The Shabbat Table is the latest CJN column from noted chef and food blogger Norene Gilletz. Click here for last week’s recipes.

Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom! During the Nine Days before Tisha B’av, meat is not permitted except for Shabbat. Since the weather is still on the hot side, it’s a good idea to keep your Shabbos meals on the simple side. If you want to add an Asian twist to your Shabbos dinner menu this week, why not try cookbook author Leah Schapira’s Lo-Mein Noodles? They go perfectly with her Asian-Inspired Chicken Strips.

Desserts are always a welcome addition to the Shabbat table and I found some stellar suggestions in Leah Schapira’s Fresh & Easy Kosher Cooking: Ordinary Ingredients, Extraordinary Meals (Artscroll/Mesorah).

Tradition, tradition! Leah Schapira writes: “Week after week, the same traditional foods appear on my table. Although I do like to try new recipes, my family expects the same Ashkenaz dishes every Shabbos and Yom Tov.”

She continues: “It may not be a law, but there are reasons for our traditional foods. The Talmud says that those who honour the Shabbos with three meals are greatly rewarded and spared from suffering.

The prophet Isaiah says, “If you proclaim the Shabbos a delight …” the rewards will be the heritage of our forefather Jacob. The Gemara tells us that the “delight” of Shabbos is its special food, including a big fish. That is why we eat fish on Shabbos. Many people eat fish at all three meals.

Jews are taught to find ways to serve Hashem even when we eat and to find lessons about holy things even in “ordinary” recipes. That is why we eat traditional Shabbos foods. Here are a few lessons that our teachers found in food.

Shabbos foods remind us of the manna that our ancestors ate in the desert. Does kugel remind you of the manna? The Rama says that kugel has a crust on the top and on the bottom to remind us of the manna that was coated with dew both on top and underneath. The Rebbe of Apta cites the Midrash that the manna had almost any taste, except that of fish or onions. We eat fish and have onions with our egg salad on Shabbos to experience every flavour on this special day.

The Hebrew word for fish is dag, spelled daled gimel, with the numerical value of 7 – a reminder that fish is a specialty in honour of Shabbos, the seventh day.

The Matteh Moshe tells us that when Mashiach comes, Hashem will honor us with a banquet, serving the Leviasan, a giant fish. On Shabbos, when you enjoy your delicious gefilte fish or salmon, think about Mashiach and the mouthwatering taste of the Leviasan.

Leah continues, “The Shulchan Aruch reminds us that the Torah permits us to use fire on Shabbos and to prepare cooked food for the holy day – but we have to use the fire properly. That’s why we prepare cholent on Friday and let it simmer all night, to be enjoyed at our daytime Shabbos seudah.

Even the thin soup noodles have special meaning. They intertwine, symbolizing unity. Hashem wants us to always help one another and show concern for our fellow Jews.”

Leah concludes, “This is just a small sample of the many wonderful things about our traditional foods. Isn’t it great that we can be rewarded for eating scrumptious foods? Enjoy your Shabbos meal!”

And what better reward than a delicious dessert… or three! Good Shabbos to all!

BREAKFAST CHEESECAKE (Dairy)

Leah Schapira’s mother serves this for breakfast every Shabbos morning, and her family polishes two cakes off completely. You can use reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat sour cream for a lighter version. You can also serve this in a Pyrex baking dish or bake in a springform pan for a more elegant presentation. This is Leah’s daughter’s favourite, as she says, “I loooovvve Bubbe’s cheesecake.”

Although the recipe makes three pies, this cheesecake freezes well, so simply wrap the extras (if there are any) and freeze to enjoy later.

1 pound farmer cheese (pressed dry cottage cheese can be substituted)

1 1/2 cups sour cream (3/4 container)

1 8-ounce container whipped cream cheese

6 eggs, separated

1/4 cup orange juice

1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

3 9-inch round graham cracker pie shells

3 Tablespoons flour, heaping

Sour Cream Topping:

1 1/2 cups sour cream (3/4 container)

1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a large bowl, using a spoon, mix farmer cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese. Add egg yolks, orange juice, vanilla sugar, and 3/4 cup sugar. Mix until incorporated. Add flour.

3. In a mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar.

4. Fold beaten whites into the cheese mixture. Divide filling between the 3 pie shells.

5. Bake for 40 minutes. The cheesecakes should be slightly golden on the edges.

6. To prepare topping, combine sour cream and sugars.

7. Remove cheesecakes from oven and let cool 5 minutes. When still warm, divide the sour cream topping between the three cheesecakes. With the back of a spoon, starting from the centre, swirl the topping across the top until it covers the entire cake.

8. If serving for dessert, you can alternately drizzle with dulce de leche, caramel, or desired topping.

Yields three 9-inch pies, 8 servings each.

NO MIXER BROWNIE (Pareve)

Leah writes: “My friend Chaya admitted that she has an aversion to her mixer. I hadn’t developed any feelings toward mine, but as I pulled it out to bake a cake for Shabbos, I started to feel annoyed too. What a pain it is to pull a mixer out of its hiding place and wash all those parts when I’m done. The thought of using my mixer began to haunt me, so I decided to give it a hiatus. Chaya, please think carefully before you share your feelings on any other kitchen gadgets – I need them!”

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar

3 eggs

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup oil

1 8-ounce container non-dairy whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla sugar. Add the eggs, hot water, oil, and whipped topping and stir until batter is smooth.

3. Pour batter into three lightly greased 1-pound loaf pans or two 6 x 8-inch pans.

4. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Yields three 1-pound loaf pans or two 6 x 8-inch pans.

LAYERED PLUM CRISP (Pareve)

When purchasing plums, avoid those that are excessively hard. They are immature and will probably not develop a good taste and texture. Plums that yield to gentle pressure and are slightly soft at their tips are ripe and ready to be eaten. They should also be free of bruises or signs of decay.

Crumbs:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

3/4 cup oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:

4 1/2 cups plum slices

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

3 Tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Place the crumb ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until crumbs form and set aside.

3. Mix plums with lemon juice and sugar.

4. Divide the crumbs into 3 equal parts (about 1 3/4 cups crumbs for each part). In a 9 x 13-inch pan, layer crumbs, half of the plums, crumbs, second half of the plums, and remaining crumbs.

5. Bake for 60-75 minutes.

Yields 10-12 servings.

Note: This is delicious when served hot, but yields messy portions. Let it sit a bit and serve warm, making it easier to slice.

Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada. She is the author of eleven cookbooks and divides her time between work as a food writer, food manufacturer, consultant, spokesperson, cooking instructor, lecturer, and cookbook editor.

Norene lives in Toronto, Canada and her motto is “Food that’s good for you should taste good!” For more information, visit her website or email her at [email protected].