September 28, 2006
Easy smorgasbord to break the Yom Kippur fast
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Spread the limpa bread slices with butter and arrange a few slices of herring on top of each. Add the radishes, green onions and onion decoratively on top.Then fit a pastry bag with a star tip and fill it with the Horseradish Sauce. Pipe the sauce onto each sandwich. Transfer the sandwiches to individual plates or a large platter; garnish them with sprigs of dill and serve immediately. Serve the remaining sauce separately.
Horseradish Sauce
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced onion
3 tablespoons horseradish, drained
1/2 cup cream, stiffly beaten
Salt>BR> 1 teaspoon fresh dill, optional
In a glass bowl, whisk the sour cream, lemon juice, onion and horseradish until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Season to taste with salt. Fold in the dill. Makes 12 sandwiches.
Open-Face Gravlax (Marinated Salmon) Sandwiches With Dill Sauce
These open-face sandwiches are best prepared just before serving, but can be assembled a few hours before, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated.
12 thin slices pumpernickel bread
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (optional)
12 thin slices gravlax or smoked salmon
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced chives
1/2 cup Mustard-Dill Sauce (recipe follows)
12 small leaves Bibb lettuce
12 small cherry tomatoes
12 tiny sprigs of dill
Place the bread slices on a work surface and spread them with butter. Arrange a tiny lettuce leaf on top, then add the gravlax and cucumber slices decoratively on top. Transfer the sandwiches to individual plates or a large platter and garnish them with chives, Dill Sauce, cherry tomatoes and a sprig of dill. Makes 12 sandwiches.
Mustard-Dill Sauce
This sauce can be prepared several days ahead, while the salmon is marinating. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. It is especially good with the gravlax and also many others, such as fresh tuna, cold sliced chicken, turkey, corn beef and pastrami. Try replacing the dill with basil leaves, cilantro, water cress, parsley or sorrel.
3 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons fresh chopped (or snipped) dill
In a small, deep bowl, combine the mustard, powdered mustard, sugar and vinegar and blend well. With a wire whisk, slowly beat in the oil until it forms a thick mayonnaise. Stir in the chopped dill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Open-Face Sardine and Red Onion Sandwiches
12 thin slices pumpernickel bread
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
12 very small Bibb lettuce leaves
2 (4-ounce) cans sardine filets, drained
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
12 small sprigs of parsley
12 paper-thin lemon slices, halved
Place the bread slices on a work surface and spread them with butter. Place a lettuce leaf along one edge of each slice of bread, like a decorative fringe. Arrange the sardines on each slice. Top each with an onion slice. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices. Makes 12 sandwiches.
My Signature Strudel
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine
2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 (2-pound) jar apricot-pineapple preserves
1 (1-pound) package shredded coconuts
3 to 4 cups toasted chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, blend the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the sour cream and beat until the mixture comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough out onto a pastry board lined with generously floured waxed paper. Toss the dough around on top of the floured waxed paper to coat it lightly with the flour. Flatten it with the palm of your hand, shaping it roughly into a rectangle. Then use a well-floured rolling pin to roll it out into a rectangle about 6-by-10 inches.
Drop six (1/2 teaspoon) small pieces of the shortening equally spaced on top of the pastry; with your finger, smear them down, then fold the pastry into thirds. Turn the pastry 90 degrees with the ends facing you. Roll it out again, dot with the shortening and fold into thirds again. Turn and repeat this procedure two more times. Wrap the pastry in waxed paper and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Roll out each piece on floured waxed paper into a rectangle about 6-by-10 inches and as thin as possible. Spread generously with the preserves; sprinkle with the coconut and walnuts. Lifting the pastry with the waxed paper as a guide, roll up the strudel jellyroll fashion.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the strudel on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Lift the edges of the foil to transfer the strudel to a wooden board; loosen the strudel with a knife, if necessary, and carefully roll it off the foil so it rests on the board seamside down.
Cut it while still hot into one-inch slices and transfer them to a cake plate or platter. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Note: If you wish to store the strudel before baking, follow these steps:
Place the strudel seamside down on a sheet of foil large enough to enclose it completely. Seal the foil securely around the strudel. It will keep for up to three weeks in the freezer. The strudel does not need to be defrosted before baking. Just open the foil, place the strudel on a baking sheet and bake as directed.
Each strudel serves six to eight.
Judy Zeidler is the author of "The Gourmet Jewish Cook" (Cookbooks, 1988) and "The 30-Minute Kosher Cook" (Morrow, 1999). Her Web site is members.aol.com/jzkitchen.
