A Real
Party Gal

page 126

'6-1911*&;,&

The Scene
Happenings

ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

D

on't do what I did one
year.
Looking to impress
the family with my culi-
nary prowess, I took it upon myself
to buck tradition. I devised a
gourmet holiday menu with none
of the old standards. Cooking took
longer, but it was well worth the
effort. Or so I thought.
But when it came time for the
hungry worshippers to eat, they all
wanted the traditional stuff.
Well, as Jew, I know the mean-
ing of "never again." This year will
be no different.
The Neila, "closure or closing of
the gate," in which the Gates of
Heaven symbolically close and the
solitary wail of the shofar marks
the end of the Yom Kippur service
and 25-hour abstinence from all
food and liquids. Then Shema

Yisroel Hashem eloheynu Hashem
echad will be recited and it's home

for the breaking of the fast. A
quick Havdala ceremony at home
precedes the first forkful of food.
From then on it's time to fres.
When planning a party — even
a break-fast — many folks think
they want to do something a little
different from past years. I know I
do. I want more than the smoked
salmon and bagels.
Then the reality of the break-fast
hits home — break-fast must be a
simple meal for many reasons.
Firstly, it has been said that after
a long period of not eating, one
must ease into the eating mode.

Vegetable frittata

died and true wins for the breaking of the fast.

Another reason is that of all holi-
days in the year, Yom Kippur is
considered a Shabbat Shabbaton, a
sabbath of complete rest. That
means that on Yom Kippur there is
literally no time during the day
that cooking is permitted.
So we often opt for the easy
food: lox, bagels, tuna salad, fresh
fruit, blintz souffle or kugel. These
foods are hardly unsatisfactory.
Let's face it. To many people,
myself included, this menu is
dreamy. After all, what's better than
a bagel with lox and cream cheese?
If you're going to get fancy at
the break-fast, it's best to do it with
side dishes and desserts. A favorite
and easy recipe is blintz souffle,
made with store-bought blintzes

and a custard of egg, sour cream
and sugar (it's so popular, in fact,
that the recipe is often printed
right on the box of King Kold
cheese blintzes).
Other break-fast standards
include smoked whitefish or chubs,
sable and creamed herring.
For a little variation though —
without getting too crazy — opt
for some variety on the side. A fruit
and cheese casserole or six-ingredi-
ent kugel is a great alternative to
the back-of-the-box souffle.
A frittata, an Italian-style
omelet, is a simple make-ahead
dish that offers a change from
scrambled eggs. And baked salmon
salad with a cool-as-a-cucumber
salad is a cinch to prepare and a

pag

tasty and colorful change from
Chicken of the Sea. Topping it off
with an easy coffee cake is fresh,
impressive and comforting.
In the end, what unusual or dif-
ferent side dishes do is add interest
without fuss ... and complaints. So
bring home the tray. Stab into
some slices of lcd or smoked
salmon. Spread on the cream
cheese and fill up a soup bowl with
fresh-cut fruit. That's just fine. But
sneak in a few great sides like these
here for novelty's sake or just to see
who is paying attention.
Maybe next year you can break
the fast with a layered smoked fish
terrine with goat cheese omelets
and thin basil and garlic bagel
toasts. Just kidding.

ti

FRUIT AND CHEESE
CASSEROLE
Its as easy as making blintz casserole
and it tastes just like blintz casserole
— only better because it's homemade.
This recipe is based on one from a
good friend.
Bottom layer:
5 large eggs
1 1/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sour cream
4 T. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
Middle layer:
2 c. cottage cheese
2 c. ricotta cheese
(lowfat is okay)
2 eggs
2 T. sugar, plus 2 T. sugar
3 c. blueberries or raspberries

Ye.

9/17