Zabar's Blog

Mother's Day Recipes

Mother's Day falls at a truly wonderful time of year. Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, everyone seems to be out and about and enjoying themselves. It's really a lovely time to celebrate and thank the Moms in our lives. We've compiled a grouping of simple, delicious brunch ideas any mom would enjoy. Maybe try breakfast in bed this year!

 

Mother’s Day Stuffed French Toast
"I hate going out on Mother’s Day – it’s crowded, expensive and you never really get a chance to sit and visit with your family and friends. Since Zabar’s has always been a part of my life Sunday brunch usually involves Bagels, Cream Cheese and Nova.  But on Mother’s Day I love to make French Toast and serve it with hot real maple syrup and fresh strawberries.  

This is one of my favorite Sunday Brunch treats. 

It is easy to make and really yummy. Prepare it the night before – and refrigerate. In the morning bake and enjoy!"

 

Our (new) Favorite Banana Bread
"Banana Bread is my go to treat when company pays a surprise visit, as a simple hostess gift or when we just need something delicious to snack on. Recently we held a bake-off in my house. My husband swears by his mom’s recipe so we compared her recipe to a new one I’ve been working on to an old standard from a tried-and-true cook book. 

And here is the one that won across the board. We all favored it, even my mother-in-law! ..."

 

Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche
"Here is a recipe for the easiest, most adaptable quiche ever. I have made this for dinner parties, afternoon luncheons, breakfasts and brunches and it always meets rave reviews. What’s so great about preparing a quiche is you can fill it with whatever ingredients and cheeses you have on hand, making it the perfect dish for last minute meals. And this time of year, it’s just wonderful to make because it’s absolutely appropriate to serve quiche at room temperature. So cook one up while the morning is still cool and have a terrific brunch later that day."

 

Hazelnut and Orange Blossom Shortbread with Dried Cherries
"Last year on Mother’s Day, I made these light, pillow-y hazelnut shortbread cookies (well, sans Orange Blossom Water or dried cherries) and brought them to my Moroccan sister-in-law as a small token for her always put-me-to-shame, ridiculously generous hospitality.  Upon tasting them, she was absolutely certain that I had somehow gotten the family recipe from one of her sisters, and then proceeded to describe to me the almond cookies her mother used to make.  They were apparently quite similar in style to mine, but were enhanced with the essence of Orange Blossom Water, an ingredient, along with Rose Water, that she herself often uses in her amazing Moroccan repertoire of everything from salads to tagines and couscous to desserts..."

Happy Mother's Day!

 

A New Recipe for Oven Roasted Asparagus

A recipe by Andrea Watman

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I have to admit it – I love asparagus. Growing up we rarely had asparagus – they were expensive and difficult to cook. My mother finally came up with the idea of cooking them in our white 12 cup corning percolator. She would stand them in the coffee pot – add water, put the cover on and boil them until they were done – actually over done! Then she would drain them by pouring the water out – and the cooked asparagus were served.

This procedure always led to a fight, my father, Nathan, loved hot strong coffee and felt that his favorite coffee pot should be reserved for brewing coffee. My mother, Pearl, felt asparagus were elegant and that there was nothing wrong with multi tasking.

Working at Zabar’s she certainly could have purchased as asparagus steamer. But, our kitchen was small, storage space was an issue, and she really enjoyed the fight over the corning coffee pot. Both my parents are gone – but the corning coffee pot has survived – so, I guess my mom was right. Sorry dad.

There are such beautiful green asparagus in the market – I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

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A new recipe for Ganache Truffles

From French Classics Made Easy By Richard Grausman, 
Founder & Chairman, C-CAP
Prepared by Mehdi Chellaoui

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Chocolate formed to resemble truffles, as they emerge from the earth covered with “dirt,” have been a Christmas specialty in French candy shops for decades. Their worldwide popularity has spawned truffle shops and candy companies specializing only in truffles – although many of the confections carrying this name hardly resemble their namesake. It now seems that anything round and chocolate is called a truffle.

The original chocolate truffles were made of a sturdy, fudgelike mixture, concocted of chocolate, butter, and egg yolks, that can be formed by hand and stand at room temperature without melting. But the contemporary chocolate truffle is made with a combination of chocolate and fresh cream (called ganache) and must be handled carefully and refrigerated, for it melts at room temperature.

Because they melt easily when handled, the soft, creamy chocolates, when formed into balls, are dipped in chocolate to lightly coat and protect them. They are then rolled in cocoa powder, which tastes much better than the soil it represents. Biting into a finished chocolate truffle provides a wonderful combination of sensations. Bitter cocoa covers a thin layer of crunchy bittersweet chocolate, which surrounds a creamy, meltingly soft chocolate center. Only those with incredible willpower can refuse a second one. 

Trying to make the truffles in one day can be difficult and frustrating, but doing a little work over a two- to three-day period makes truffle-making easy and enjoyable.

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A new recipe for Passover Apple Pecan Pie

By Tori Avey, The Shiksa in the Kitchen

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Here’s the thing… I love pie. Love, love, love it! But at Passover, when leavening is not an option, making a tasty pie crust becomes much more difficult. This recipe evolved out of my need for a Passover pie substitute (because let’s face it– it’s really, really hard to get through an entire week without pie). I did away with the crust entirely and instead relied on matzo cracker crumbs to hold the filling together. The result is something between an apple crumble, a pan dowdy and a pie. Whatever you want to call it, it’s delicious!

