Sunday, March 25, 2012

Celebrating Passover in NYC - at the Actor's Temple Hells Kitchen NYC

festive displays - Spring is in the air
The culinary team of CuisinEtc Catering NYC is thrilled to be producing our fifth year of 2nd Night Passover Seder at the Actor's Temple - a vibrant community "where spirituality meets creativity", in the heart of the theatre district in NYC.  Lead by the lovely Rabbi Jill Hausman, whose beautiful Cantorial voice chants the traditional prayers and songs of Passover, this community Seder is an event the culinary team of CuisinEtc Catering NYC always look forward to!

Thank you Rabbi Jill and congregation of the Actors Temple for allowing us the honor to serve you over the past five years for this wonderful Passover Seder in the heart of midtown Manhattan!

Take a look at this year's menu listed below
for the Actors Temple 2nd night Passover Seder feastivites.

The Actor's Temple Passover Seder is open to the public, for details and payment options, please sign up here - and consider becoming a member of the Actor's Temple or donating so that they can continue to help community members who look forward to the Passover event each year - The Passover tradition is one where the door is always open to Elijah and to whom ever needs a place at the table!  The warm vibrant congregation, lead by Rabbi Jill will appreciate your support and you will love their community!  

Pesach 2012
Saturday April  07, 2012  at the Actor's Temple, NYC
Menu  for Passover Seder Buffet 

..Tilapia Temptation
Creamy tender freshly cooked fresh tilapia filets 
in a sundried tomato, herb and shallot buerre blanc 

.. Sephardic Sweet Potato
Yemenite style sweet potatoes kissed with cumin and cardamom

..Vegetarian Alternative:
Egg battered zucchini roll ups stuffed with creamy cheese
+ fresh baby spinach and veggies

..Jewish Asian Broccoli Salad
Thai inspired broccoli, cashew and mandarin orange salad

..Pesach Caesar Salad
Our famous Caesar salad with housemade dressing 
and shaved Parmesan (no anchovies, no croutons)

includes our fabulous signature rivers of chocolate
Rivers of Kosher for Pesach Chocolate
with a selection of fresh fruit, Kosher for Passover Marshmallows,
and Chef Andrew's housemade macaroons for dipping.

please check out and enjoy a selection of photos from previous year's Passover Seder catering.  You can also read some of our past adventures with  Passover catering menus and stories, here and here and here and here and here.  And scroll down to the bottom for some fabulous Passover dessert recipes.


enjoy our infamous Caesar Salad

vibrant salads and fresh spring displays
broccoli mandarin salad is a favorite!  



passover seder catering at the Actor's Temple
this will be our fifth year.



the Actor's temple was Jack Benny's
Temple as was true for many of the old time greats of Broadway and Off Broadway


everyone's favorite is the chocolate dipping pond!

creamy tilapia with artichokes and leeks

Our team enjoys catered Passover seder for the Actor's Temple and you!
We love working with Rabbi Jill Hausman, Congregation President Dan Feld 
and  the great team from  the Actors Temple in Hell's Kitchen New York City
on the west side of Manhattan
although real estate agents in the past 20 years have

renamed  Hells Kitchen "Clinton" or Clinton Heights
but the traditional New York City name
is Hells Kitchen and as New Yorkers,
http://www.theactorstemple.org/history.html

It's a neighborhood near and dear to our hearts.




The culinary team here at cuisinEtc Catering and Events, NYC will
embark on our fifth culinary adventure with a non traditional second night passover seder catering for this beloved and wonderful historic temple
or as my kosher frum friends would say
That may be a Pesach Seder - but it's certainly not kosher.


Full Disclosure:  Please note that given the right circumstances, with access to a kosher kitchen and with access to kosher cooking utensils, the culinary team from CuisinEtc Catering has produced fully kosher meals many times, under full rabbinical supervision, but in this case, it's modern Judaism at it's best, conforming to the ideas of the tradition, community and celebration, but not to the letter of the halaca kosher law.



Please enjoy these 
special Passover Recipes  for Lisa Teiger, 
the Culinary Fashionista's 
Triple  Chocolate Threat  Mousse Cake
 and for Aunt Fifi's Blintz Cupcakes.



The Culinary Fashionista’s 
Infamous Triple Chocolate Threat 
Passover Mousse Cake Recipe

Great anytime but especially for perfect for Passover since it is flour-less.

The original recipe which we have tweaked a bit over the years 
calls for making the batter, baking half of it and using half as a topping/mousse on the cake.

It makes fabulous cake 
but not as delicious for topping 
as the signature mousse recipe from our executive Chef AndrewAlexander-Crossan's repertoire.

So use this to make 2 base cakes and use the mousse recipe below to create the topping

8                      yolks
2/3 cup                        sugar
9 oz                 melted semi sweet good quality chocolate
                        cooled
8                        whites
2 T                  sugar
pinch               finely ground sea salt

use a bit of cocoa powder to dust pan
You can oil with butter, margarine or pam
depending on needs – dairy or parve.

Preheat oven to 350  Lightly butter/spray  and dust cocoa powder on sides of

2 x  10” springform pans (each 3” deep) 

Line bottom of pan with circle of parchment paper – We prefer parchment for everything

Gradually add 2/3 cup of sugar to egg yolks with mixer running, 

beat until light and fluffy, 

Slowly beat in melted cooled chocolate

Beat whites until they hold soft peaks, 

Add the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and pinch of sea salt
and beat until stiff peaks but still glossy,. 

Fold whites gently into chocolate/egg mixture until streaks disappear.

