By Andrew Kranseler, Special to JTNews
By Andrew Kranseler
Whether you are a beginning cook or advanced in your culinary skills Susie Fishbein’s The Kosher by Design Teen and 20-Somethings Cookbook is fabulous. Choose any one of the 100 recipes and trust me, you will not be disappointed. Author Fishbein has now made it cool and easy to cook, rather than go out to eat, if you are hungry.
The majority of these recipes don’t take a long time to cook — many of them, in fact, are relatively simplistic. However, even as a more experienced cook, I appreciate this because nearly all the recipes are great ideas and all are items I would enjoy cooking and eating.
One exception is the Barbecued Potato Kugel, which doesn’t sound all that appealing to me, but some people might love it. One recent weekend, I tried the recipe for the scones (page 50); with some I added raisins. The scones came out of the oven fluffy and tasted delicious served with some jam. I also tried the Frozen Banana Pops (page 34) for dessert, the Tex-Mex Salad (page 80) and the Spicy Carrot Sticks (page 174). All received rave reviews from my family and I would definitely make these again.
Then there are the recipes I cannot wait to try: Mexican Pizza Empanada (page 24), Portabello Burgers (page 150) and the No-Bake Dulce de Leche Cheesecake (page 96). The pictures in the book make the recipes jump out from the page, so it is tough to pick which ones to make next.
In the back of the book, there are even ideas for complete meals or themed party meals. Also in the back of the book are pages for notes to list the recipes you have made, which I think is a great feature. I also like the cooking tips provided, such as pre-measuring all your ingredients ahead of time and placing them in muffin tins. And, of course, each recipe is designed to be kosher, and indicates whether it is meat, parve, or dairy, which is also helpful.
I know I will continue using this book many times over the next few years and I recommend it for everyone, even adults, as it is simple to use and the recipes are not too time-consuming.
Andrew Kranseler and the Tex Mex Salad from Susie Fishbein’s The Kosher by Design Teen and 20-Somethings Cookbook. Photo courtesy Andrew Kranseler
Scones
Dairy
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt
11 Tbs. (1 stick plus 3 Tbs.) butter, at room temperature for 15 minutes
2 eggs, plus one for additional brushing
1/2 cup milk
6 Tbs. mix-ins such as chocolate chips, blueberries, or raisins (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cut the butter into small cubes. Add it to the flour mixture and use both hands to knead the dough, rubbing the butter into the flour.
5. Add the eggs and milk, kneading to form a crumbly but somewhat sticky dough.
6. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and knead for another minute or two; the dough should start to become more smooth as the butter softens from the warmth of your hands. Divide the dough into two pieces. Use the heel of your palm to spread each piece into a circle, about 3/4-1 inch thick.
7. If adding any mix-ins, spread them over the dough, then knead and press into a circle. Do not over mix the scones.
8. Using the mouth of a drinking glass or a round 2-inch diameter cookie cutter, cut out circles of the dough and place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Re-roll into scraps, and cut out more scones.
9. With a fork, whisk the remaining egg. Using a pastry brush, brush generously over the tops of the scones.
10. Bake for 15 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and tops are light golden. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 20-24 scones
Spicy Carrot Sticks
Parve
6 large carrots, peeled, ends trimmed
1 egg white from a large egg
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. water
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Cut each carrot in half to make two 3/4-inch pieces.
3. Cut each carrot half in half lengthwise. With the cut side down on your cutting board, cut each half into 3 equal strips to make carrot sticks.
4. Place the egg white into a large shallow bowl or container and whip with a fork or whisk till foamy.
5. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, water, garlic powder, cumin, sugar, paprika, and white pepper.
6. Place the carrot sticks into the beaten egg, turning to coat the carrots in the egg white.
7. Remove the carrots from the egg white and stir into the spice mixture. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt.
8. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
9. Transfer to a serving plate or bowl.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Andrew Kranseler is a senior at Newport High School. He has always loved to cook and he attended the two-period culinary program at Newport High School in his junior year. He has spent many summers at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School and although he does not always use recipes when he cooks, he plans to use this cookbook for upcoming meals in the Kranseler household.