The Brisket Bake-Off

I recently had the enormous good fortune to judge the Sisterhood's 3rd Annual Brisket Bake-Off at Temple Beth Emeth, Ann Arbor's Reform synagogue, at which I probably ate four days' worth of food - really, I'm not exaggerating!

Remember, there's always a lot of food at Jewish events, because everyone is afraid there will never be enough.  And we all know that while other people are social drinkers, I'm a social eater - I'll happily and heartily sample everything when I'm at a party, a buffet, or other gathering ... I'll often sample multiple times, too!  So I'd known that there was no need for me to cook a corned beef on St. Paddy's Day, because I would be feasting on brisket and many other dishes that evening.

I was one of three judges to sample 10 different briskets that had fame, prizes, and pride all riding on them.  My compatriots - Justin Hiller, of Hiller's Markets, and Lisa Saulles, who won top honors last year and thus earned her spot at the judges' table - and I all sat in front of the expectant audience.

After being introduced by charming emcee Jesse Bernstein, we were presented with samples of each brisket, one at a time, and asked to rate them on a scale of 1-5 (low-to-high) for aroma, appearance, texture, flavor and the all-important "Jewish Factor."

There were very traditional offerings, some prepared with Lipton onion soup mix - the classic that everyone remembers from childhood.  There were unique and updated entries, featuring olives or oranges or dates.  There were several that rounded out the dish with potatoes or yams or carrots.  I was truly impressed with the variety of flavors that had been offered to me, as well as the respect for tradition that was still clearly in evidence while each dish was given a personal flair.

Brisket, as you may or may not know, is a very serious business in the Jewish community - reputations are staked upon it!  It is as essential to be able to make a good brisket as it is to make matzah balls that will float, rather than sink, in chicken soup.  And I must note that each of the 10 samples was fork-tender; when given an opportunity to comment on the tasting, I noted that I had not once picked up my knife.

So there was significant anticipation as the votes were being tallied, and great joy when the winners were announced:

1st Place: Liz Wierba (who won in 2010, as well)
2nd Place: Sally Brieloff
3rd Place: Jennie Lieberman
4th Place: Susan and David Gitterman

(I apologize that I didn't get to the buffet table with my camera until after everyone had eaten; so I don't have a grand and glorious photo of each entry or of the winners' dishes, or even a definite idea whose fabulous offering is pictured above.  But I spent 13 years in Catholic schools and am essentially a secular Jew - trust that I'm suffering more than sufficient guilt for my lapse!)

And then, because 10 samples - just one bite each, but still 10! - of brisket apparently wasn't enough, there was dinner.  My friend Elaine once told me that, for someone who obsesses about food as I do, I "should have a little more schmaltz on (my) bones."  Well, I've got plenty of witnesses to attest to the amount I ate at this party, so I won't wither away any time soon!

It was a fabulous meal, offering a buffet filled with salad, green beans, a lentil-barley salad, and kasha varnishkes (a classic Jewish buckwheat and bow tie pasta dish that I adore).  Colcannon - an Irish mashed potato and cabbage dish which I also love dearly - was served in honor of St. Paddy's Day, and was a perfect brisket accompaniment because its primary ingredients are also integral to Jewish cuisine.

At the end of the long buffet table, there were 11 briskets - one extra had been provided by Hillary Handwerger, cheerfully genial hostess and one of the event organizers, because, as I mentioned before, there's always the fear that there won't be enough food!

Everyone, of course, wanted to taste the winning entries.  I had planned to simply satisfy myself with vegetables and dessert, having already eaten well during the judging.  But I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by snubbing them, and I didn't want folks thinking that I was "brisket-ed out."  I didn't want people watching as I preferred one option and neglected another; and really, I don't know how I would have selected only a few tastes, given how much I truly enjoyed everything.

So after the first round of vegetables and side dishes, I took small samples of each of the 11 briskets - my second plate was filled - and I enjoyed it all immensely, much moreso when I could really relish the individual qualities and flavors without having to think intently about specific criteria.  Truly, I didn't need to eat again until the next afternoon.

But there was a piece of rich, moist, decadent chocolate cake calling to me, insisting that it needed to accompany my after-dinner coffee.  I succumbed to its charms.  Remember, a Food Floozie can be seduced by virtually any food ....

As though all of this schmoozing and noshing hadn't provided sufficient entertainment, there was also an amazing concert in the Sanctuary to conclude the evening.  Balkano (rhymes with "volcano"), according to its own website, "is a Chicago-based sextet that melds the soul of traditional Klezmer, the energy of Bulgarian wedding music, and the melodies of Turkish Gypsy music into an exciting original mix."  Its lead singer is Ann Arbor's and the temple's own Diana Lawrence, and the group put on a powerful, emotional, vibrant performance.

I'm very happy to say that 3% of the Bake-Off's proceeds were donated to Mazon [mah-ZOHN], "a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds."  (Mazon means "food/sustenance" in Hebrew.)  Profits remaining after this donation were dedicated to the YES Fund (Youth, Education, and Special Projects), which "represents the collective financial efforts of our member sisterhoods and donors to strengthen the institutions of our ... Movement and ensure the future of Reform Judaism."

So, you can see that I had an exceptionally wonderful evening with the Sisterhood and the members of Temple Beth Emeth!  Congratulations to the winners and many, many thanks to everyone who put the event together and who spent so many hours lovingly preparing brisket and all the other dishes.  I was thrilled to be invited to the party, and to have such an important role at the Bake-Off.

