October 29th, 2010...Yontiff

Shabbos is observed from a few minutes before sunset every Friday evening until a few minutes after the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday evening. Its a chance for families, jewish or not, to sit down as a family, appreciate life and each other and reflect on the week.  In my home, we do say all the necessary prayers, etc. but we also eat really really well, a precedent set by my mother in law.  Yontiff is the yiddish term for Holiday.  Normally one says Gut Yontiff to another during a jewish holiday like Sukkot, Purim or Passover.  In our family Halloween is also a Yontiff and a very important one, so this Shabbos needed to be extra special.  The meal was seasonal and halloween themed and I have to say, A SUCCESS!


The Menu:
Devilish Deviled Eggs: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/devilish-eggs?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/halloween-recipes-and-appetizers#slide_19 
Mesa Grill's Pumpkin Soup: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/mesa-grills-pumpkin-soup-with-mexican-cinnamon-creme-fraiche-and-toasted-pumpkin-seeds-recipe/index.html
Stuffing (per my husband's request): Mix and recipe from the Mrs. Cubbison's Box
Salad: Just threw together whatever veggies I had in the fridge (Iceberg, red pepper, tomato, avocado, crispy onions and craisins)
Crab Cakes: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crab-Cakes-and-Baby-Greens-with-Lemon-Vinaigrette-5762


For our Shabbos table we like to fancy up the occasion and use our good dishes, utensils and glasses.  So many people have beautiful china that they maybe use once a year.  As far as my husband and I are concerned, everything is replaceable and there's no reason to have something if you're not going to use it.  Plus it makes the meal somehow feel more elegant.  We have a beautiful challah (bread) cover and kiddush (wine) cup that our cousins got us and stunning candle sticks for the Shabbos rituals.  

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the soup.  I wish I did because I added the Creme Fraiche in the shape of spider webs on top of the soup.  The pumpkin soup was a little spicy but was calmed by the creme (as a Vegan alternative I used Toffuti sour cream for me soup which tasted very similar). While I prepared the soup I put the Devilish deviled eggs on the table.  The one change I would have made to the recipe is I would have added less salt and less cayenne, I adjusted by adding a little more mayo and two extra yolks.  They tasted fantastic and were a fun and easy way to add some Halloween flair.

The salad is my go to salad, and I make it pretty frequently. Just lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, crunchy onions and Craisins...I added red pepper this time because I had some left over after decorating the deviled eggs. I usually make the dressing from scratch using some aged balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil, minced garlic, honey, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.  It's a very tasty dressing and fairly healthy!

I got the crab for the Crab Cakes from a place called Santa Monica Seafood http://www.santamonicaseafood.com/  They have the freshest fish and if I had to get fish from anywhere it would be here.  Sometimes the budget doesn't allow for it, but on this special holiday I thought I'd splurge.I also substituted the breadcrumbs with Panko (which you should be able to get at any super market).  My dinner guest said that it made the crab cakes much less sawdusty because they didn't over power the crab. Some people prefer to bake the crab cakes and that works for a healthier option but I went with the oil in the pan.  They turned out absolutely delicious.  High marks from our dinner guest who is a crab cake aficionado. (I'm finishing this entry on Saturday morning, I used the leftover crab cakes and made crab cake benedict by putting a poached egg on top of the crab cake, it was uber yummy.)

It's important to note that for the majority of my recipes I use Margarine instead of real unsalted butter because I can't eat dairy.  If you use margarine you generally can use less salt because margarine is much saltier than butter.  Sometimes baked goods cook up differently but in soups, etc. it doesn't make much of a difference, to me at least, plus it means I actually get to eat the food that I cook.  I have very strange diet, I don't eat dairy or meat, but I do eat fish and eggs so I am not as limited as some.  There are ways to make most meals 100% vegan or close to it, so if you have any substitution questions feel free to ask.  


Now I just have to clean up...ugh.