Summer Peach Pie - Peaches provided by in-laws!

My in-laws, Rabbi Yisrael and Chana Berman, live on a kibbutz.

No, they're not Kibbutznikim, so delelte the image of them walking around in scuffed work clothes and a kova tembel! They live in Nof Tzurim, which is the residential neighbourhood of Kibbutz Rosh Tzurim, in Gush Etzion. They moved there in April of 2002, just a short time before I proposed marriage to my good wife Rebecca, their eldest child (it's all in the timing, some would say!). They were given many house-warming gifts, and some had the sense to pander to my mother-in-law's interest and active pursuit of gardening. One such a gift was a peach tree.

The tree stands tall and proud at the entrance to their lovely warm and inviting home, and annually produces a prodigious amount of fruit. This year, we were blessed with two deliveries of peaches. The first batch was top quality, and was eaten with joy by us all, including our three small girls. The second batch, I must confess, was somewhat inferior in quality, with some of the peaches being suitable for eating as they are, while others just weren't.

This led to my decision to cook with them. It just so happens that I recently received a stack of cooking magazines from students at Pardes, where I work. I asked those returning to their homes overseas to kindly donate these magazines to me, rather than throwing them out. Serendipity dictated that one of them was the July 2007 edition of Bon Appetit, which just happened to contain an artictle on making summer pies. As if this wasn't enough, it contained a recipe for peach pie, that seemed interesting - and turned out to be delicious!

I had sufficient peaches to make two very nice pies; one was presented to my in-laws in gratitude, the other was consumed by my family and guests over Shabbat. Following please find my adaptation of the said recipe. Bon Appetit!

Pie Crust
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (350g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
200g butter or margarine, cubed
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Method
Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Add the sugar and salt, and the cold butter or margarine. Pulse a few times till it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add some of the water, pulse, and continue thus until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Use additional water if need be, but do not over-work.
Transfer the dough to a floured board, knead a couple of times and form into a large flat disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge, for half-an-hour at least.
Pie Filling
Ingredients
2/3 cup Demara sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1.8 kgs firm but ripe unpeeled peaches, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten, for glaze
2 teaspoons Demara sugar (for topping)
Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 C, place rack in bottom third of oven.
Combine sugar and flour. Mix peaches and vanilla essence, add to it the sugar and flour mixture, toss to mix through.
Roll out half the pastry, and line a greased pie dish with it, being sure to leave a dough overhang of a centimetre. Place the peach filling in the pie dish, and roll out the the second half of the dough. Place it on top of the pie filling, and crimp the edges to seal the two layers of pastry. Cut two slits in the pastry, to allow the steam to escape, and brush with the beaten egg. Sprinkle on the 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Bake for approximately one-and-a-quarter hours, till the filling is bubbling and the crust is a golden brown.
Remove for the oven to a rack and allow to cool.
Delicious served with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream

Thanks, Yisrael and Chana!

Shavuah Tov,

DSB

Florentines make a fine Italian-inspired dessert!

Tomorrow, Tuesday 2 June 2009, is the opening day of the first summer program at the Pardes Institute, where I run the kitchen. I've been working at Pardes for over five years now, and with time one creates one's own customs that get repeated year after year. I have adopted two customs that apply to the opening and closing meals of any program at Pardes - be it a three week summer program, or the year-long program: I serve Lasanga as the main course for the opening meal, and Canneloni (or Manicotti as some of you call it) for the closing meal. Tomorrow being the first day of the Summer Program, I am indeed serving lasagna. This time it will be spinach lasagna - in the past I have made four-cheese lasagna, mushroom lasagna, sweet potato lasagna, perhaps other permutations too.

When drawing up the menu, I decided to serve an Italian dessert alongside the fresh fruit - after all, it is the first meal of the program, and I want to make an impression. I searched the internet a little, and decided to make Florentines. Who knows if these delicious biscuits (cookies for the American readers) really find their origin in Florence, but they are quite scrumptious and their name makes them eminently suitable for inclusing in an Italian-inspired menu. I remember well eating such biscuits as a child, not sure just who made them (will have to ask my mother) but they were placed on rice paper when they came out of the oven, and part of the fun was eating the rice paper. I don't think (Kosher) rice paper in available in Israel.

Subsequently, I have had good ones from the Marzipan bakery in the Machaneh Yehuda Shuk here in Jerusalem, and had great ones at the Parkway bakery in London. I had not tried my hand at them, until this afternoon, that is. I adapted one of the recipes that I read, and the results are very pleasing indeed. Those biscuits that I flattened before baking came out this and crisy, while those left as heaps did spread somewhat but remained quite substantial biscuits. The recipe follows, and am sure you will find great enjoyment making - and eating - these scrumptuous morsels.

