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BUTCHER'S CUT
The wonders of oyster steak 10
EDITOR’S LETTER
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TRAVEL Visiting Meron on Lag Baomer
30 SOMETHING SWEET Homemade marshmallows
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BACK POCKET Many ways to tofu
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L'CHAIM Highlighting white wines for spring
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PROFILE Ahuva Gottdiener of Homegrown Kosher
86 SEASONAL FEAST The young, hip chefs behind Sol Dining 98 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CORK The art of winemaking 104 COOKBOOK
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Utilizing seasonal produce and recipes inspired by the spring season
The Marblespoon Cookbook By Vera Newman 108 INTERVIEW Authoring a cookbook during the pandemic 110 GADGETS Tools to tackle the issue 111 PANTRY POPPERS Our favorite ingredients for cooking this issue 112 LAST BITE Tahini Rhubarb Galette 114 RECIPE INDEX
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CULINARY SCHOOL
Gardening 101
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BY:B-SH PHOTOGRAPHY BY: SCHNEUR MENAKER LET’S TALK ABOUT oyster steaks. Like most cuts with interesting names, you will find one cut with different names in various butcher shops. Luckily, however, there are three main cuts you will find that can be called oyster steak. The most typical oyster steak traditionally sold in kosher supermarkets is the teres major, a torpedo-shaped muscle from the chuck primal, which is cut from the shoulder clod. These steaks are small, usually weighing 1-2 pounds each. They are also very lean and tender, so they
should not be cooked more than medium. Some butchers also sell flat iron steak labeled as oyster steak, or more correctly, oyster blade steak. The oyster blade steak also comes from the chuck primal and is cut from the top blade roast, which is sold in kosher markets as a minute roast. These 3-4 pound steaks typically have a decent amount of intramuscular fat, making them tender and forgiving of being cooked to higher temperatures. In this feature, we are focusing on the most typical 1-2 pound oyster steak.
TRADITIONAL OYSTER STEAKS This cut is usually not kosher and only eaten by those who consume treibored meat (meat slaughtered by a skilled shochet who is trained to slaughter the back half of the steer). It can be found between the hip bones and spine of the steer and is a tender, well-marbled cut that is not very well known. Similar to oysters found on chickens, these flavorful and fatty oyster-shaped muscles can be sourced from one or two kosher online vendors, but would not be found at your local butcher. It is recommended to ask your local rabbi to see if it suits your kashrut.
THE KEY TO A successful s’more is the humble pillowy marshmallow. Sure, you can buy them pre-packaged from a store, but there is nothing like a homemade fluffy one. This recipe is extra special because there are no egg whites and no corn syrup. While the process of making them is easy and quick, having the patience to wait until they’re set is not. Here is my homemade vanilla marshmallow recipe and a few fun things you can do with the finished product, besides eating them straight up!
It’s crucial to have a candy thermometer when making marshmallows from scratch. Investing in a small kitchen torch is so worth it. What makes homemade marshmallows even better is toasting them with some fire!
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Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows Yield: 1 (9x13-inch) pan
1
2
2 ½ ½
cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted, divided tablespoons unflavored kosher gelatin powder (see page 111 for more information) cups sugar teaspoon kosher salt teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, line with parchment paper and dust all over with about ½ cup confectioners’ sugar. Set aside. 2. Add gelatin and ½ cup cold water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and set aside for the gelatin to bloom. 3. Add sugar, ½ cup water and salt to a pot fitted over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer and stir occasionally until the temperature reaches 240°F. Remove from heat immediately. 4. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Mix until combined, then increase to high speed and beat until thick and fluffy, about 10-12 minutes. Add vanilla in the last minute. The mixture should resemble soft-serve ice cream. 5. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading evenly with a lightly greased spatula. Smooth out the top and dust with ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar. Allow marshmallows to sit at room temperature for 6-12 hours. 6. Once set, turn the pan out onto a work surface dusted with some of the remaining confectioners’ sugar. The marshmallows should come right out. Cut into even squares with a sharp knife dusted with more confectioners’ sugar, then lightly dust each marshmallow on all sides with more confectioners’ sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
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MOST CHILDREN BEG their parents for a dog; for Ahuva Gottdiener, it was chickens that caught her fancy. At the age of 12, her brother brought home an adorable baby chick and Ahuva pulled out all the stops to try to convince her mother to keep it, even going as far as writing up a business plan to explain how she would build the coop and care for the chicken. While Ahuva’s wish may not have been granted at the time, her thirst for information on where our food comes from and passion for homesteading never subsided. “I loved watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, because he would do things like taking you inside the factory to show you how peanut butter is made. But that wasn’t enough for me — I wanted to know how the peanuts were grown.” Sure enough, when she spotted an at-home peanut growing kit at the souvenir shop of a museum, she brought it home and
attempted to grow peanuts out of a pot in her home in Brooklyn. “It wasn’t exactly an ideal climate, so we only managed to get about five peanuts,” Ahuva confesses, “but I was fascinated by the process!” Ahuva’s passion has been largely inspired by her father, who was always trying to grow something new and interesting (including coffee beans, cotton, bananas and esrogim, aside from all the usual suspects), turning their house into a greenhouse when he brought all of his plants indoors in the winter. “It wasn’t just food you could grow,” Ahuva adds. “I still remember the excitement of going fishing with my father for the first time and experiencing the whole cycle firsthand — from seeing the fish swimming in the water, to catching, cleaning, cooking and eating it. This desire to connect to the source of our food has been in me ever since I can remember.”
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B Y: S H I F R A K L E I N
year into COVID-19 and although many industries have been affected, we have seen devastating impacts on the restaurant industry. Chefs and restaurants have been hard hit and had to constantly pivot to face the challenges and ever-changing landscape and regulations thrown their way. Indoor dining had an obvious steep decline in 2020; it was the fine dining restaurants that had to make the biggest accommodations. WE ARE ONE
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Seared Duck Breast Duck can be gamey, but curing the duck draws out some moisture, balancing out the rich flavor and creating a better sear. Simply combine equal parts salt and sugar; sprinkle over duck breasts. Let rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. Rinse, then pat dry. Heat a cast iron skillet over low heat and sear, skin side down, about 20-30 minutes, to slowly render the fat. After 20 minutes, increase heat to medium-high and cook until skin becomes crispy. Flip and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
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