The affinity of Jews to Chinese food reaches its apotheosis in John Krich\’s \”Won Ton Lust: Adventures in Search of the World\’s Best Chinese Restaurant\” (Kodansha, $24). It\’s no outrageous stereotype to state that, as a people, American Jews seem to need a good Chinese meal to kick-start us into the week. It\’s nothing to be ashamed of;neither is it anything to take lightly.\n
One day, a tall, youthful Stanford grad named Jeremy Cowan decidedthat it was time to chuck his career in computers and create the verything human society lacked most: a Jewish beer.
Israel\’s newest weapon in its battle for economic well-being andworldwide acceptance is a tall, thin New Yorker with a great lambrecipe.\n\nHer name is Rozanne Gold.
In American Jewish cooking, honey reigns. Good thing: The variousfarmer\’s markets are reliable sources for excellent honeys.
At first glance, the round challahs of the High Holidays mightseem to be no more than the ritualized version of a GeneralMills-like strategy. How could a bread that is braided 11 months ofthe year suddenly taste different the month it is made round? Eggsare eggs, flour is flour, yeast is yeast, etc., right? But, somehow,the challahs of the High Holidays — domed crowns of golden dough,studded with raisins, sitting atop a holiday table like a princess\’pillow — do taste different.
Los Angelesbaker Mark Stark has taken the Greatest Hits of American Jewish Cookery and put them into a format that\’s so kid friendly, readers might be tempted to color in the pictures.
Just one floor beneath the legendary Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, there\’s a large room that, for much of the week, remains locked. The chef has the key. So does the catering manager. But if they ever want to so much as crack open the door, they can\’t do so alone. First, they need the rabbi.
Think kosher food, and you think blintzes, kishke, brisket, tsimmes, matzo balls, corned beef on rye.\n\nYou don\’t immediately think of fajitas, smoked-salmon quiche, turkey burgers with onion rings, rosemary-grilled breast of chicken with braised leeks and forest mushrooms, or flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.
First, please understand that it has nothing to dowith health. The laws of kashrut — the food restrictions imposedupon Jews by the Bible and the Talmud — were not intended to keep ushealthy.
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