Bake this Passover dessert in an old-fashioned pie dish, and nobody will complain about the missing crust… the flavor is very similar to a nutty apple pie. The candied pecans add a crunchy sweet topping to this decadent Passover treat. Serve ala mode for extra deliciousness.

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A new recipe for Mrs. Stein’s Chocolate Cake

By Sarabeth Levine
From Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours by Sarabeth Levine with Rick Rodgers (Rizzoli 2010)

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When I was gathering the recipes for this chapter, my daughters, Jennifer and Tina, reminded me of an almost ridiculously chocolate pound cake that I hadn’t made in years. How I let this one slip through the cracks, I’ll never know. I did some searching, and there it was, tucked away in my treasured recipe book. It was splattered with chocolate batter, a clear indication that it was a favorite that I made again and again. I received the recipe from Mrs. Stein, a Hungarian beauty who was a relative of my father-in-law, Joe Firestone. Welcome back, old friend.

Photo by Quentin Bacon

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A new recipe for Cheese Bourekas with Puff Pastry - perfect for Purim!

By Tori Avey, The Shiksa in the Kitchen

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Bourekas are delicious Middle Eastern hand pies. These baked, stuffed pastries are popular in Israel and throughout the Middle East. Different versions of this turnover pastry exist all over the world—knishes, calzones, samosas, bridies, and strudel are all regional variations on the same concept. Bourekas originated in Asia as a deep-fried filled dumpling known as a burga. When the Turks of central Asia moved to what is now the country of Turkey, they brought their stuffed burga dumplings with them. Over time, the dumpling evolved into a variety of stuffed, layered pastries known as börek. Sephardic Jews who settled in Turkey adopted the pastry, merging it with their version of the same dish (empanada) and adapting it to make it kosher. Börek + empanada = boureka. The boureka was born!

Bourekas are made with a variety of savory fillings, including cheese, meat, spinach, and eggplant. They are generally made with either puff pastry or filo (phyllo) dough, and served as appetizers, alongside a meal, or as a portable snack. Of the many boureka varieties out there, cheese bourekas are my favorite. These Cheese Bourekas with Puff Pastry are super easy to make, especially if you use store-bought puff pastry. They also freeze well, which means you can make them ahead and pop them in the oven just before your meal. I keep a stash in the freezer for unexpected company; they’re such a treat with tea or coffee. I also like to serve them with homemade soup for a light and tasty winter meal.

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Sugar Valentines Recipe

From One Sweet Cookie: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes
by Tracey Zabar

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Image © Ellen Silverman

These cookies, sprinkled with coarse sugar, are elegant after-dinner sweets. This versatile dough can be rolled out and cut into any desired shape. Flower-shaped cookies are a lovely alternative to a pricey bouquet for your sweetie. Because these cookies are flat, you can also omit the sugar topping and decorate them with the icing of your choice.  
Buy the book: One Sweet Cookie: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes

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Chocolate Souffle with Grand Marnier & Chocolate Sauce

From French Classics Made Easy By Richard Grausman, 
Founder & Chairman, C-CAP
Prepared by Mehdi Chellaoui

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This is an extremely light Chocolate Soufflé made from my basic chocolate mousse recipe with the addition of orange zest and Grand Marnier. A plain chocolate soufflé can be made by omitting them.
The soufflé mixture can also be baked in a water bath (bain-marie) for a little bit linger, to give you a pudding au chocolate, a wonderful, dense fallen soufflé dessert.

I usually make this soufflé in advance and refrigerate it. When it is time for dessert, I ask my guests if they would like a chocolate mousse or soufflé. If the majority want a soufflé, I bake it. If they want mousse, it is served cold.

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A New Recipe for Macaroni and Goat Cheese

By Tom Valenti
From Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals: 125 Home Recipes from the Chef-Owner of New York City’s OUEST and ‘CESCA by Tom Valenti and Andrew Friedman

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Is it just me, or do people take macaroni and cheese for granted? I think the lack of appreciation began with those prepackaged macaroni kits in which low-grade pasta comes in one bag and an unidentifiable cheese goop or powder in another. This recipe is my attempt to illustrate a simple truth: If you approach macaroni and cheese with the same care that you do other pasta dishes, making a thoughtful decision about the pasta and the cheese, it is pretty special. Here, I recommend a small pasta such as tubetti or tubettini, though you might opt for the kitsch value of elbow macaroni. Use a fresh, creamy goat cheese that you know and love or, if you don’t have one, you will in all likelihood do just fine with an inexpensive vacuum-sealed one.

This recipe includes a béchamel – a creamy sauce of egg, butter, flour, cheese, and milk – which is used in a number of classic pasta recipes, especially lasagna. Usually it’s made with milk that’s been preheated in a separate pot, but I find that by allowing the milk to make contact with the bottom of the pot before whisking with the other ingredients, this is not necessary.

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Two favorite Hanukkah Recipes

Everyone has their own spin on these traditional delights and we'd love to know yours! Send us a comment with your recipe variations on these Hanukkah classics:

Grandma Bertha’s Latkes
by Andrea Watman
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Chanukah Jelly Doughnuts (Soufganiot)
by Marcy Goldman
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