As promised here are the original menu proposed
for the Actors Temple in Hells Kitchen NYC
for their groups second seder celebration
on April 20, 2008
located on the westside of Manhattan in an historic building
The Actors temple has serviced the needs of the area
from the Theatre District's Actors to local residents since the early 1900's.
CuisinEtcs final menu incorporated a few changes and twists
· Smoked Salmon & Rondele Cheese Pate
or
· Med Rim Olive & Artichoke Tapenade
· either choice surrounded by carrot petals and accompanied
by the regular and whole wheat matzah you are providing
(Placed on each of the guest tables: around 7:15-7:30 to stave off the hunger pains)
Your choice of Menu A through Menu E
and our Fabulous Signature Dessert Finale: ** Rivers of Chocolate and Sweets **
A bountiful display of ”flowing” river of chocolate using dark Belgium kosher for passover chocolate and and buttery caramel sauce
Surrounded by dippable goodies such as
coconut macaroons, meringue cookies, marshmallows,
fresh fruit and dried fruit such as strawberries,
pineapple & grapes, bananas, oranges,
melon, dried apricots & and more
Menu A
Sassy Sephardic Salmon –
filet of salmon seared in a Med Rim spice rub,
nestled in a bed of caramelized onions and carrots
and finished with a honey-lemon reduction sauce
Vegetarian Alternative:
Magnificent Mushrooms - roasted portobello mushroom caps
sliced and topped with diced baby bellas,
Pepato cheese, Roma tomatoes, cubed roasted potato,
pinenuts, currants and olives …infused with a splash of white wine
Med Rim Spinach Salad
fresh spinach, chiffonade of fresh basil and watercress
with marinated artichokes, cherry tomatoes
& fresh marinated mozzarella
tossed with a citrus white balsamic vinaigrette
Thai Inspired Broccoli Salad
Fresh Broccoli with Sweet & Tangy Apple Cider Vinaigrette,
Colorful Bell Peppers & Roasted Cashews (not spicy)
Fully Loaded Passover Potatoes
comfort food casserole of creamy mashers,
cheddar cheese & sour cream
Menu B
Roasted Salmon Moroccan Style
coated with a tumeric saffron rub, topped with
thinly sliced lemon and tomato, and slow roasted,
garnished with kalamata olives & fresh herbs
Vegetarian Alternative: Gruyere Mushroom Lasagne
Yellow & Green Zucchini “Noodles”
layered with fresh spinach, gruyere cheese sauce,
caramelized onions & mushrooms
Hearts of Romaine Salad with Balsamic Infused Pears,
Roasted Red Bell Peppers,
And Sun-Dried Cranberries in a
Cranberry-White Wine Vinaigrette
Southwestern Sweet Potato Anna
slices of sweet potato cooked in a chipotle pepper enhanced cream sauce
– lively but not overwhelming – a great juxtaposition of sweet and sassy
Haricot Verts with Julienne Carrots,
Black Sesame Seeds & Garlic Sesame Butter
Creative CuisinEtc…More Than Just Great Food
646-932-3496
Menu C
Herbed Fish Cakes - hand-ground white fish fillets
shaped into cakes with red onion, Italian parsley,
cilantro and an exotic spice blend,
served with a housemade green horseradish sauce
Vegetarian Alternative: Med Rim Stuffed Tomatoes
(Roma tomatoes with a delectable stuffing featuring feta cheese,
roasted sweet potato, walnuts, fresh mint and dill)
East-Meets-West Salad mixed baby greens with mandarin oranges,
red onion, sun-dried cranberries
& glazed pecans with a housemade
sweet-n-tangy Asian-inspired vinaigrette
Herb infused julienne of carrots and zucchini with fresh dill & butter sauce
Cardamom sweet potato kugel
Menu D
Keftes de Pescado Sephardic salmon
and potato croquettes in a light tomato sauce
Smoked Salmon Nicoise Baby red potatoes,
haricots verts, cherry tomato, English cucumber,
hard boiled egg, Black olives & red onions served
over mixed salad greens
Vegetarian Alternative: Spinach, Mushroom
and Bell Pepper Frittata with Caramelized Shallots
Dawn's “Better than the Real Deal” Mock Chopped Liver
(green bean, cashew and onion pâté)
Potato Casserole with Vermont Cheddar,
Topped with French-Fried Frizzled Onions
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Curly Carrot & Buttermilk
Blue Cheese Dressing
Menu E
Salmon Saloona
- seared Iraqi Jewish salmon with caramelized onions,
bell peppers, carrots, eggplant, Roma tomatoes
& baby potatoes braised in a sweet & sour tomato sauce
Vegetarian Alternative:
Fritada de Espinaca - Sephardic spinach-cheese casserole
Passover Caesar Salad - onion matzah parmesan
“croutons”, crispy romaine & housemade parmesan
& garlic studded caesar dressing
Wedges of whole grain mustard coated potato,
marinated Artichokes & haricot vert
Roasted Vegetables with Pecan Gremolata
slow-roasted carrots, parsnips, sweet potato
and Brussels sprouts drizzled with lemon oil
and sprinkled with a medley of toasted pecans,
garlic, herbs and citrus zest
OK folks now for an hysterically funny yet
poignant story that one of my close friends
and sister in catering buddies, Mimi related
to our on line networking group
Mimi is an amazing Kosher caterer
out of Bloomfied,Michigan,
a suburb of Detroit
whom I speak to almost daily
via the wonders of the internet
Mimi writes the following to our networking group
a few minutes before Shabbot
be prepared for a few chuckles
especially if you have ever dealt
with customers and special "requests"
"I have 15 minutes before
I light candles for Shabbos but had to tell you guys this story.
