Gloria Kobrin's Liver Pate on the Me-Ander blog!

This month's Carnival is hosted on the site of the original host and founder of the Kosher Cooking Carnival.
Check it out at http://me-ander.blogspot.com/ blog!

Gloria's Festive Tu Bishvat Menu

Tu Bishvat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shvat, which usually falls somewhere between late January and mid-February on the Gregorian calendar, is basically the Jewish Arbor day. It marks the "New Year for the Trees," at which the age of trees is counted for tithing in the land of Israel.
Planting trees and eating and blessing the Seven Species of Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranate, olives & dates) are among the most common observances of this holiday.
I have put together a special gourmet Tu Bishvat menu, which falls out this year on Shabbat--Friday Night 1/29-Saturday 1/30.

Mushroom-Almond Spread
Avocado Salad with Jicama
Chicken with Currants
Wild Rice
Steamed Broccoli Florets
Double Pecan Pie
An assortment of dried fruits and/or nuts

**All recipes on Kosher Cookbook App**

Hot soup from Kosher Cookbook!

Minestrone



Chicken Soup






My perfect solution to a cold, gray winter day? I love to curl my feet under me with a nice warm bowl of heart soup. Meat, dairy or pareve there is no better solution to warm you from within!
A whole collection of hot soups, and complete menus to have with them is available on the Kosher Cookbook App for iPhone



Beef Borscht
Cabbage Soup
Carrot Ginger Soup
Carrot Soup with Dill
Celery Root and Pear Soup
Chestnut Soup
Chicken Soup
Cream of Potato and Leek Soup with Peas
Cream of Tomato Soup
Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Leek and Potato Soup
Minestrone
Mushroom Vegetable Soup
Mushroom Soup with Rosemary
Parsnip and Apple Soup
Puree of Celery Root Soup
Vegetarian Mushroom and Barley Soup
Vegetarian Vegetable Soup
Watercress Potato Soup

A Great Winter Menu from Kosher Cookbook!

Curried Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Ch Pot Pie

London Broil

Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Currants

OrangeShells filled with Strawberry Sorbet

Van Sugar Cookies

All recipes available on the Kosher Cookbook App for iPhone

This week, fans of Kosher Cookbook on Facebook received the recipe for the Curried Butternut Squash & Apple Soup!

Gloria Kobrin Joins Kosher in the Kitch

Kosher in the Kitch is a community recipe site moderated by fabulous kosher hostess Nina Safar. As part of a site revamp which includes an update of their discussion board, a host of food experts will be available to answer questions--most notably, Gloria Kobrin!

This exciting partnership between Kosher in the Kitch and Gloria Kobrin should be up and running shortly. To check it out go to http://kosherinthekitch.com

An Easy Seasonal Dessert--Gloria Kobrin's Apple Turnovers!

APPLE TURNOVERS P YIELD: 18

These turnovers are flaky on the outside and oozing with vanilla flavored apples on the inside. Your guests will be very impressed.

Prep time: 30 min. Baking time: 20 min.

INGREDIENTS

1 package frozen pareve puff pastry

Flour for dusting rolling surface

4 large Macintosh apples

1 large fresh vanilla bean

2 tablespoons pareve margarine

¼ cup sugar

1 egg- beaten

EQUIPMENT

Medium skillet with cover

Slotted spoon

Rolling pin

Cookie sheet

Baking parchment

Small pastry brush

Cooling rack

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven: 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Defrost puff pastry according to package directions.
3. Peel, core and quarter apples. Slice thinly or dice apples. Set aside.
4. Melt margarine over low heat in skillet.
5. Slice vanilla bean down the center and scrape vanilla seeds into the margarine. Add sugar and apples. Stir well and cover skillet. Cook apples about five minutes . They should be very soft but still hold their shape. Remove apples from skillet using a slotted spoon. They should be speckled from the seeds from the vanilla bean.
6. Sprinkle pastry board or counter with flour. Place one sheet of puff pastry on flour. Roll it out until the pastry sheet is 25% thinner. Cut off any uneven edges. Divide pastry into 9 squares. Spoon a small amount of apples into the center of each square. Brush the edges with beaten egg. Fold over the pastry from one point of the square to form a triangle. (If your squares are more like rectangles, you will have to trim the parts that don’t fit properly.) Press the tines of a fork around the edges of the triangle. Place turnover on cookie sheet. Repeat process until all the squares have been filled and then do the same thing again with the second pastry sheet.
7. Brush all turnovers with beaten egg. Make a small slit on the top of each one to allow steam to escape. Place turnovers in oven and bake until puffed and browned. The turnovers are best when served warm. They can be frozen and reheated before serving.

Try making a Kosher Cookbook menu this Shabbat!

One of my favorite parts of the Kosher Cookbook App for iPhone is that, not only can you get all sorts of wonderful recipes, but that we help you figure out your menu planning.

Wouldn't the end of your week go more smoothly if you didn't have to figure out for yourself what to make for Shabbat?!

Here's a great winter dinner menu--Why not download the app and try it out this Friday night?!

Beef Borscht

Roast Cornish Hen

Rice with Sauteed Veg, currants and nuts

Carrot Pudding

Glazed Roasted Pears

Almond Crescents

Jewish iPhone Community Covers Kosher Cookbook!

The Jewish iPhone Community a great go-to site to find information on all things Jewish for your iPhone and iPod Touch has featured Kosher Cookbook in their Food section.
Check out our mention along with all of the other great Jewish apps!

Some Grandmas Make Chopped Liver, I prefer Liver Pate ;)

The New York Times' Wednesday Dining section often inspires me in new cooking directions mid-week. Last week, Mark Bittman waxed nostalgic about his grandmother's chopped liver with schmaltz and his first foray into making the tremendously non-kosher creamy French chicken liver pate. His epistle sent me digging through my old recipes for the great kosher liver pate that I used to make years ago before I felt too cholesterol guilty to make it.

Pour a glass of wine, spread this creamy pate on some French bread , turn on some music and you’ll feel like you’re on the best vacation.

Chicken Liver Pate M Yield: 2 cups

Prep time: 20 min. + 3 hours chilling time

Ingredients

1 pound chicken livers-kashered*

1 large onion- peeled and chopped

6 tablespoons pareve margarine

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons cognac

Equipment

Skillet

Food processor

Directions

1. Rinse all salt off livers and pat them dry. Cut off any pieces of the livers that were charred in the kashering process.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons margarine in skillet and sauté onions until they are very soft. Add livers and sauté over relatively high heat so that the livers absorb some of the onion flavor and cook a bit more but still remain pink on the inside.
3. Pour livers, onions and all juices from skillet into food processor. Add remaining margarine, cognac and spices. Process until mixture is creamy and smooth. Allow it to cool off a bit before tasting- then adjust spices. Add a little salt if you need to. I find the cognac so flavorful that no extra salt is needed.
4. Pour pate into a serving crock or bowl and chill for three hours. Serve with French bread and crackers. Bowls of gherkins and olives are a nice addition to this very elegant hors d’oeuvre.

• To Kasher livers: Spread livers out on foil. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Put under top shelf of broiler for a few minutes or until salt has set. Remove livers, turn over , salt on the other side and return to broiler for a few minutes longer. Remove livers from broiler, rinse well and proceed with recipe. Discard foil and all juices that have gathered.