Cheesecake Time with the Iconic Eli’s Cheesecake (#36)

Cheesecake Time with the Iconic Eli’s Cheesecake (#36)

Jun 9, 2019 | Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

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Guest: Marc & Maureen Schulman

I’ve heard about Eli’s Cheesecake for years, and not because I live in Chicago. When I knew Shavout was coming up I thought it would be the perfect time to see if I could get an interview with Marc Schulman, President of Eli’s Cheesecake. It turned into a great conversation with Marc, learning more about this company and their cheesecakes. I even had the opportunity to talk with Maureen, his wife and co-creator of their amazing cookbook: Eli’s Cheesecake Cookbook- Remarkable Recipes from a Chicago Legend. Warning: you might want to have some cheesecake handy, it will be difficult to listen to the episode and not have some at the ready … just saying.

Check out the giant cheesecake below- it was made in Chicago and traveled all the way to Washington DC for President Obama’s Inauguration in 2013.

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Cookbook Recommendation
Time for Matzo – Already? Happy Passover! (#35)

Time for Matzo – Already? Happy Passover! (#35)

Apr 16, 2019 | Blog, Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

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Guest: Marcy Goldman

Passover is here and what better way to get into the season of matzo than time to talk with writer and cookbook author, chef and inventor of Matzo Crack, Marcy Goldman! Marcy is my first Big Schmear guest from Canada. We had a great time talking about Jewish food in Montreal and of course learning more about Marcy and her new cookbook: The Newish Jewish Cookbook. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode so you can hear about the many things Marcy does that are food related (she has a lot more cookbooks you’ll want to check out) and some other interests she has that you might find quite interesting.  I love discovering new people with a passion for Jewish food and it’s great fun to share it with all of you.Newish Jewish Cookbook

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It’s Always Deli Time at Mamaleh’s in Cambridge, MA (#34)

It’s Always Deli Time at Mamaleh’s in Cambridge, MA (#34)

Apr 8, 2019 | Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

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Guest: Alon Munzer, Co-Owner of Mamaleh’s Delicatessen & Restaurant

Whenever I’m in the Boston area to visit with family one of my new favorite restaurant stops is Mamaleh’s Deli in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I made a promise to myself after my visit in December that whenever my next trip to Boston would take place I would find a way to be more than a diner at Mamahleh’s. My goal was to manage to get an interview with one of the co-owners so I could get the inside story on this wonderful place. I managed to do just that in March. I had the opportunity to talk with Alon Munzer and it was great fun. Alon was generous with his time and was a wonderful host and even better we had a great conversation about Mamaleh’s. I hope you enjoy the episode and if you get a chance to stop in let them know you heard about their deli from The Big Schmear! I also encourage you to try out his family recipe for Chopped Liver.

Mamaleh's

 

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More on Dough with Challah Hub (#33)

More on Dough with Challah Hub (#33)

Mar 18, 2019 | Culture, Episodes, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:52 — 46.5MB) | Embed

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Guest: Sarah Klegman of Challah Hub

I had a great time talking with Sarah Klegman, co-founder of Challah Hub. This is another virtual challah story taking place in Los Angeles. Sarah and I talked a lot about challah and about Sarah’s life outside of baking. At the very least you owe it to yourself to check out Challah Hub’s website for amazing photos of what’s possible with Challah. They are so generous with recipes, baking and braiding instructions and innovative ideas of what makes a great challah. Give the show a listen and check out their amazing vegan challah recipe they’ve shared with me.

The photo above is Sara Klegman and co-founder Elina Tilipman. Photo by Sally Claire.

 

 

Recipe from this Episode
The Original Vegan Challah – Challah Hub Style

The Original Vegan Challah – Challah Hub Style

Mar 18, 2019 | Culture, Food, Jewish, Recipe

The Original Vegan Challah

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 pkt rapid rise yeast
  • 3-4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
  • flour (extra flour for kneading and braiding)

Egg Replacement Mixture

  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp warm water
  • 3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
  1. 1. Empty your yeast packet into a small bowl. Add a pinch of sugar and pour 1 cup warm water over top and stir lightly. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes or so until bubbly and creamy. After that, add 2 tablespoons of veggie or coconut oil to the yeast mix in the same small bowl.

    2. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, ½ cup sugar. Whisk well.

    3. Egg replacement time: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons veggie or coconut oil, 3 tablespoons warm water and 2 teaspoons baking powder (it will fizz). Then, pour into your yeast bowl.

    4. Add the yeast and egg replacement mixtures to your bowl of dry ingredients, stirring as you pour.

    5. Mix dough with a spatula or wooden spoon, then get in there with your hands and knead until smooth.

    6. Add up to 1 cup additional flour until dough leaves the side of the bowl

    7. Coat the inside of a big bowl lightly with oil and drop your ball of dough inside.

    8. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise on your counter for 2 hours.

    9. After your dough has doubled in size, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface.

    10. Gently knead the dough to get out any big air bubbles, then braid as desired.

    11. Place your braided dough onto a lightly greased and foil – lined baking sheet.

    12. Cover with damp cloth and let rise 1 more hour.

    13. Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees, and toss that bad boy inside for 26-32 minutes.

    14. Once it is evenly golden brown on top, take your challah out of the oven, place on a cooling rack.

    15. Do not cover. Allow to cool, then put it in your face.

Challah Baking Schedule
30 Min prep
2 Hours first rise
20 Min braiding
1 Hour second rise
25-35 Minutes oven time

Straight from the folks at Challah Hub: Bringing your challah to a dinner party? Never cover a hot challah! It’ll get soggy and sad. Transport uncovered on someone’s lap (we call this person the Guardian of the Challah), or wait until it totally cools, then wrap in foil.

 

Mexican Jewish Flavors: Masa Madre (#32)

Mexican Jewish Flavors: Masa Madre (#32)

Mar 5, 2019 | Culture, Food, Jewish, Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:11 — 40.1MB) | Embed

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Guests: Tamar Fasja Unikel & Elena Vazquez

It’s all about a very cool virtual bakery in Chicago’s PIlson neighborhood. The story starts with two college friends from Mexico City that discover they both like to bake. Fast forward a few years and they find each other a few years later in Chicago, both still baking. They decide to do this for real and start a company called Masa Madre. They sell their amazing and unique babkas, challahs and much more. Be sure to listen to their story on this episode. One of the perks of doing this podcast episode? I had the opportunity to sample a slice of still warm challah with Alicia’s Mexican Za’atar and olive oil. The bread melted in my mouth- a crisp flaky crust and a soft, ever so tasty middle. OMG! A special thank you to Chicago Magazine for the use of this great shot of Tamar and Elena in the kitchen.

Recipe from this Episode