The Culinary Connoisseur
Voila! Jewish Food in France
approximately 2000 years so it’s no wonder that each culture has had an
influence on the other. There are countless tales debating the origins of
cabbage stews, cholent (from the words chaud–“hot and lent–
“slow”; a slow cooking hot dish) and other common foods. It is often unclear if
a dish was invented by Jewish cooks and popularized by Gentiles or the other
way around. Either way, lots of our traditional Ashkenazi foods can trace their
origins to France. Some dishes, however, are uniquely French like fricassee and
pletzl—a type of flat onion roll. In fact, the Jewish quarter in Paris is
colloquially referred to as “the Pletzl!”
Pletzl
This delicious French bread is great for mopping up
sauce from your plate!
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 cup water
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2 to 3 cups diced onion, to taste
Place 4 cups of flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and the sugar. Add the eggs, water, ¼ cup of the vegetable
oil and the salt. Mix well and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth, adding more
flour if necessary. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, turning the dough to
coat lightly with the oil, cover and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to
375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
Divide the dough into 12 pieces and form into balls. Roll or flatten each ball to
about 6 inches in diameter. Put the dough on the cookie sheets and press down
the center to leave about a slightly higher inch-wide edge all around. Brush
the dough with cold water and sprinkle about some diced onion in each
indentation. Brush the edges of the rounds with vegetable oil and sprinkle
generously with poppy seeds. Let sit for 15 minutes uncovered.
Bake for 20 minutes until pletzls are golden brown. Serve warm
tradition but it can be enjoyed on Pesach as well.
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/3 cups dry white wine
3 fuji or gala apples, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
freshly ground pepper to taste and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon.
top. Pour the chicken broth and wine
over the chicken, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.
sugar. After the chicken has been cooking for 45 minutes, add the apples to the
pan. Baste with the wine, and roast for about 45 more minutes, or until the
apples are very soft and the chicken is cooked.
with your entrée or as a light dessert.
1 stick margarine, softened3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
12 small (Hungarian or Italian) plums, pitted and cut in half
flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. Batter will be
soft.
9” quiche dish. Arrange the plum halves or slices on the batter. Mix the cinnamon with the remaining sugar and
sprinkle over the top.
in the center comes out clean. Remove
from the oven and let cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired. Serves 8
Alsatian Challah Kugel with Pears
like this version, include onions, which add a savory dimension to the
sweetness of the fruit and the dough.
2 pounds ripe Bosc pears
2 small onions (about 1/2 pound), peeled diced
Kosher salt to taste
7-8 slices challah, about 8 ounces
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 cups pitted prunes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
springform pan with 2 tablespoons of the oil.
heat in a frying pan. Lightly sauté the onions until they are
translucent. Remove from the heat, salt to taste and let them cool.
squeeze out as much water as you can. Put in a large bowl and add ¼ cup
of the sugar, and the remaining oil. Stir in the eggs, onions, and half
of the diced pears, setting aside the remaining pears for the sauce.
hours.
heavy saucepan put 1 cup of water, the remaining ½ cup of sugar, the prunes,
cinnamon, lemon juice, and the remaining diced pears. Cook this
mixture over medium-high heat, uncovered for 30 minutes.
rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Spoon half of the compote over it and
allow it to soak into the kugel. Remove from the springform and serve the
remaining compote on the side.