Bubby Estabel's Gefilte Fish

Over the past week, after having many conversations, I was shocked to learn that most people don't make their own homemade gefilte fish. They eat the gross, jelly balls from the jar! It is those exact jelly balls that were used to haze my poor friend, Karina, at boarding school many years ago. So when she heard I was making gefilte fish for Passover Seder, she not only knew what it was, but also seemed scared for her life. Twenty years ago in high school, the freshmen had to get gefilte fish jelly poured all over them and then, they couldn't shower until the end of the day. Needless to say, her memories were vivid! I promised I would redeem the gefilte fish for her.

My Bubby Estabel, who was an amazing cook, passed away last March, but she always made her gefilte fish loaf for all the holidays. As I was preparing for the first Seder I ever made, I added gefilte fish to the menu last minute! I was in the mood for a new recipe and knew my bubby would want to have her presence known at our table for our first Seder. I pulled the recipe from a recipe book that my sister made me for my wedding shower, Bubby Estabel had given her the gefilte fish recipe. In hind sight, I realize she was wise enough to know she wouldn't live forever and that I would need her special recipe when she wasn't a phone call away anymore.

So, I called my mom to check on all the ingredients. She told me Bubby's first rule was no other fish is acceptable except minced white fish. It can't be pike or any other fish and it must be minced. I make a few calls and I live in the Jewish mecca of the world- there are no fishmongers in NYC that have white fish and have a mincer....I tried them all! Wild Edible, Fairway, Citarella, FreshDirect, fish store at Chelsea Market, you name it! Next year, per Mara's suggestion, I will try the Lower East Side. Anyway, finally I found a Balducci's in Scarscale, NY, fifteen minutes from my office. Mission complete! I got my minced white fish.

I realized when I got home that gefilte fish is so easy to make! I don't know why more people don't do it! My diverse crowd was asking for seconds and I know my bubby was proud.

We also enjoyed matzo ball soup and Linda Tischler's almond macaroons (last year's Passover discovery). I tried adding 2 tbsp of lemon zest and they were even better! A Brazilian dude at work was chasing me all day asking for more!

Bubby Estabel's Gefilte Fish
Serves 10-12 people

1 loaf pan, greased
1 1/2 lbs minced white fish (again, only "white fish" and must be minced!)
2 eggs
1 cup cold water
3 medium diced sauteed onions (in 1/4 cup oil)
3 Tbsp matzo meal
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Beat on mix master for 10 minutes on medium with the paddle attachment. Place in pyrex and bake for 1.5 hrs (take it out when the top is fully browned, for me and my mom, it takes 1 hr and 40 minutes, but apparently my aunt burned it at 1 hr 55- so watch it!).

Cool on counter for an hour. Turn out onto paper towel and cool on paper towel.

Wrap in paper towel, then aluminum foil and refrigerate. The paper towel absorbs the moisture. It can be made 2 days in advance.

Slice and serve with horseradish on side.

Note: If you double the recipe, you need to do it separately.

Grilled Tuna with Basil Pesto

In my last post, I alluded to the grilled tuna with basil pesto that I enjoy everytime I'm at my new stomping ground, Bar Stuzzichini. Tonight as I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinner, a thought came to mind. Why not use the basil I bought for my couscous (Ellie Krieger recipe from her new cookbook, will keep you posted on results) to try to replicate my Stuzzichini tuna? Not a bad idea considering the fact that everytime I buy basil, I always let it go bad. Those who know me know that my meals are rarely invented...I follow recipes to the tee and leave little room for creativity.

Good news- job well done by me! The result was a delicious, healthy grilled tuna with a phenomenal basil pesto...It was quick, easy and perfect for a weeknight. Bonus- my apartment doesn't reek since tuna only needs to be grilled for 90 seconds on each side! I froze the extra pesto in an ice cube tray so I could thaw it and make this meal even easier next time.

Let me know how it goes for you!

Sherri's Grilled Tuna with Basil Pesto
Serves 2

8 oz wild yellowfin tuna

kosher salt & ground pepper

1 cup of basil

1 garlic clove

1/8 cup of pine nuts

1/2 cup of olive oil plus a tsp for brushing the steaks

Equipment: food processor and grill pan or BBQ

Combine basil, garlic and pine nuts in a processor. While machine is running, slowly add in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Add kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Brush tuna steak with very little olive oil, place on grill pan for 90 seconds on each side.

To serve, drizzle basil pesto on the tuna.

Bon Appetit!

Cookie Crunch

I found myself with a rare free afternoon the Saturday before Easter and since I've had my Easter cookie cutter set for over a year, I decided now was as good a time as any to make my virgin attempt at cookie decorating.

And boy did I suck at it.

Patience, as anyone who knows me will tell you, is not one of my virtues. And cookie decorating requires plenty of it. Well, that and talent — which, as the pictures of my cookies will attest — is not something I am particularly blessed with in this respect.

Firstly, my cookies didn't bake to perfectly even surfaces, so the flooding didn't quite sit well. Secondly, my flooding was probably a little too thin, so it didn't render a nice opaque tone. Then there's my unsteady hand, which translated to quivering borders and, well... child-like designs would be a kind way to put it.

And then there's the patience thing again. I just couldn't wait for the icing to dry before piping in more dots and things. My dots had tails, my lines broke mid-way... I don't really need to go on, do I?

The only good thing that came out of this experiment were the cookies, which came from Peggy Porschen's Pretty Party Cakes. They are basic cocoa-flavoured sugar cookies, but they pack an intense chocolatey taste and a nice crisp texture. So I did the sane thing and cut the remaining cookie dough with a bite-size circular cutter and now serve them on a saucer with post-dinner coffee.




Chocolate Sugar Cookies
(Adapted from Peggy Porschen's Pretty Party Cakes)

200g unsalted butter
200g sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
50g cocoa powder (I used Valrhona)
350g plain flour

1. Cream the butter and sugar until well mixed and just creamy in texture. Don't overwork or the cookies will spread during baking.

2. Beat in the egg until well combined. Add the flour and cocoa powder and mix on low speed until a dough forms.

3. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour.

4. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead briefly.

5. Roll out to about 5mm thickness.

6. Use your cookie cutters to cut out shapes and then lay them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

7. Chill again for about 30 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

9. Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on size.