Who’s in the kitchen Purim: Be a guest at your own seudah

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Purim, it’s that time of year again.

The most festive, feel good holiday of the year, with drink till you drop, feast till you’re stuffed and over the top partying while masquerading. And it’s the only holiday that will continue to be celebrated after Mashiach comes.

I have so many fond memories of Purim.

It was as if it were yesterday that I was dressed up as Queen Esther delivering mishloach manot. In reality I was about seven. In those days, parents didn’t drive around the neighborhood stopping in front of every house as their kids grabbed a package from the trunk to deliver.

We left our homes, with three or four mishloach manot packages in tow and walked to our destinations. We also didn’t have the over the top creations, each with it’s own theme, that abound today. I remember so vividly, my mom placing about five pieces of pastry on each plate in it’s own gold foiled paper cup. Of course there had to be two brachot so there was either a shiny apple or a perfectly round orange placed in the middle of the plate. Try as I might, inevitably, no matter how careful I was, the apple or orange always ended up on top of one of the pastries.

Fast forward to age twelve, when kids our age were too cool to dress up anymore. Not, me though, I loved the idea of dressing up and being creative. So, when I asked my dear friend Fay Levitz (Elefant) to dress as a clock, and she refused, I hounded her till she gave in. While all the other kids were delivering their mishloach manot packages in their mod patent leather (70s) boots, we were walking the streets with our faces painted (with eyeliner) with numerals and our noses adorned with the hour and minute hands.

Fay, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to you!

Whether you decide to send mishloach manot with a theme, an elegantly wrapped bottle of wine and some chocolate dipped hamantashen, or bake a load full of goodies, I’m sure you’re all going to be busy in the days leading up to Purim, and busy preparing for Shabbat right after, so why not opt for a buffet in place of the standard sit down formal dinner for your seudah.

You can prepare a lot of the dishes in advance and set them out right as your guests arrive. Then you can enjoy the seudah along with your family and friends.

 For those of you who want to get a little creative, add different heights to your table.

Start with a tablecloth that comes down at least halfway to the floor. Then gather up some hatboxes, shoe or boot boxes or just about any boxes that will withstand the weight of a serving dish. Next take a matching tablecloth or one that will coordinate with the one already on the table. Cover the tabletop including all the boxes and then smooth the top tablecloth around the bottom of the boxes so they are fully covered. The top tablecloth will have a drapery look around the boxes, which is the effect you want to achieve. Some serving dishes should be placed on top of the boxes; others should be placed on the table. You can adorn the table with elegant feathered masks, or flowers, I’ll leave that up to you!

Below, find a sample menu you can follow and a recipe for Cornish hens. Feel free to add your favorites.

 

Menu

n Large challah and assorted rolls

n Garden salad mixed with your favorite dressing (for an added crunch add a handful of Terra Stix) 

n Pasta salad with lightly stir fried vegetables glazed with Mikee Garlic Stir-Fry and Rib Sauce

n Hot wings (to keep the kids happy)

n Deli roll glazed with apricot sauce

n Brick roast

n Honey Ginger Glazed Cornish Hens stuffed with rice and cranberries

n Colored peppers stuffed with wild rice, caramelized onions and cranberries

 n Cubed potatoes and sweet potatoes baked with strained sautéed onions, garlic, salt and touch of honey till golden brown.

n Dessert...May I suggest when your family and friends ask what they can bring, tell them dessert would be great!

 

Honey Ginger Glazed Cornish Hens

n 12 Cornish hens,

n 1 cup dry sherry

n 1 cup onions, minced

n 1/3 cup honey

n 1/4 cup soy sauce

n 1 tablespoon ginger root, minced

n 1 tablespoon garlic, minced

n 2 teaspoons salt

Place hens in one or more baking pans, breast side up. Combine sherry, honey, soy sauce, ginger root, garlic and salt in bowl. Mix well. Pour over hens. Bake in preheated conventional oven at 375F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until chicken is no longer pink. Baste occasionally with pan juices during cooking. Remove from oven. Transfer hens to clean pan. Strain pan juices into saucepan. Discard solids. Cook over high heat for 7 to 10 minutes or until reduced by half, stirring constantly. Pour sauce evenly over hens.

Enjoy your seudah whether as a guest or a host, and if you happen to see any clocks walking around this year, remember, that was my original idea back in the 70s.....my good friend Fay will vouch for that.

Judy Joszef is a pastry and personal chef as well as a party planner. She spent 18 years as a pastry chef at Abigael’s, The Cedar Club, Centro and T42 in the Five Towns, before launching her current business, Soireé. She can be contacted at Judy.soiree@gmail.com.