We have been counting for many weeks now, and the anticipation of Shavous — the Jewish holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah — is mounting day by day. In about one week, we will experience the awe and magnitude of receiving our Holy Cheesecake. Torah, what I really meant to say was Torah. Sadly, we often (myself included) forget what the essence of Shavous is all about. There are many customs which have shaped our enjoyment and celebration of this holiday, one of which is the tradition to eat dairy dishes. There are many reasons for this custom, the most practical one being the immediate necessity to cook kosher food in the desert after having just received the new laws of kashrut at Mount Sinai. The Jewish People needed time to prepare meat according to the new laws and to cleanse their pots, pans and plates. Certainly, there are deeper explanations for the custom as well, all of which are more fully appreciated after a few bites of cheesecake!
After spending almost every festive meal of the year eating either no dairy products or poor imitations, it is easy to get carried away. You nearly forget just how good the real stuff tastes. The same cookies you make year round with margarine are a different animal when made with real butter. When planning Shavous meals, I try to choose recipes that will showcase the flavors of pure ingredients while at the same time striving to maintain balance in what could become an overly heavy meal. Pesto with grated Parmesan, sour cream coffee cake, and cream of broccoli soup are all wonderful choices. The following recipe for Broiled Halibut with Gingered Grapefruit Bruleé is not difficult to prepare; as always, if you use fresh, pure and good quality ingredients, you don’t need to do much to them in order to yield great results. PEK’s wild caught Halibut is fresh and firm with a mild taste. May the pure creaminess and sweetness of this year’s dairy delights remind us of the purity and sweetness of Torah and remain a sustaining taste in our mouths throughout the year.
Broiled Halibut with Gingered Grapefruit Bruleé
This elegant entrée becomes a “winner” with the accompanying Grapefruit beurre blanc, a rich, hot butter sauce made with a reduction of white wine and shallots into which cold, whole butter is blended off the heat to prevent separation.
Serves 4.
For grapefruit beurre blanc:
1 pink or red grapefruit
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp. grated gingerroot
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
For fish:
2 pink or red grapefruits
4 6oz. halibut steaks with skin (1 1/2 lbs.) or other firm, white-fleshed fish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. minced crystallized ginger
3 tbsp. sugar
To make grapefruit beurre blanc:
Finely grate 1 teaspoon zest from one of the grapefruits. Squeeze 1/2 cup juice from the grapefruit. Place zest and juice into a small heavy saucepan. Add wine, shallot, and grated gingerroot to the saucepan and stir to blend. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil until mixture is reduced by half. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time, lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool sauce and adding each new piece of butter before the previous one has melted completely (sauce must not get hot enough to separate). Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep beurre blanc warm in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of hot water.
To make fish:
Cut off the polar ends of the grapefruits with a sharp serrated knife. Then slice the peel from the sides. Trim away the white pith. Working over a bowl, use a gentle sawing motion to cut along each membrane and release the grapefruit sections into the bowl. (You will be left with an empty mass of membranes – discard!). Set aside.
Preheat oven to broil. Prepare a baking sheet, lined with foil. Pat halibut dry and place fillets on the prepared baking sheet. Season fish generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a single layer of grapefruit segments on the top of each piece of fish, covering the top of the fillet like a blanket. Mix the crystallized ginger and sugar together in a small bowl (or give a whiz together in the food processor for a few seconds). Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the ginger-sugar over each grapefruit/fillet. Place baking sheet in the top third of the oven, and broil for about 8-9 minutes, or until fish is done (flakes easily and is opaque in the middle) and the grapefruit is caramelized. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Spoon warm beurre blanc over the fish. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig.
*Cook’s note: Fish can stay warm in a 225° oven. Beurre blanc can stay warm in a double-boiler or even a thermos.
Bonus Recipe!!
To end the perfect Shavuos meal, you need a smash-hit cheesecake, and the following one sure fits the bill. I’ve converted even the most reluctant guests into cheesecake lovers…and you will too!
Spiked Chocolate Cheesecake
Spiked with coffee liquor, this is not a cheesecake for the faint-hearted!
Yields: 12-16 servings
Crust:
1 pkg. Chocolate wafers/sandwich cookies (8 ½ oz. bag of oreos)
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Crush cookies in a food processor to make crumbs. Combine cookie crumbs & melted butter in a medium bowl until well mixed. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides (two inches) of an ungreased 9” spring form pan. Refrigerate.
Filling:
2 8-oz. pkgs. Cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup coffee-flavored liquor
Preheat oven to 325°. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar. Beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add whipping cream, butter, vanilla and liquor. Beat until smooth. Add melted chocolate and gently fold into mixture until completely combined.
Wrap the bottom of the crust-lined spring form pan with 3 layers of aluminum foil. Pour batter into pan. Place pan into a larger pan/dish and fill with enough water to come up the sides of the spring form pan ¾”. Place the pan holding the spring form into the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes or until edges are set. The center of the cheesecake will be soft. Allow cheesecake to cool, then refrigerate 2-3 hours minimum, preferably overnight. Garnish with reserved cookie crumbs, chocolate curls or sliced strawberries. Carefully remove the outer rim of the spring form pan before serving. Serve and enjoy!
Tags: Kosher Food, Naomi Ross
