Shawna Shares Some Favorite Recipes
Shawna Goodman-Sone is a graduate of McGill University with a B.A. in Art History. She then pursued studies as a chef, graduating from the Natural Gourmet Cooking School and in pastry arts from the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly, Peter Kump's Cooking School), both in New York City. She has also trained at the Cordon Bleu School in Paris. For the past 23 years she has been teaching, catering and cooking for clients in New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal and now Ra'anana, where she lives with her husband Todd and three sons.
Shawna is actively combining her love of cooking and living in Israel with her philanthropic work creating culinary opportunities to highlight the social needs in Israel. Shawna leads a yearly tour for women called Shefa, which highlights Israel's love of food and music, people and the capacity Israelis have to feel fully alive.
She has generously taught several cooking "fully booked" classes for ESRA, the menu always tied to a specific ESRA program.
Shawna combines her love for food and philanthropy in creating classes that celebrate Israel's abundance of farm-fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products while raising awareness of local charitable organizations and encouraging the spirit of volunteerism. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her classes are always fun and exciting learning experiences.
The recipes included here appear in the cookbook edited by Shawna: Panache: Montreal's Flair for Kosher Cooking.
Overnight French Toast with Fruit
So simple to prepare and yet so delicious! Heat leftovers, if there are any, in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS
Caramel
1 cup (250ml) packed brown sugar
½ cup (l15ml) butter
1 teaspoon (5ml) cinnamon (optional)
Toast
12 thick slices challah
½ cup (375ml) sliced strawberries and/or bananas or frozen blueberries
Custard
5 large eggs
1½ cups (375ml) milk
1½ teaspoons (7ml) vanilla extract
½ teaspoon (2ml) salt
PREPARATION
- Make the caramel: Bring the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon to a boil in a small saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon. Let boil for 2 minutes and turn off the heat. The caramel will be brown, thick and bubbly.
- Drizzle the caramel evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch (3.5 L) baking dish. Cover with 6 slices of bread. Scatter the berries and/or bananas on top. Place the remaining 6 slices of challah on the fruit.
- Make the custard: In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and press down lightly so that the bread absorbs the liquid. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake the French toast uncovered for 40-50 minutes until puffed and golden. Cut into squares, invert to show the caramel and place on a serving platter.
Chef's tip: to clean the dried caramel from the pot, fill the pot with water and bring to a simmer. Let sit and then clean. Residue will wash away quickly.
Split Pea Soup with Fresh Dill
This is a French Canadian favorite without the meat. Split peas are a great pantry item to keep on hand for some low-fat protein in your diet. Small star noodles added at the end will provide extra body and texture to the finished soup.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon (25ml) olive oil
1 cup (250ml) chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1 cup (250ml) dried split peas, green or yellow, cleaned and rinsed
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups (1.5ml) vegetable stock or water
1 bay leaf
¼ cup (60ml) fresh dill, chopped
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
PREPARATION
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on a medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.Add the carrots, celery, and parsnip and continue to sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the split peas, potatoes, stock or water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered until the peas are soft and begin to break apart, about 1 hour.
Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup to the desired consistency. If it is too thick, add more stock or water. Add the dill and season with salt and pepper.
Almond Crunch Biscotti
Makes: About 35 Cookies
A twice-baked almond cookie, otherwise known as mandelbread. To serve, the cookies can be sprinkled with sifted confectioners' sugar and layered.
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup canola oil
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
½ cup grated unsweetened coconut
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal or cornflakes
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips or copped semisweet chocolate
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to incorporate all the ingredients. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet. When the flour is just beginning to disappear, add the coconut, almonds, cereal and chocolate. The batter will be lumpy but not sticky.
- Divide the dough into two and shape it into two long logs. It does not matter what size you choose, but they must be equal so they will cook evenly. Keep wetting your hands to avoid sticking.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned and solid. Remove from oven.
- Lower the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F).
- Cool the logs for 10 minutes and slice into 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces. Turn the cookies on their sides.
- Bake for another 10 minutes on each side to crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container.
Variation: pecans or pistachios can be substituted for almonds.
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