Florentines
Ingredients
1 cup chopped almonds (you can chop whole almonds in a food processor, use sliced almonds)
½ cup mixed candied fruits & peels, finely chopped
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup to ½ cup flour
¾ cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Method
Preheat oven to 170 C. In a bowl combine almonds, fruits and peels; set aside. In a medium saucepan combine butter, milk, sugar and honey. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in almond mixture; stir in ¼ cup flour (adding more if mixture is too liquid). Drop by level tablespoonfuls, at least 7 cms apart, onto a greased and floured baking sheet. Using back of spoon, spread dough to 7 cm circles. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 1 minute on baking sheet. Carefully remove with spatula to waxed paper. Cool completely. In a small saucepan melt chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat. When cookies are cooled, evenly spread bottom of each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate mixture. When chocolate is almost set, draw wavy lines through it with tines of a fork. Store cookies, covered, in refrigerator. For the uninitiated, a Florentine is a biscuit / cookie made by cooking butter, sugar, cream, honey, candied fruit (and sometimes nuts) in a saucepan before being baked on a cookie sheet. They are chewy and often coated with chocolate on one side.

Sweet Potato Canneloni (Manicotti)

Today was the last day of the 2008/9 School Year at Machon Pardes, where I run the kitchen. Following a minhag (custom) that I established over the past few years while working at Pardes, the closing meal today had as its main course Sweet Potato Canneloni (or Mannicoti, as the Americans call it!). It proved to be a tremendous success! I am not very good at inventing recipes, although do manage to follows other people recipes pretty well. This recipe, however, is one that I did "invent", the idea for the dish coming from something that I heard was served at a Simcha (joyous event). I think it's worth the effort, and it is a great dish to make for Shavuot, when many of us have the custom to eat dishes that contain dairy products.

Hope that you will enjoy making the dish - and am sure you and your guests will enjoy polishing it off!

I take this opportunity to wish the wonderful Students of Pardes every success for the coming year - be it at Pardes, for those continuing in 2009/10, or elsewhere... where-ever that may be!

Best wishes from Jerusalem,

DSB (David S. Berman)

Sweet Potato Canneloni (Manicotti)
Filling:
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium white potato
1 small onion
1 container cottage or ricotta cheese
salt and pepper
optional – garlic, nutmeg
White sauce:
50 grams butter or margarine
50 grams flour
2 cups milk
salt and white pepper
Boil pot of water. Add white potato. In 5 minutes, add sweet potatoes and onion. Boil til white potato is soft. Remove and drain, mash. Add cheese and seasonings. Set aside.
Melt butter and add flour, stir til flour is absorbed. Slowly add milk over low flame til sauce is thickened. Add salt and pepper.
Stuff manicotti noodles with potato mixture (either with spoon or make a piping bag – cut small hole at end of plastic bag). Place in a greased pan. Pour sauce over all. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top. Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

Shanah Tova - Happy New Year! (including great Honey Cake recipe)

Dear Family and Friends,

Please accept my very best wishes for a Shanah Tova - a very Happy New Year! May it be filled with good health, happiness and joy, and peace for us all!

We were at home for Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat - the only sensible decision, we thought, for a family with three small children! I attended my usual shul, while Rebecca and the girls went to the hear the shofar at a nearby shul.

There was happily lots of good food to be enjoyed over the three days, including Chopped Herrring and Danish Herring, Lamb Chops, Tsimmes with Brisket with Dumplings, and for dessert, Honey Cake (recipe follows), stewed quinces, and the Jewel in the Crown, Teigelach - doughnut shaped biscuits (cookies) that are boiled in syrup till they are sticky and shiny. It seems that they only Lithuanian Jews who still make Teigelach are those who live or grew-up in South Africa - and I am delighted to be continuing that tradition. It is certainly a great way to ensure you have a sweet and good year!

I am including a great Honey Cake recipe that I made for the Yomtov. It is light and melt-in-your-mouth, as opposed to so many others that are heavy. I hope that you will make it for your family and friends, and that you will enjoy it!

Honey Cake

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark tea
1 cup oil
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
2 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 heaped tablespoons honey
for syrup:
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
4 tbs honey

Method
Beat egg whites with sugar, until forms stiff cream. In separate bowl, mix yolks with the tea, oil, cinnamon, cloves, flour, baking soda and honey.
Fold yolk mixture gently into egg whites and pour into a 28 cm baking tin or a Bundt cake pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven (180oC) for approximately 35 minutes. Switch off oven and leave in for additional 5 minutes. Open the oven door and leave cake in oven for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the sugar and water to form a simple syrup. Add honey.
When the cake has cooled down a bit, spoon over the syrup one spoon at a time.

Wishing you and yours a G'mar Chatimah Tova!

My Father Celebrates his 80th Birthday!

