No! Don't take out that box of "Quick Dinner Fix Up" and "Inflatable Mashed Potatoes." Skip the dehydrated stuff, forget about your favorite restaurant, and give these kosher delicacies a try. POLYNESIAN RICE 3 green onions, sliced 2 T diced pimentos 2 T chopped parsley 2 T margarine 2/3 cup uncooked rice 1/2 cup crushed pineapple 1/2 cup water 1 cup pineapple juice 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds salt to taste were the minor problems of yesterday's kosher chefs. Today's culinary artists must deal with the added dilemma of how to match dietary restrictions with the desire for fancier, lighter meals. Many of the caterers say they turn to the old depen- dable: the cookbook. Albert Rosenberg has more than 700 cookbooks, including a 100-year-old gem called Queen of the Household. "Of course, you'll find recipes (in the older books) that call for 'one shell size' of some ingredient," he says. "You wonder, 'What, a pecan shell? A gun shell?" Magazines and trade shows provide ideas. Some culinary schools are will- ing to share their favorite dishes. Another source of recipe wisdom is the diners themselves. "Customers really do br- with such delicacies as pareve sour cream, bacon- flavored beef strips and even pseudo shrimp, made from white fish. Paul Kohn grimaces at the very thought. "No fake shrimp," he says resolutely. "I don't want to go ersatz. It will never be as good as the real thing, so why do it?" "Anything can be done," Mr. Tewel says. "But that fake shrimp is pretty atrocious to those used to eating the real thing." Pareve sour cream, however, gets thumbs up from the experts and is a valuable tool in many of their recipes. "As good as the real thing," Mr. Tewel says. The key, the men agree, is in being flexible. Ever eager to please the customer, the caterers say they'll try just about any recipe that can be adapted to the laws of kashrut. and offer it to friends," Mr. Linker says. The next stop may be serving the new creation as an appetizer or at a small gathering. Though the vast majority of Sperber's clientele are chicken lovers, even the most adventurous chicken fan may raise an eyebrow at the thought of bird cook- ed in hazelnut liqueur, a Sperber specialty. Mr. Linker urges them to give each new taste sensation a try anyway, "and they seem to come around." What none of the caterers need worry about is dragg- ing out reactions from their customers. "Let me tell you about our Jewish people," Mr. Rosenberg says. "They are not shrinking violets." The Rosenbergs' office wall at Adat Shalom Syn- agogue is covered with photographs of satisfied customers, both the average Joe — or Yoseph — taste so good." ing in recipes," Jeff Rosenberg says. "We do a lot of experi- menting," Mr. Tewel says of his innovations. His re- cent creations have includ- ed saffron rice and grape leaves and lentil soup for a Morroccan-style buffet. At some point, all great kosher chefs must consider the most perplexing of all questions: to fake it or not to fake it? The kosher food market today is flooded "What we don't do is say `no' to anything," Jeff Rosenberg says. Among the Rosenbergs' latest spe- cialties: snow cones and vegetarian chili. "It's a question of inter- pretation," his father adds. "You name it; we serve it. It's all in the flavoring." The employee is often the first to experiment — for better or worse —on a new dish. "We try it out on the staff and the famous dinner speakers. There's singer Barry Manilow, who requested a takeout order of egg rolls for the band, and Evangelical minister Billy Graham. Photos show columnist George Will — "he got a big crowd," Albert Rosenberg recalls — and Sen. Edward Kennedy. Winston Churchill's grandson is pictured, too. One of the elder Saute onions, pimento and parsley in margarine for 2 minutes. Add rice, crushed pineapple, water and pineapple juice. Cook until rice is done (about 6 minutes). Salt to taste and top with almonds. Serves four. — From Sperber's Kosher Catering BROILED HONEY CHICKEN 2 broiler chickens split juice of 2 lemons or 6 T lemon juice 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup honey 1/4 lb. margarine 1 tsp. ground rosemary leaves 1/4 tsp. garlic powder Sprinkle both sides of broilers with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Brush both sides lightly with honey. Blend margarine, rosemary and garlic powder. Place chicken, skin side down, on broiler pan. Spread half the mix- ture over the chicken and broil for 20 minutes. Turn and spread remaining mixture on the other side of chicken. Broil an addi- tional 20 minutes or until done. Serves 4-6. — From Farmington Meadows Kosher Catering HALIBUT PACIFIC COAST 4 oz. boneless cured halibut cut into 1 oz. pieces 1 4" twig of rosemary 2 sprigs rosemary leaves Skewer halibut on rosemary twig. CURE FOR HALIBUT 1 oz. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. ground bay leaf 1/2 tsp. ground allspice 1 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. ground clove 1 tsp. ground white pepper Mix together. Rub over halibut. Wrap in clear wrap for two hours. GARNISH 1 T tomato 1/4" diced peeled and seeded 1 T pineapple 1/4" diced 1/2 T minced rosemary 2 T cooked black beans BLACK BEAN SAUCE 1/2 cup cooked black beans 1/2 cup halibut stock 2 minced shallots 2 cloves minced garlic 2 T lime juice 1 T tomato puree 1/4 serrano chili minced 1/2 tsp. curry powder 1/4 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. cinnamon Saute shallots and garlic until golden. Add chilis, spices, lime juice and tomato puree. Heat 2 minutes. Process with black beans until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Add bean broth to pouring consistency. Put halibut skewers in preheated 375-degree oven for 5-7 minutes. Place sauce on bottom of plate. Put skewer in center. Add rosemary sprigs to top of skewer. Sprinkle tomato, pine- apple and beans around skewer. Add chopped rosemary. — From Quality Kosher Catering BROILED DUCK BREASTS WITH APRICOT MUSTARD GLAZE 2 whole ducks about 4.5 pounds each salt freshly ground pepper 1 clove garlic slivered Apricot Mustard Glaze 1/2 cup apricot jam 3 T mustard 3 T soy sauce 3 T honey 1 clove garlic minced Wash ducks and pat dry. Remove innards, and THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 27