Gifted Gourmet

The challenges that I face personally revolve around the restrictions ( please forgive my poor choice of words): (1) only being able to use kosher ingredients in preparing food .. and I have cited several examples which personally have been problematic for me ( i.e. gelatin, nondairy creamers, limited choices like no shellfish)... and the substitutes for other ingredients which might render a recipe unkosher .. and the availability of ingredients locally .... (2) which ties into availability of certain ingredients: wines and brandies must be under kosher supervision .. when my local Publix grocery brought in Kedem Port and Kedem Sherry, I immediately stockpiled them at home! Of course, now it is simply a matter of ordering them online ... (3) if one is "strictly kosher" in eating outside the home, the availability of kosher restaurants which offer more "gourmet dining".... here in Atlanta, we have a sizeable Orthodox community which has had a very difficult time in maintaining local "gourmet" restaurants ... I have watched them open and close with alarming frequency ( a not very humorous example of this is when my family went to a newly opened glatt kosher deli and felt I had to order quickly because it might close by the time dessert arrived... ) ... because my brother is very strict about his kashrut, this has been a source of considerable disappointment, and, of course, discussion locally... an example: when a religious friend's son became engaged, he wanted to take his guests out for a special, festive, elegant dinner .. at the time, his only option here was a kosher pizza parlour.. they, of course, had to stay home and prepare the "simcha seudah" themselves ... while I jest about some of the ramifications for me personally, I still find it hard to live with some of these restrictions ... and, when I eat out, I do try everything which might be otherwise deemed "forbidden" ... a personal failing perhaps, but also part of my conviction that life is meant to be savoured in whatever way an individual sees fit.

Manipulating the laws? .... if one is strictly observant about his or her kashrut, there is not much leeway to manipulate the laws .. they are quite specific as to what may or may not be eaten ... it is the handing down of those traditions that kashrut is based upon, from one generation to another ... and if one eats out in a restaurant, the place must be under rabbinical supervision .... but which rabbi does the supervising is yet another entire thread (but not for here) because some accept the "hashgacha" from one rabbi yet not another .. These many variations would make for quite an interesting book .... one friend will eat this here, but not at home, but someone else can take home restaurant leftovers and eat them on a paper plate outside on the porch .... you name it, it has been done .... Rabbi Ribeye has quite a few hysterically vivid stories on these variations ...

and the only thing which is even more horrendous? "Coffee Whitener" on Passover ... I still have frozen containers of this from years ago and no courage to use them ... maybe, it is no desire to use them ..... time to toss them!!

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use Agar I do know about the use of agar as well as carageenan and now a kosher gelatin called "Emes Kosher-Jel" ... which I have yet to attempt ... I have had such dismal luck in the past with most kosher gelatins that it was simply easier to "go without" ... Everyday, there are newer, better, more improved, kosher items which did not exist heretofore ... and I can see it in its historical pespective even .. today, there are such miracles as Kosher l'Pesach potato chips, and various cereals which are new as well .. even the dry-as-dust Passover cake mixes have been "up-graded" ... and no frequent flyer miles required! Best memory of all? Ersatz Pesachdik "noodles" many years ago ... only problem with them was that upon entering the boiling soup, they completely disintegrated!

Now this I've heard of (in relation to some pig based medical products) but totally don't get. That being that something derived from an animal, but that has been so processed as to be completely removed from being either non-kosher or meat based. Excuse me, but it came from the slaughter of an animal, from the hide no less, but is not considered meat? It is my understanding that gelatin, no matter how far removed from the animal itself, and processed in such a way as to render it totally unlike the original, is still fleishig... and then, naturally, I would not use dairy with it .. only pareve ... well and good .. most kosher gelatin is vegetable in nature .. and, now with the widespread use of carageenan as a gelatin substitute, things are somewhat improved ... but, in the past, it has never ceased to amaze me as mold after mold collapsed unceremoniously on my serving platters into a puddle ... so I gave up trying the gelatin food creations ... perhaps it is much better now ... and I noticed that on a recent trip to Jerusalem, the desserts at Hotel Ramat Rahel were firm and not reduced to a puddle on the plates ... maybe there is hope yet!! have been holding on to a recipe for brandy alexander pie for some 20 years waiting for a superb kosher gelatin product...

