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Bringing Home The Bagels

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Jeff Smith cooks up
tzimmes.

everal weeks ago The Jewish News brought
you a scoop that even the National Enquir-
er missed: the favorite Jewish foods of some
of this country's most interesting celebrities.
We revealed then that bagels and chick-
en soup top the list, with their devoted fans
including Bob Hope, "NYPD Blue's" Den-
nis Franz, William Buckley Jr. and Jack
Nicklaus.
It turns out some other leading figures also
love bagels, starting with New York Mayor
Rudy Gruiliani
"Let me first protest the difficulty of mak-
ing a choice," the mayor said. "There are so
many tempting foods to choose from.
"If pressed, however, I will admit to being
partial to a particular kind of New York bagel
— the 'everything' bagel, which has poppy
seeds, onions, garlic and sesame seeds. I think
that the 'everything' bagel is probably worth
a trip to New York City."
Bagels have another fan in best-selling au-
thor Sidney Sheldon, whose works include
The Other Side of Midnight and Rage of An-
gels.
Mr. Sheldon loves lox and bagels — "hold
the onions."
But don't underestimate the power of the

blintz. Its devotees include the most success-
ful producer in the history of television.
Aaron Spelling was born in Dallas, the
son of a Russian-Jewish immigrant tailor. Fol-
lowing high school, he served in the Air Force
where he earned the Purple Heart. He was
discharged in 1945, and while attending col-
lege began writing plays.
Mr. Spelling, who is responsible for such
programs as "Charlie's Angels," "Beverly Hills
90210" and "The Love Boat," says he loves
blintzes.
He has them three times a week for break-
fast, but topped only with sour cream. "My
mother taught me never to mess up a good
blintz with jam or jelly!"
Dr. Joyce Brothers also is a blintz fan,
and she recommends checking out the blintz
recipe in From My Mother's Kitchen.
"When my mom died, I did not think I
would ever experience another great blintz,"
the psychologist said. "But Mimi Sheraton's
cookbook has a great recipe."
With the big elections just over, political ob-
servers are no doubt looking for something
tasty with which to celebrate, or else drown
their sorrows. Tipper Gore has just the thing.
The wife of the vice president says a fami-
ly favorite is Tennessee Treats, a tempting
dish she received from the Jewish grand-
mother of a friend.
Also, Mrs. Gore notes, "your readers should
know that the recipe is parve.":
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites
2 T honey
1 tsp. baking powder dissolved in 114 cup
boiling water
2 cups flour
112 tsp. cinnamon
118 tsp. allspice
1 /2 tsp. ground cloves
112 tsp. salt
112 cup raisins
112 cup chopped dates
112 cup walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350
degrees. In a large mix-
ing bowl, combine brown
sugar and eggs. Add
honey and stir. Add bak-
ing powder to water and
mix. Add water to mix-
ing bowl. Combine flour
and spices and stir into
mixture. Add remaining
ingredients and stir.
Pour into greased
8x12" baking pan. Bake
350 degrees for 30-40
minutes. To determine
when treats are ready, in-
sert toothpick. A nearly
dry toothpick indicates
they are done. Cut into
squares while warm.

A new entry in the favorite Jewish foods of
the famous and interesting comes from the
master chef himself, Jeff. Smith.
Better known as the "Frugal Gourmet," Mr.
Smith says he loves tzimmes.
"I find tzimmes to be one of the most corn-
forting things that I know in the food world,"
he says. "It is rich beyond belief, not terribly
expensive, and actually a complete meal in it-
self."
Mr. Smith's favorite tzimmes recipe:
1 4-pound beef brisket
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and
chopped coarse
2 ribs celery, chopped coarse
1 /4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups beef stock
juice of 1 lemon
3 whole cloves
1 1 /2" piece cinnamon stick or 112 tsp.
ground cinnamon
1 112 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and
quartered
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2"
squares
1 12 oz. box pitted prunes
1 T. honey
2 T. distilled white vinegar

Season the brisket lightly with salt and pep-
per. Place the
meat on a rack
in a large roast-
ing pan. Brown
the beef, fatty
side up, in a
preheated 475-
degree oven for
25 minutes. Re-
move the meat
on the rack and
set aside. Add
the onions, cel-
ery, and parsley
to the roasting
pan. Place the
browned brisket
Tipper Gore:
on top of the veg-
Tennessee treats.
etables, without
the roasting rack. Add the beef
stock, lemon juice, cloves and cin-
namon stick. Cover the pan with
a lid or aluminum foil. Reduce the
oven temperature to 300 degrees
and bake the brisket for 2 hours
and 15 minutes. Remove the pan
from the oven and add the sweet
potatoes, carrots and prunes. Mix
the honey with the vinegar and
pour over the meat. Return the pan
to the oven and bake, covered, for
1 hour and 15 minutes. Season
with salt and pepper to taste. Slice
the meat and serve with the veg-
etables and sauce that has formed
Sidney Sheldon: The other side M
in the pan. ❑

Sidney is a bagel lover.

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