I walked out this morning to the sun shining, the birds chirping, flowers blooming.  Ah…to behold the beautiful weather of summer!  The Creator of the world set into motion the seasons of the year, each one acting in a different way to affect our emotions and senses, and of course, our palates.  When the weather is cold and dreary, we retreat to the shelter of our homes, longing for the comforting foods that will warm our souls and get us through the winter.  But when the heat of summer arrives, what we naturally crave is something light and juicy that will satisfy our need to be refreshed.  It’s easy to cook by rote, making the same heavy food year round –  but often we fail to adapt to the changing seasons because we are afraid to be creative in the kitchen.

When it’s 90 degrees outside, our appetites are often sapped, leaving our bodies in an unnecessary state of lethargy after a heavy meal.  Oneg Shabbos (the enjoyment of Shabbos) as well as the enjoyment of any weekday meal can be found in lighter and more refreshing foods if we dare to be creative and explore new choices.  Let’s go for a walk on the cooler and lighter side…

•     Salad it up!  In the warmer weather, replace those heavy kugels and side dishes with more salads: green leafy salads, grain salads, marinated salads and pasta salads. 
•     Cold Soups.  There is nothing like coming home on a hot summer day, all red and flushed, to a beautiful bowl of cold fruit soup.  Guests always appreciate being cooled off, too!
•     Reconfigure your serving style.   Instead of serving a single appetizer and then a much larger main course, expand your appetizer to a larger first course with dips, spreads and crudités.  Then serve a more moderate main course to allow for more balanced eating. 

In my family, we love serving grilled meat or chicken salads as a main dish for a light summer dinner or as an entrée on Shabbos afternoon.  It is not nearly as heavy, and everyone enjoys the different combinations we try.  Mix it up with different types of greens and dressings, raw or pre-roasted/grilled vegetables.  Have fun!  Be improvisational and creative with your cooking!   Here is a delicious family favorite – when basil is abundant, a little pesto makes all the difference. 

Grilled Steak and Portobello Salad with Honeyed Pesto 

Serves 4-6.

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. dried or 1½ tsp. fresh chopped thyme

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup olive oil

1 lb. filet split steak (or shell steak)

2-3 large Portobello mushrooms (caps only)

1 pkg. baby arugula

1 pint grape tomatoes

Whisk balsamic vinegar and spices together in a large mixing bowl until blended.  Drizzle olive oil into mixture while continuously whisking until all of the olive oil is incorporated.   Add steak and mushrooms to the mixture and turn to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill to high.  Carefully oil grates to prevent sticking (I use an oil-soaked paper towel with tongs for this job).  Remove steak and mushrooms from the marinade (discarding marinade), and place on the grill directly over the heat. Grill steak on each side for about 5 minutes, mushrooms on each side for about 3-4 minutes, turning once during grilling.  Transfer to a plate or cutting board.

Place arugula on a large serving platter, spreading to create an even layer of greens.  Thinly slice steak across the grain and transfer to the center of the greens.  Repeat with mushrooms, and place on either sides of the steak.  Garnish with grape tomatoes and dress with spoonfuls of Honeyed-Pesto dressing.

Serve immediately.

Honeyed-Pesto Dressing

Pesto can be made in advance and stays for weeks in the refrigerator, perfect for dressing up salads or sandwiches anytime.

1 bunch fresh basil (2 cups packed leaves)

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

¼ cup honey (scant)

Juice of half a lemon

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ cup olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Place basil leaves, pine nuts, honey, lemon juice and garlic in food processor bowl.  Pulse in food processor until ingredients are pulverized.  Then with the motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil in a continuous stream until emulsified.   Season to taste with salt and pepper.

By Naomi Ross

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!

By Naomi Ross