Here at Kosher Gift Box we love great food and we love to cook! Any gourmand knows well that there are some foods that truly touch the soul AND provide nourishment at the same time. Here we have assembled some of our favorites. Some we have found in our "travels," some are favorites from our cookbook library and some are hand-me-downs from generations before us. None of them are particularly difficult. However, they do require, patience and care. You can cook these up for any occasion.

Hamentashen: Sour Cherry with Semi Sweet Chocolate Drizzle and Lemon Poppy Seed

Grandmother's Roast Chicken

Pot-Roasted Brisket

Whitefish Salad

Perfect For Passover:

Apple Matzo Kugel

Hamentashen: Sour Cherry with Semi Sweet Chocolate Drizzle and Lemon Poppy Seed

The following recipes were written by Mary Goodbody and Judith Sutton nationally acclaimed food writers, cookbook editors and recipe developers. Among some of the books they have written or edited are, Sweet Gratitude: Bake a Thank-You for the Really Important People in Your Life; Truffles: Ultimate Luxury, Everyday Pleasure; Recipes for a Very Small Island; and The Family Kitchen (coming Spring 2006).

DOUGH:
Enough dough (1 pound, 5 ½ ounces; 615g) for about 24 cookies

• 2 cups (8 ½ - 9 oz; 240g) all-purpose flour
   
• 2 teaspoons (¼ oz., 10g) baking powder
   
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
   
• 8 tablespoons (4 oz; 110 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
   
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (3/4 oz; 25g), at room temperature (or use additional butter)
   
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (6 oz.; 175g) sugar
   
• 1 large egg (2 oz; 55 ml)
   
• 1 tablespoon orange juice (¼ fl. oz.; 10 ml) or milk
   
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (5 ml)

About 24 teaspoons (8 tablespoons) Sour Cherry Filling or Lemon Poppy Seed Filling (recipes follow)

1 large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash (optional)
Decorating (coarse) sugar (optional)
Semisweet Chocolate Drizzle (recipe follows)

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. Combine the butter and shortening in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat until light and pale, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the orange juice, and then beat in the vanilla. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in two additions.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times just until the dough comes together. If the dough is very sticky, knead in another tablespoon or so of flour. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. (The dough can be refrigerated overnight. If necessary, let stand at room temperature briefly to soften slightly before rolling out.)

4. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. On a lightly floured surface, working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out as many rounds from the dough as possible; gather up the scraps and reserve. Spoon a generous 1 teaspoon filling into the center of each round. Fold three sides of the dough over to form a triangular pastry, leaving a little of the filling exposed in the center, and pinch the seams to seal. Transfer to the baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between the pastries. If desired, brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Combine all the dough scraps and roll out to make more pastries.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastries are lightly golden around the edges. Transfer the pastries to a rack to cool completely. When cool, drizzle with chocolate, if desired.

SOUR CHERRY FILLING

Makes about 1 cup

• ¾ cup (4 ¾ oz.; 135g) sugar
   
• ¾ cup (6 fl. oz; 170ml) water
   
• 1 cup (5½ oz; 155g) dried cherries
   
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

1. Combine the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cherries; reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are very plump and soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.

2. Transfer the cherries (with their syrup) to a food processor, add the orange zest, if using, and process to the consistency of thick jam. The filling can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

EXTRA: Semisweet Chocolate Drizzle

Makes about 1/3 cup

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted
3 tablespoons cream

Stir the cream into the hot, melted chocolate until smooth. Drizzle over the cookies, if desired. If the chocolate drizzle is too thick, increase the amount of cream by ½ to 1 tablespoon.


LEMON POPPY SEED FILLING

Makes about ¾ cup (6 oz; 165g)

• ¼ cup (2 fl oz., 60 ml) fresh lemon juice
   
• ¼ cup (2 fl oz.; 60 ml) water
   
• 2 tablespoons (1oz; 28g) unsalted butter
   
• 3 tablespoons (1 ½ oz.; 40g) sugar
   
• ½ cup (1 ½ oz.; 45g) ground poppy seeds
   
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz; 15g) chopped white or black raisins (we used white)
   
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (optional)

1. Combine the lemon juice, water, butter, and sugar in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter.

2. Add the poppy seeds, raisins, and lemon zest, if using, and stir well. Cook for a minute or so, just until the filling is thick and the ingredients are well mixed. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. The filling can be refrigerated for up to 3 days

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Grandmother's Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

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Pot-Roasted Brisket

Ingredients:

• 2 very large cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 8- to 10-pound brisket

• 1 ½ teaspoons course sea salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 pounds onions, halved and sliced

• 3 medium carrots, sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds

• 2 large, outside ribs celery, sliced ¼-inch thick

• 4 small bay leaves

Rub 1 chopped clove of garlic into each side of the meat.

Salt and pepper the meat on both sides.

Spread the onions, carrots and celery on the bottom of the pan. Put the meat
over the vegetables. Put 2 bay leaves under the meat, 2 on top of the meat.

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook in a preheated 350-degree
oven for 4 hours, until meat is just tender.

Let meat rest 20 minutes, then slice: Cut the second cut off of the first cut
and trim off and discard the layer of fat between them. Slice both cuts across
the grain, either straight down or at a slight diagonal angle. Skim any fat off the juices left in the pan, and serve the onions and vegetables with the juices as a sauce for both the meat and any starch accompaniment. If desired, you can
puree some of the vegetables to make a thicker sauce.

If preparing ahead for serving another day, refrigerate until several hours
before serving time. Skim hardened fat off the surface of the liquid that has collected around the meat, and off the surface of the meat. Allow the meat to come to room temperature before final heating.

Serving the Roast:

About an hour before serving, using a long-bladed, preferably serrated knife
(I use a bread knife), slice the meat about 1/4-inch thick. It will require a
sawing motion and a strong arm. Do not disturb the conformation of the meat. Return the meat to the roasting pan as if it was still a whole brisket.

Baste with pan juices and heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting
a few times during that period. The surface of the meat should have browned nicely, and the slices of meat should be heated through and fork tender. Trim excess fat off the meat on the plate, as it is eaten.

From arthurschwartz.com

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Whitefish Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pound smoked whitefish

• 4 stalks celery, strings removed

• 2 cups sour cream or 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup plain yogurt

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Keeping the skin of the whitefish intact and the head still attached, carefully remove the bones from the whitefish and place the meat in a mixing bowl.

Dice the celery and combine with the whitefish, along with 1 cup of the sour
cream (or yogurt), the mayonnaise, and the pepper. Add the dill and parsley and as much more sour cream (or yogurt) as is wanted.

Stuff the mixture back into the skin of the whitefish, remaking the shape of a
fish. Or, if you prefer, serve in a bowl. Garnish with additional dill and parsley.

Yield: enough for at least 10 people.

Apple Matzo Kugel

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