I get a phone call this afternoon from an
older sounding woman wanting to know information
about my Passover catering. I asked her if she saw
my ad in the Detroit Jewish News
or the Washtenaw County Jewish News
- both full page, very expensive ads
so I'm tracking orders through them.
She says neither.
I asked her if she received
a mailing from me or the shul
(Polly, that means synagogue).
She says no. I ask her if she found
out about my menu from a friend
or a senior's program -
sent out flyers to those too.
She says no. I ask her where
she heard about our Passover food.
She says she doesn't remember
- RED FLAG - but I go on.
"How can I help you?"
She tells me her kids put her
in an institution
and she's going to spring herself before Pesach (Passover)
and needs food to run away with!!!
She needs me to pack the following items:
1 matzo ball cut in half
and put into 2 separate containers
1 pint of chicken soup, again in 2 containers
but not with the matzo balls in it
because she's allergic to matzo!
1/2 roast chicken cut into 4 pieces,
thigh, drumstick, breast & wing,
all packaged individually and labeled
She asks "How many pieces of squash
are in the spaghetti squash with wild mushrooms?
I'd like 4 pieces per package without the mushrooms"
Put the mushrooms in separate packaging
because she doesn't know if she likes the mushrooms
- she can't remember.
Can I make charoses without nuts and
give that to her in 2 containers?
(Polly, charoses or charoset is a
traditional mixture of apples, nuts & wine,
often seasoned with cinnamon and ginger,
and is used at the seder table the first 2 nights.
It's great but without nuts? That's apples and wine!)
For dessert she'd like 1/2 chocolate
chip cookie mousse sandwich cut into 2 pieces
and, of course, wrapped in 2 packages.
And, could she have it delivered to her
at "this institution"
but she'll meet me under the tree
in the parking lot so they don't see her!
All this time, I'm thinking my husband,
Stewart, has put someone up to this
because every year at Pesach he calls
from his office and pretends he's a client
and wants to order "1 huge matzo ball
- just roll it down the freeway to me!"
So I'm beginning to act like a smart ass.
I know, Lisa, you find that hard to believe :-)
Come to find out, she really is
a client's mother who was
just placed in assisted living for dimentia
and really wanted to escape!
I felt very badly for the woman
cuz she had no clue about reality,
but was dying laughing from the way she ordered!
And that, my friends,
was just the tip of today's iceberg.......
(or goldberg, same Jewish sounding name!)
Have a great one guys!!
Mimi Markofsky
Elite Kosher Catering
6800 Drake Road
West Bloomfield MI 48322
office: 248-592-0200
fax: 248-592-0830
cell: 248-535-8600
for those of you in the Detroit area,
Mimi is the one to contact for
Kosher traditional with a flair
delcious catering for Pesach or any kosher need.
for those of you in need of a kosher caterer
for Pesach or beyond,
in the Columbus Ohio
area, I can highly recommend
catering by Chani
Chani Capland
who has a retail shop as well as does off premise
incredible Kosher with a flair catering
614 235-8070
www.chanicooks.com
2942 East Broad St.
Columbus Ohio 43209
Dawn LaRochelle
Bete'Avon! Kosher Catering
(means good eating Kosher Catering)
Apogee Catering
(also Without Reservations Personal Chefs)
413-528-5225 and 914-261-2673
ApogeeCatering@aol.com
48 Russell Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(the Beautiful Berkshires)
www.beteavonkoshercatering.com
www.apogeecatering.com
kosher and non kosher catering
phyl g rubinstein
cook4u
207-829-5213
207-329-6453
phylcooks4u@gmail.com
North Yarmouth
Maine
for non kosher but kosher style
in the south
Polly Mitchell
Mtchl747@aol.com
Café Royale
110 Court Square East
Talladega Alabama 35160
256-362-3681 cafe M-F 10-2
these amazing woman are well reknown in their communities for not only their delicious food and attention to detail and service but for their warm hearts and community minded spirits.
and lucky for me their community extends way beyond the geographical boundaries of where they physically live.
(and it doesn't hurt me either that I live in NYC -
who ever lives and breathes food always finds NYC a mecca)
so maybe that explains why this Bacon and shrimp eating Jewish but not kosher caterer from NYC has all these Kosher catering buddies. Because collectively we share the passion for food, fun and excellence in our lifes work - catering to our clients. Sometimes just by lending a listening ear...