That was my take on it as well ... Possibly why he could stand back and look at it in such a humorous way ... Maybe if I could just do the same now ....

Just a very brief comment on making various adaptations kosher for one's use at home, I have spent a great deal of time doing just that .. with much success but also with some devastating failures ... Just one simple case in point? Rachel Perlowe's glorious, multilayered, multihued festive Jello mold .. if I had to rely on using kosher gelatin, I can predict, with some degree of assurance, that it would be disastrous ... I ought to know whereof I speak, it happened to me more than once! and don't even get me started on what I do for Passover! yet another two sets of dishes and silverware!! and that is merely the tip of the iceberg .. I realize that I have prepared some very elegant meals and did not object to the relative difficulties, but today I can remove myself and stand back and see that it has been more difficult than necessary ... and, perhaps if I had lived in the NYC environs, it might not have been so ... my God, I buried the "lead"!!

You have expressed, and in a much better way, my precise sentiments regarding this issue. The point you make so ably about "locking yourself out of all restaurants" echoes my take on this as well ... in my personal situation, I have seen family members who have placed such restrictions upon themselves (and, from time to time, others as well) close the "window of experiences" both culinarily and in other ways as well. Of course, it is well within one's options to do this but, with the implied understanding that not all of us foodies can navigate so ably within those religious boundaries. Were that this concept of observing kashrut was only about making "us all better people", I would be the first to endorse it .. sadly, that is not exactly the case. Decent people of all faiths are innately decent .... matters not so much what they put into their mouths as what emerges from those same mouths ... but that is so very old, I hesitate to even bring it up ...

Or, perhaps, instead of "missing out", one might opt for trying one of the almost-but-never-quite-as-good-as substitutes .... When I make vicchyssoise, I have to substitute Rich's Coffee Rich for the cream .. and that has neither the taste nor the texture I crave ... actually, it is way too sweet in this savoury preparation. And, of course, the kosher ersatz bacon and ersatz shrimp are only the palest simulations of the real thing, at least for those of us with a foot in both worlds ...

I read this thread with a combination of both great delight and culinary despair ... Having kept a kosher home for some thirty-five years at my husband's request, I have my share of highs and lows on this subject. Because I was a caterer once upon a time, and now a food writer and restaurant reviewer, this is currently proving a bit unmanageable .. one of my friends has opened a new, very innovative restaurant offering a 31 course tasting menu (have I mentioned his training at El Bulli in Spain??) ... so, I will, in my professional role, go by myself and enjoy the glorious joys of foodie heaven ... but know only too well that I can replicate none of these items in my own home ... I liken it to having Martha Stewart cook a meal with only three ingredients ... or having Toulouse Lautrec create a painting with two colors ... the restrictions prove more maddening by the day ... and yet this was done with the best of intentions to set a tradition for our child during her formative years and in order that our home maintain a level of kashrut which would permit our religious friends to share in our meals ... my child grew up in this setting and now is a vegetarian who reads labels as assiduously as I did ... but for different reasons... perhaps our friend and resident Guru of the Gravlax, ha Rav Ribeye, will add his noteworthy yet totally irreverent comments to this particular thread?

Ahhhh, yes, t'would appear that the good Rabbi has thrown down the "gravlax gauntlet" to us to be both creative and innovative regarding the preparation of this delicacy .... could have been worse, at least he didn't include any of my sensually sexual references in his challenge! and, will this "gravlax gathering" garner the accolades and NYT coverage of elyse's reknowned Burger Club?? Kind of reminds me of a very clever post here recently (by "marinade") at eGullet entitled "Salmon Chanting Evening" ....

Thanks for confirming a brief thought I had while writing the article!!

Since, according to your comments here, my sensually stimulating article enticed, or possibly seduced , you to prepare your gravlax, and the other truly decadent dishes you describe here, shouldn't you add me to your guest list the very next time you have one of these festive blowouts?? I can fly out to wherever you live with due haste and offer you my digital camera proficiency to take stunning pictures (although I am no Tana Butler!!) of the event for either "Gourmet", "Bon Appetit", possibly even, "Field and Stream"!! Thanks for enjoying the article and being energized by "Table Dance for the Gourmand", Irwin!! I value your words, your opinions, and your style most highly!

