The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (44 page)

Read The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook Online

Authors: Sharon Lebewohl

5. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1 teaspoon cold water, and stir until fully dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to the tzimmes, stir in, and simmer for 10 more minutes or until everything is fully cooked and the liquid is almost completely absorbed. Serve hot as a side dish with chicken or beef.

I
N ADDITION TO DESSERTS
featured on our restaurant and catering menus, we've collected recipes from friends and relatives who are immensely talented bakers. This section includes excellent pareve desserts (which can be difficult to come by), the world's best hamantaschen, new takes on rice and bread puddings, and divinely decadent cakes … plus comedian Paul Reiser's formula for the ideal egg cream.

Creamy Cheesecake
SERVES
8
TO
10
Ever wonder why photos of pinup girls are called cheesecake? According to Martin Elkort in
The Secret Life of Food,
cheesecake dates back to ancient Greece, where it was baked in the shape of a woman's breast! Hence, the erotic-culinary connection. Ours, however, is best prepared in a springform pan. Who has a breast-shaped cake pan, anyway?
CRUST
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Shortening for greasing pan
FILLING
1 pound cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 eggs, beaten
3 cups sour cream
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
TOPPING
2½ cups sour cream
¼ cup sugar
1¼ teaspoons vanilla
Fresh strawberries (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly combine crust ingredients in a bowl, and press along sides of greased cake pan.
2. Using an electric mixer or food processor, beat cream cheese smooth. Add eggs, and continue beating. Add all other filling ingredients, and mix well. Your batter should be perfectly smooth.
3. Pour batter into pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. Remove, and let cool slightly, but leave oven on.
4. Combine all topping ingredients except strawberries, and when cake is slightly cooled, spoon topping evenly over it. Bake for another 5 minutes. Cool on counter.
5. If using strawberries, halve them vertically, and place aesthetically around the circumference of the cake. Refrigerate, and serve well chilled.
Pareve Cheesecake

At the Deli, we offer a wonderfully light and fluffy pareve cheesecake. Not only is it a boon to observant Jews; friends of ours who are lactose intolerant also adore it. For the crust, substitute margarine for butter. We know of two brands of pareve graham crackers, Lieber and Kemach (Nabisco graham crackers are baked in dairy ovens. Hence, though they contain no actual dairy ingredients, they are classed as dairy by observant Jews). For the filling, use Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream. Also add 1 teaspoon of flour, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, and 2 teaspoons lemon zest to your batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a pin inserted in the center comes out clean. Skip the topping, but decorate with fresh berries if you like.

F
OR MORE THAN FOUR DECADES
, the late Bella Abzug was one of the nation's most dynamic leaders, civil rights activists, and advocates for the rights of women worldwide. As a Columbia Law School graduate (one of a handful of women in the class of '44), she specialized in labor and civil liberties law, going on to defend Hollywood actors targeted by the McCarthy witch hunts of the 1950s. After helping to organize Women Strike for Peace (a major force in protesting the Vietnam War) in 1961, she ran for Congress with the slogan “This woman's place is in the House—the House of Representatives.” Winning the election, she served as a member of Congress from 1971 to 1977. In her later years, Bella devoted most of her time to international women's issues, serving as president of the Women's Environment and Development Organization and maintaining a busy law practice and public speaking schedule. We all miss her exuberant presence, both on the political scene and as a Second Avenue Deli regular.
I always enjoyed Abe, not only his food, but also his personality. Often we talked about life in general, the East Side specifically, and even about Russia—when he was trying to establish a business there. Always he was friendly, generous, and involved. I miss him, as I'm sure many, many do.
Fannie Abzug's Cheesecake
SERVES
6
TO
8
This is my grandmother's recipe.
CRUST
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1½ pounds pot cheese
¼ pound cream cheese
6 eggs (separated)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
½ pint sour cream
1 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine crust ingredients, and press into the bottom of a greased springform pan.
2. Strain the cheese twice through a colander set over a large bowl; use the bottom of a glass to press it through.
3. Add egg yolks, vanilla, cornstarch, butter, sour cream, and sugar. Beat egg whites until stiff, and fold into the above ingredients. Pour over the graham cracker crust, and bake for 1 hour. Let cool in oven with door closed.
Don't look. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cheesecake
SERVES
8
TO
10
CRUST
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup (5⅓ tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Shortening for greasing pan
CAKE FILLING
1⅓ cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1½ pounds (3 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly combine crust ingredients in a bowl, and press into the bottom of a greased cake pan.

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