Divide batter in half and pour or spoon into the pre-prepared spring form pans.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes @ 350 degrees F
If convection oven 15-20 minutes

NOTE”
Under bake slightly, should be pulling away from sides
but still soft in center. Cool on wire rack –

According to my notes, I have also done 18 minutes then left for 5 additional with oven turned off before pulling out.  (in regular oven not convection oven btw)

When cake is completely cool remove sides and pipe on chocolate orange mousse and decorates with white chocolate curls

Or pipe concentric circles of chocolate mousse
with white chocolate mousse using your favorite white chocolate mousse recipe.

Chef Andrew’s Chocolate Orange Mousse Recipe

16 oz choc – best quality chocolate is important for taste
6-7 T frozen OJ concentrate  - room temp or warm – not chilled
½ cup cointreau or orange flavored water if you cann’t use alcohol
1 cup granulated sugar
6 eggs separated - at room temperature
3 cups heavy cream  - we like extra heavy cream if you can get it.
½ oz (6 sheets) gelatin (kosher for Passover if that’s a concern)

melt chocolate over bain maire,  add yolks, cointreau, and OJ concentrate (heat up in microwave to take chill off of OJ – so everything especially the chocolate doesn’t seize)

heat gelatin to dissolve, add to chocolate and stir in.

Whisk egg whites, add sugar, salt, then  whip cream, fold all 3 mixtures together (egg whites, whipped cream, flavored chocolate) . 

And voila… elegant and outrageously delicious mousse

try it frozen – delish !

Note:  because there is no flour in the cake and it’s essentially a baked mousse soufflĂ©,  the cake just melts in your mouth…  Please let me know how these recipes worked for you and what adaptations/spins you might have added. 





Life is a journey,
Let us help you make it a delicious one!!


Lisa Teiger
Culinary Fashionista
CuisinEtc Catering and Events
More than just great food…


Please contact Lisa Teiger, Culinary Fashionista and owner, Cuisinetc Catering and Events  if you would have an  event you need out of the box catering and planning services for!  Tradition blended with innovation, served with style, warmth and professional hospitality is what we are known for.   Here's a review that Rabbi Jill wrote about CuisinEtc last year.


CuininEtc has catered our fish & vegetable Passover Seder at The Actors' Temple for the past five years. The food is delicious, beautifully presented, and she is a pleasure to work with. Her prices are reasonable and she works to customize a menu that is good for the client. I highly recommend this caterer.  Rabbi Jill Hausman

kiddush catering for NYC bar mitzvah kiddush

Rondele Cheese Torta 
can be personalized 
with your child's initial

beautiful + fun oneg shabbat
with hummus display with pita and veggie petals
 flanked by caprese Italian "lollipops"
fresh mozzarella with herbs + cherry tomato
skewered into tomatoes on the vine, samosa bites, rugelach + more


Med Rim Mezze – choose any four (4) bountiful displays

...duo of endive spears roasted pepper hummous
     & smoked salmon mousse

... dried apricot clamshells stuffed with herbed cheese mousse
& studded with cran-raisons

...feta & red pepper dolmatis

.. duo of foccacia bytes: 
brie with mango chutney + tomato/mozzasrella

.. duo of mini byte sized biscuits
with Jewish whitefish salad + Vidalia egg salad

...filo cups stuffed with blue cheese & fig chutney

...bountiful fresh fruit + berry display

...rainbow cookies, mini black & white cookies, + rugelach

**beverage + paper goods included:
sodas and waters, napkins and disposable cups and paper tablecloth for food and beverage display.  Upgrades available to linen and glassware.




fresh fruit is always appreciated for those seeking gluten free options
and the bounty of the season -
easy to eat, healthy -  vegan - gluten free
- wheat free - dairy free - fod map options

can be provided for your New York City Oneg Shabbat
Bar Mitzvah
and Bat Mitzvah food after services and celebrations.

For full service catering ideas, jump over and check out cuisinEtc's presentations and menus for some bar mitzvah favs -
 Rock the House Bar Mitzvah moments catering
and Sophie's Sophisticated Bat Mitzvah Celebration
fun fun  fun... Dr. Who Themed Cake
& Top your own gluten free Cheesecake Martini Bar.











customized asian take out boxes with the bar mitzvah celebrant's name and date
med rim station with kid friendly foccacia pizzettes, nonna's baked ziti, white bean tapenade sunflowers
 and a bevy of grilled vegetables resting atop of bed of greens on a riser with Jewish Star Shapes garnishing the table.


Check out this wonderful CuisinEtc Bar Mitzvah Catering Video produced by ShadowLounge Studios





Eat these said the Queen, Caprese Skewers with fresh marinated mozzarella and cherry tomato



a handcrafted wooden truck holds cocktail sized smoked salmon delights


Saturday, March 24, 2012

welcome to our cuisinEtc catering and events, Simca-licious blogspot.

 Highlighting  and featuring fabulous bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah celebrations, simchas, temple events and other Jewish holidays such as Passover (Pesach), Simcat Torah, Shavout and many others that  CuisinEtc  has participated in over the years for our New York City and Metro Tri-State Jewish community and beyond.  Coming to you from NYC but always going beyond...


Contact Lisa Teiger
Culinary Fashionista and Owner of CuisinEtc Catering + Events NYC
646-932-3496
www.cuisinetc.net

Kosher Style Catering available
producing Bar Mitzvahs, Bat Mitzvahs,  Large Seders, Temple Community Events and more, serving clients in NYC, Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Connecticut, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Northern California.

Life is a journey, let us help you make it a delicious one.