeeze bottle and decorate the plate with the syrup. Makes 4 servings
chabad of bh rocks
Chani did it again. Well done