‘Honey and milk under your tongue’ on Shavuot
As Jews worldwide prepare to celebrate receiving the Torah on Shavuot, so too do they prepare countless dairy dishes in its honor.
For many years, Shavuot has been our blintzes-and-cheesecake holiday. And like all great Jewish traditions, its reasons are many.
The Torah itself is compared to milk — “Honey and milk under your tongue.”
But also, the reasons were logistical. Since the Jewish people had just received the Torah, including dietary laws describing the acceptable method for slaughtering animals, no acceptable meat could be prepared in advance in accordance with the guidelines for the celebration.
Another source of the custom of dairy foods on Shavuot springs from the description of the Land of Israel as being “a land that flows with milk and honey.”
I’ve included several recipes for cheesecakes — both sweet and savory — for you to try. The Blintz Brunch Bake is a twist on the traditional blintz soufflé, in that it is like one very large blintz. It’s delicious and not difficult to prepare.
Land Of Milk And Honey Cheesecake (dairy)
Crust:
10 graham crackers (3 x 6-inches each), crushed
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup light-colored honey
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Fruit topping of choice, optional
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
For filling: With an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese until soft. Mix honey, eggs, salt and milk. Slowly blend the honey mixture into the cream cheese, mixing batter slowly.
Add the orange rind, orange juice and cinnamon.
Pour filling into the prepared crust and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or cover and chill overnight. (Cheesecake texture becomes much denser if thoroughly chilled before serving.)
Run a thin knife around outer edge of cheesecake and remove sides of pan. Serve plain, with strawberries, mandarin oranges, or thick blueberry or peach preserves. Serves 10-12.
Blintz Brunch Bake (dairy)
Filling:
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened
15 oz. carton ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (or orange peel or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or orange juice)
Dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon powdered sugar, optional
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all filling ingredients in mixing bowl and beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Set aside.
Place flour, butter, eggs, sugar, milk and baking powder in another bowl. Beat with wire whisk until well blended. (Dough/batter may be thin.)
Spread 1/3 of the dough onto bottom of a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Cover with cream cheese filling mixture. Top with spoonfuls of the remaining dough.
Bake for 45 minutes or until center is set. Cool 10 minutes; cut into 16 pieces to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Serves 8-12.
Lox and Cheese Brunch Casserole (dairy)
4 cups cubed French bread or challah
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups (12 oz.) sliced mushrooms
6 oz. lox or smoked salmon, chopped
8-10 thinly sliced green onions
4 cups grated Cheddar- type cheese
8 eggs
4 cups milk
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Place the bread in a glass, ovenproof pan (I used a 9”x13”x2”) and drizzle with melted butter.
Scatter mushrooms, lox and scallions over the bread cubes. Top with cheese.
Whisk remaining ingredients together in a large bowl, and pour over everything in pan.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove cover and bake for about 1 hour, or until just firm and lightly browned. It puffs up beautifully to top of pan.
Chili Cheesecake (dairy)
1 cup finely crushed tortilla chips, salted, lime, or “nacho” flavored
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
1 4-oz. can diced green chiles (mild)
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and finely diced
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Colby cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup sliced or chopped black olives
Additional tortilla chips for serving
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place oven rack just below center of oven.
In medium bowl, combine crushed tortilla chips and butter. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 15 minutes, remove from oven, leaving oven on.
In large bowl, blend cream cheese and eggs. Add green chiles, jalapeno, Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses and mix until well blended. Pour over crust and bake 30 minutes. Do not over-bake. Remove from oven and cool in pan 5 minutes.
Run knife around inside edge and remove sides from pan. Spread sour cream over top and decorate with tomatoes, green onions, and olives. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled, with tortilla chips. Serves 8-10.
Spinach Artichoke Dip (dairy)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 6.25-oz. jar artichoke hearts, drained, patted dry
1 8-oz. tub herb-garlic
flavored cheese (like Alouette or A la Crème)
1 large egg
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)
sour cream and salsa for serving, optional
For serving: whole grain crackers, tortilla chips, sliced French bread.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine Parmesan, spinach, artichoke hearts, herb-garlic cheese, and egg in food processor and pulse until ingredients are well distributed. Add mozzarella and pulse 5 times.
Transfer to a 2- to 3-cup baking dish; bake until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot on crackers or bread, with sour cream and salsa, if desired. Serves 6-8.
Mushroom Barley Soup (dairy or pareve)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
12 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon thyme, crumbled
1 cup pearl barley (not instant or quick-cooking)
2 tablespoons fresh dillweed, chopped (or 1 teaspoons dried dill)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 1 tablespoons dried parsley flakes)
Heat a large pot (5-6 quart size) over medium-high heat. Add butter or margarine and onions. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté until tender but not browned. Add broth, seasonings and barley. Simmer for one-and-a-half to 2 hours, until barley is tender.
Stir in dill and parsley, simmer for 15 minutes more. Serves 10-12.
Easy Cheese Pastries (dairy)
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (1/2 of a 17 oz. package), thawed 15 minutes at room
temperature
1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese, or other firm cheese
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
Thaw puff pastry at room temperature until flexible but still cold. Unfold pastry and roll gently with a rolling pin to smooth out fold marks. Sprinkle pastry with cheese of choice, pressing cheese gently into pastry.
Starting from long sides, fold both outer edges to meet in center. Fold dough again to form a long thin “M” of filled dough. Transfer dough to baking sheet. Chill dough 15 to 30 minutes.
Remove dough from refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, slice pastry into 1/2-inch wide pieces. Place each slice cut-side down on baking sheet 2 inches apart, reshaping each pastry into a two-tablet shape.
Bake pastries in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Serve warm. Makes about 18 pieces.
Donna Glassman is owner and chef of Herbs and Spice LLC catering in Milwaukee. She also teaches cooking classes for adults through Milwaukee Area Technical College.
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