In my family, we eat matzo brei as an hors d’oeuvre. Yes, four courses of food isn’t enough for us. We like to get started with some herring, and just to make sure we can survive the abbreviated seder and don’t faint, we first feast on pieces of matzo brei topped with chopped liver or chopped eggs and onions, the princely pates of Eastern European cooking.

My grandfather, Ted, perfected this dish. Since matzo brei is traditionally a scrambled mess (in my father’s defense, it certainly is not the prettiest dish you’ll ever see), he thought to break matzo pieces into same-sized squares to create the perfect base for the chopped liver and eggs and onions. He soaked the pieces in water (so they become tender and flexible like a noodle), then stacked them in threes before dipping them in egg and rolling them in matzo meal (a course flour of ground matzo). The matzo meal coating transforms standard matzo brei into something extraordinary. Then frying the whole thing in schmaltz (chicken fat) imparts that extra depth of flavor and exceptional golden brown color.

Breaking the matzo pieces in perfect squares can be challenging. Check out this amusing video from Japan of all places on how to do it easily.

So, what is the real soda bread like? I recently took a stab at Rachel’s traditional recipe (below) and thought it screamed ‘hearty’ from the outside in. Its nutty and earthy flavor is a far cry from the sweet bread we consider Irish Soda Bread here in the US. This authentic version has an honest, unambiguous taste of a rugged and rich homeland. Just good, old fashioned BREAD! And with a healthy spreading of salted Irish butter (I can’t live without Kerry Gold, by the way)…lets just say it won’t last long. But that’s ok. It’s easier than pie to make.

Thank you, Rachel, for enlightening us. ‘Tis definitely one of those rare cases where the truth doesn’t hurt!

Rachel Gaffney’s Authentic Irish Soda Bread

3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons rolled oats, plus 2 teaspoons rolled oats for sprinkling
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 quart buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add liquid ingredients. Mix together well, trying not to handle too much. Form a ball gently with your floured hands. Do not work this bread like traditional yeast breads. Sprinkle with remaining oats. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, make a cross in the bread with a sharp paring knife and bake for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

I set out to make Chicken Marbella because it had been quite some time since I had it. Once I began to gather my mise en place, I realized that I didn’t have prunes (only dried apricots), and had mixed olives (not all green). I was out of red wine vinegar, but had sherry vinegar. And I had half a bottle of red wine already open so why bother with a new bottle of white? I was determined to get those flavors brewing in my kitchen and ultimately in my mouth, so I persevered with the same principles and ratios albeit on a slightly different path.

Chicken “Lorena” emerged:

8 chicken thighs, or 1 chicken quartered
4 cloves very finely chopped garlic (like a paste)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted mixed olives
1/4 cup capers with the juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine
chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the garlic, oregano, kosher salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, apricots, olives, capers, and juice. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a large, shallow baking pan and spoon the fruit/olives over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour the wine around them.

Bake uncovered for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting every 10 minutes with pan juices.

Serve the dish warm or cold. It actually improves after a few days in the fridge.

Wedding Cupcake Tier - Carrot Cake with Orchids

Jonathan's Choo-Choo Train Cake a la Anabel Karmel

When it comes to tasting sweets, well, that is another story altogether. So, when I heard that not one but two of my cupcake ideas were selected as semifinalists in Tribeca Treats’s Annual Cupcake Competition, I was thrilled! (Especially since the competition, which benefits A.C.E. Programs for the Homeless, received over 100 entries. Only 12 were chosen to move on to the taste-test round.)

My two ideas: Monkey Madness (banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting topped with chocolate chips) and Creamsicle (orange chiffon cupcake with vanilla buttercream topped with candied orange peel). The fun part: The Creamsicle will be taste-tested on Tuesday, September 8th and the Monkey Madness on Wednesday, September 9th at Tribeca Treats!

Here’s how the tasting works: customers will be invited to taste-test each semifinalist cupcake, in exchange for a $5 donation to Tribeca Partnership and A.C.E Programs for the Homeless. Customers will rate each cupcake on a scale of 1-10; the scores will be averaged. The top four will go head-to-head in a final taste test on Friday, September 11th. The winners will then be announced on Monday, September 14th.

So, head down to Tribeca Treats and vote!

I have had the pleasure of eating there twice so far, most recently Saturday night with my good friend, Tim. Chef Daniel was there, and he came by to say hello (he so generously endorsed Notes on Cooking). We were praising the food and service, of course, but I was most excited to share my husband’s observations with him about the space (Sean and I had eaten there together the week before). As good as the food is at DBGB, the design and decor are even more clever.

Interior of DBGB Kitchen & Bar

There are other amusing details like bathroom wallpaper – pages of a French cookware catalogue from another century that feature such frivolous items as a jambonniere (a ham-shaped pot to cook…what else?…ham). This type of detail might be lost on those who are ignorant of or uninterested in food history; to them it’s likely just an attractive aesthetic choice. But to those in the know, to a cook like me who lives and breathes this stuff, it was so stimulating. My husband and I absorbed all these details when we first waked into DBGB. As is typical, Sean put it best: “This restaurant is like the inside of a chef’s mind.”

So, I quoted this to Chef Daniel, telling him all the reasons that led us to feel that way. No one had put it that way to him before, he noted, and he loved that way of seeing the space. “I’m going to use that!” he said. Well, just when I thought it was not possible for him to flatter me more…then again, all the credit for articulating that observation goes to Sean!

I can’t wait to get back to DBGB Kitchen & Bar. It is a delectable and authentic journey into the mind of a GREAT chef.

Nothing tastes quite like summer as do heirloom tomatoes. My last blog post was about tomatoes, but I had to post the following video to make sure everyone knows the best way to procure and store them. Check it out on YouTube by clicking the photo to the left.

Top Five Tomato Tips:

1. Shop seasonally.
2. Shop locally.
3. Wash whole in cold running water.
4. Store in a cool, dry place.
5. Only refrigerate once sliced.

I had the pleasure of sampling several varieties (or should I say varietals?) last weekend at The Conran Shop, where my “Notes on Cooking” co-author, Russell, and I were signing books. We immediately made friends with the friendly and fun Wine Cellar Sorbets team. Meeting them was truly a treat!

What could be a better end to a summer sushi meal than a scoop of sake sorbet? Serve the mimosa flavor at your next brunch. Once you try this clever concoction you’ll be hooked.

Visit Wine Cellar Sorbets for a store locator and on-line shipping.