I'm already anticipating next year's event, and all the great food that awaits.  I may even be hungry again by that time ... :)

For today's recipe - Miriam Shaw's Easy Braised Brisket, one of the Bake-Off entries - go to the Food and Grocery page of AnnArbor.com ....

The 5th Question

Passover -- which commemorates the Israelites' flight from slavery in Egypt -- begins at sundown tonight and continues for 8 days.

I don't offer a traditional seder [SAY-der], which is a very elaborate and ritualized event during which the story is re-told. You know me -- I'm always about the food, secular creature that I tend to be! So I just prepare a special dinner with symbolic foods such as matzah ([MAH-tzuh] = unleavened bread), and I'll share some recipes from tonight's meal later on this week.

At the Seder, the youngest child who is able to recites four questions:

1. Why on this night do we eat only matzah?

Matzah is a reminder that the Jews fled Egypt quickly, and did not have time to let bread dough rise.

2. Why on this night do we eat bitter herbs?

Bitter herbs remind us of the cruel way the Pharaoh treated the Jews when they were enslaved in Egypt.

3. Why on this night do we dip our foods twice?

We dip bitter herbs into charoset ([hah-ROH-set] = a sweet, sticky mixture of fruit, nuts and wine) to remind us of the mortar used in erecting the Pharaoh's buildings. And we dip parsley into salt water, with the salty water reminding us of the tears the Jews shed while the parsley reminds us of Spring and of renewal.

4. Why on this night do we lean on a pillow?

We lean on pillows for comfort, to remind us that the Jews were once slaves but are now free.

And Mazon [mah-ZONE]: A Jewish Response to Hunger (and one of my very favorite charities) is hoping that we will all ask ourselves a fifth question:

"Why on this night are millions of people going hungry?"

According to Feeding America:

•In 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33 million adults and 17.2 million children.

•In 2009, 6.8 million households experienced very low food security.

•In 2009, households with children reported food insecurity at almost double the rate for those without children, 21.3 percent compared to 11.4 percent.

•In 2009, 7.8 percent of seniors living alone (884,000 households) were food insecure.

Sometimes it seems as though the tragedy is so overwhelming that it's insurmountable. There are many, many answers to that 5th Question and none of them can be addressed quickly or easily. No one person can solve the problems of poverty and hunger in this country or throughout the world.

But one person can get up early and help to serve breakfast at a church.

One person can deliver meals to the homebound.

One person can organize a bake sale and donate the proceeds to a food-related charity.

One person can forego birthday gifts and collect items to give to a charity that feeds the hungry.

So, why on this night -- and so many other nights -- are millions of people going hungry?

I hope to ask myself this question with great frequency and to follow through with action rather than just intent. I am able to feed myself every single day, and even prepare special meals for holidays and for loved ones.

But may I -- we -- never forget that there are those who don't have the security of knowing what, or whether, they'll eat tonight. And may we take it upon ourselves to be a part of the answer to that truly life-threatening problem.



>

Performing Mitzvot

Mitzvot [meets-VOTE] = commandments, generally defined as "good deeds;" the plural of mitzvah [MITS-vuh]. We are commanded to help others and to engage in service work, therefore performing good deeds is honoring the commandments ... and in Judaism there are 613 of 'em. (FYI: A boy who becomes a Bar Mitzvah or a girl who becomes a Bat [baht] Mitzvah, therefore, is someone who has reached the age -- 13 -- at which one is bound by the commandments.)




I had started this post with the intention of publicizing a very quick and easy way to help fight hunger. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is one of my very favorite charities; it is "a national nonprofit organization that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds."

And you -- yes, you! -- can have $1 donated to this good cause simply by going to joyofkosher, becoming a member, and signing up to receive its free weekly e-letter. That's it! Get information and recipes and all sorts of other goodies while also helping to feed the hungry. You can sit in your jammies giving yourself a facial (one more way to use up all those cucumbers my garden is spitting out???) and read about food, while knowing that you're helping to provide sustenance to those who might not get sufficient quantities to eat otherwise.

And then, as I trolled through my favorite blogs, I read about another great cause via All Home Cooking. All Year Long. Michelle -- one of my favorites, whose posts I always read -- had suggested that folks check out A Foodie Fairytale ... well, I took her recommendation and followed the link -- I respect her opinion!

And there, I found that Amy is sending out a "call for recipes" to put together a cookbook to benefit the March of Dimes. Both of her children were born prematurely and received state-of-the-art healthcare; Amy is clearly and understandably devoted to the charity that helped to save her babies' lives.

So here's what she's seeking:

We are needing a total of 200-300 recipes in the following categories:

Appetizers & Beverages
Soups & Salads
Vegetables & Side Dishes
Main Dishes
Breads & Rolls
Desserts
Cookies & Candy
Miscellaneous (This & That)

Recipes should be submitted by email to foodiefairytale(at)gmail(dot)com. Then leave a comment under the post I linked to above, telling Amy that you've sent something ... that way, you'll get entered into a giveaway for kitchen goodies featuring some homemade treats. The deadline for entering the contest is July 31, so hurry up! Check out Amy's post for more details ....

So, there you have it: I may not have killed two birds with one proverbial stone -- which I wouldn't be cruel enough to do anyway! -- but I have promoted two mitzvot in one blog post ... :)