So very pleased that you enjoyed this bit of sensual food porn! always hoped to see my gravlax centerfold in Playboy but they didn't "bite" at my suggestion ... It never fails to turn me on when I read it over again .... and I have a complete understanding of what you are referring to ... flap, flap, flap ...

And I have begun to search for a possible hiding place for my afikomen .... You did frighten me, Jason, when I began to frantically contemplate the Pesach cleaning of the dreaded chometz ... actually, on the topic of the roasted goat, it seems that Tony Bourdain did something similar on his Cook's Tour in Morocco ... sealing it up inside a mud-topped oven ... just checked this out and found that he was in search of a lamb to roast, which he did with the Berbers....

Not this one, add a touch of neon to your holidays. Rachel's Rainbow Jello Mold <-- click for instructions This is certainly one Jello mold which has me quivering with anticipation! Best when lit from below for the optimal effect ? Thanks for the recipe, Rachel!

Let me unload this ancient, oft repeated joke because it is so perfect for the thread .... A Jewish man and a Chinese man were conversing. The Jewish man commented upon what a wise people the Chinese are. "Yes," replied the Chinese, "Our culture is over 4,000 years old. But, you Jews are a very wise people, too." The Jewish man replied, "Yes, our culture is over 5,000 years old." The Chinaman was incredulous, "That's impossible," he replied. "Where did your people eat for a thousand years?" Now, the other proverbial shoe has now dropped ... groan .. redux ...

Isn't it only a matter of nannoseconds before that appears here? Kind of like waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop ....

Possibly why people who adhere to the most stringent kashrut rules have fewer neuroses? They simply follow all rules as "din" ....and the rest of us are forever creating new "minhagim" ... Growing up as Reform Jews, and from a home where a Christmas tree was essential, my dad made his clove-studded baked ham. My younger brother is now glatt Lubavitch and I have kept a kosher kitchen as well .. go figure .... Whatta wacky world, thank G-d!

Jason, this is hysterically funny! Thought only I disliked the stuff ... Followed the link to Lake Champlain chocolates ... looks divine! Only problem will be getting the 240 piece package to last from Hanukkah to Tisha b'Av ....

The sagacity of this piece of advice is unparalleled! Boycott lo mein? Dodge dim sum? Eschew egg rolls? Avoid a steaming cauldron of Mongolian hotpot? Evade eggrolls? Shun moo shu? Skip the highly admired Kung Pao chicken? Never happen in our lifetimes! Highly unlikely for sure! It would, if you will permit me, separate "the men from the boys", so to speak ... but then there would be the obligatory thread on what constitutes "a proper minyan" ... bloviatrix, this is your territory .... another story for another day ...

actually, I believe that it means that it has some form of meat in it, but has vegetables as well ... more aptly defined as: "of or designating various Chinese-American dishes prepared with mixed vegetables such as water chestnuts, mushrooms, and bean sprouts." ETYMOLOGY: Chinese (Cantonese) shap kam, mixture, subgum. rather enjoy the term "subgum" .. always think sublingual ...

I completely disagree with this thought. Sure, Chinese food has no dairy, but unless you're eating at a kosher Chinese restaurant, we're talking serious treyf -- the beef and chicken are improperly slaughtered and the not kashered (blood drawn out with salt). Plus, you have an abundance of pork, shrimp, and other seafood. None of this remotely assists in the keeping of kashrus. Any one of bloviatrix' examples of what renders certain foods nonkosher is certainly appropriate here .. there are multiple things that make for a "trefe" meal .. and Chinese food has a considerable amount of "sin" attached to it ... should you buy into this concept ... seems that there is a thread here on this exact topic ... perhaps there is a Rabbi in the house?

Hey, hold on there, fella .. now we're going to have to pay dues ....and a building fund.... and contribute tzedakah.... and have fund raisers??? possibly even dinner dances ... and when exactly did the College of Cardinals send up a signal to us of white or black smoke to indicate Ribeye's succession to the throne of Great Spiritual Leader O'Gullet? Sure he can render schmaltz while chortling "ho, ho, ho" but are we truly ready for such an ecumenical foodie? In a word, of course! (or maybe two words...)