On 31 July 2007, my father turned 80! My parents celebrated with an afternoon tea party for family and friends, which they hosted on Sunday 5 August at their home in Sea Point, Cape Town. Unfortunately, neither my brother Avi (who lives in Melbourne, Australia) or I were able to attend the party, which is a great pity. However, my parents had happily visited both of us earlier this year - in January/February they came to visit us in Israel to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary, and in June they visited my brother and sister-in-law to celebrate their youngest son's barmitzvah.

In the photo above, my parents, Hetty and Jack Berman, are pictured at the party with the lovely flowers (thanks to http://www.netflorist.co.za/!) we sent them in the background.

Following is the greeting that I wrote for my Mom to read out at the Party:

To our Dearest Dad and Saba Jack,
We’re writing to wish you a Happy Birthday and to give you a big pat on the back!
We’re so sorry we can’t join you on this most auspicious occasion,
But we’re rather busy here in Jerusalem, raising the next generation!
Just yesterday you were teaching me to ride a bicycle on the Beachfront,
And helping me master the gear-shift on the Peugot 404 without getting a bump!
I fondly remember climbing Table Mountain with Avi and you,
Even though walking along the Pipe Track was more my kind of view!
The years have passed so quickly but happily you’ve always been busy,
Working hard, gardening, H.O.D., running and gym, and of course working Mom into a tizzy!
You have achieved so much in your quiet and honest way,
That your children and grandchildren can only hope and pray
That the years to come will bring continued Good Health, Joy and Happiness,
To you, and Mom, our dear parents and grandparents as one!
Ayelet Chen, Atara Sara and Yehudit
Are joined by their parents Rebecca and David,
In wishing you a Very Happy Birthday and Many Many More —
We’re looking forward to celebrate your 81st on our very own shores!
All our Love, Hugs & Kisses, David & Rebecca, Ayelet Chen, Atara Sara & Yehudit - Jerusalem

For the uninitiated,

• The Beachfront is the lovely promenade that runs along a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean in Sea Point, Cape Town.
• Table Mountain is the majestic mountain located in the middle of Cape Town. It is over 1,000 metres high, and the level plateau is approximately 3 kilometres from one end to the other. Besides serving as a wonderful backdrop to the beautiful city of Cape Town, it offers the intrepid hiker many options for mountain climbing and also has the world's longest single-cable cablecar in the world!
• the Pipe Track runs along the foot of Table Mountain and contains very large pipes that were laid to carry water. It is the easiest, and possibly most popular, walk on Table Mountain.
• H.O.D. stands for the Hebrew Order of David, the Jewish lodge to which my father belonged.

We wish my Dad many more years of Health and Happiness, and look forward to seeing him and my Mom some time really soon!

Honey Mustard Brisket with Root Vegetables

I greatly enjoy preparing meat dishes, especially as my good wife Rebecca enjoys them, and our two older girls seems to relish meat too! I usually prepare brisket with tomato and onion, and thought that it would be good to try a new recipe. The combination of Honey and Mustard is one that works well with meat so I thought to search for a good recipe using this combination. When I didn't find a recipe that appealed to me, I thought that perhaps it was time I developed such a recipe - something that I usually don't do.

Please treat the following recipe as a "work in progress" and I hope that with your assistance, I will be able to adjust it and do some fine tuning until it is just perfect.

I must add that even as it is now, it produces delicious succulent dish that we all enjoyed, along with our guests, this past Shabbat!

Honey Mustard Brisket with Root Vegetables
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 kg brisket
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 - 5 tbs smooth Dijon Mustard
3 - 5 tbs honey, warmed
3 - 5 tbs gravy powder
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper
Cunks of potato, sweet potato and/or carrots

Method
Heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Trim brisket of excess fat and grissle.
In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed casserole, place half the sliced onion and one sliced garlic clove. Spoon 1-2 tbs of mustard, honey and gravy powder over the onions, and place the brisket on top. Spoon remaining mustard, honey and gravy powder on top of brisket, spreading it all to cover the meat. Top with remaining onion and garlic.
Pour wine and water around the meat, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and cover.
Place in pre-heated oven for an hour. After an hour, baste the meat with the gravy and return to the oven for another hour. Remove from oven and place potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots on top of the meat, basting with the gravy. Add additional water if there seems to be only a small quantity of gravy, cover and return to the oven for a third hour.
Remove from the oven, remove the meat to a carving board, and allow to rest for a few minutes. Baste the vegetables in the pot with the gravy. Slice the meat against the grain, and serve with the vegetables and gravy.
Note if using the meat only later, allow to cool in the pot and then refrigerate. An hour before serving, remove the pot from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
Reheat in a medium oven for 30 - 45 minutes before serving.

Yehudit Berman - first photo to be posted!

Yehudit Berman

Born on 11 Sivan 5767 / 28 May 2007

at Shaarei Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel

at 5:07 a.m., weighing 3,450 kg.

This picture was taken at Machon Pardes on Thursday 31 May after Yehudit was named during Shacharit.