Two additional dessert sections, one dedicated to truffles and the other to tarts, round out this magnificent book, with step-by-step photographs clarifying procedure for some of the more labor-intensive recipes. If your pantry has wafer rolls, then try your hand at the Ferrero Rocher truffles and, if you can find Lotus biscuits, the very impressive mini-Lotus truffles are a must-try. Don’t be intimidated by the presentation suggestions here which include sugar-based lace, gold leaf and chocolate curl topped chocolate dots; while they will make your desserts look like they were created by a French pastry chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant, you can easily omit the decorations and still turn out a perfectly delicious almond caramel cheese tart or a lemon chocolate tart that will knock your socks off.
Come on. Stretch your culinary wings. Grab a copy of Efrat Libfroind Entertains and see just how talented you really are.
***
Faux Crab Fish Cakes with Comeback Sauce
Pareve; 18-20 appetizer servings/6-8 as an entrée; active time: 30 minutes; total time: 1 hour
A signature dish from my catering days, I have made thousands of these little darlin’s! Make a batch and freeze them. They’ll be at the ready for Shabbos, or you can pull a few out of the freezer to serve with pasta, bread and salad for a weeknight treat. Burger-sized patties served on toasted soft buns make quite a memorable meal.
Ingredients:
1 pound surimi imitation crab, shredded
1 (6 ounce) can salmon, drained
4 stalks celery, minced
1 small onion, minced
¾-1 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1-1¼ cups mayonnaise
1 tbsp bourbon
2 tbsp garlic powder
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp paprika
¾ tsp dry mustard powder
¾ tsp allspice
¼-½ cup vegetable oil
- In a large bowl combine the surimi, salmon, celery, onion, ¾ cup of the breadcrumbs, eggs, 1 cup of the mayonnaise, bourbon, garlic powder, salt, paprika, dry mustard and allspice. Mix gently and thoroughly with a large spoon. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In a large frying pan over medium high heat, warm enough oil to thinly cover the bottom of the pan. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of the fish mixture. With wet hands, form into a 2” diameter patty about ½” thick. If mixture is dry, add more mayonnaise, if too loose, add more breadcrumbs until it holds together and the consistency is moist.
- Carefully place each patty in hot oil leaving ½ inch between them. Brown 2 to 3 minutes per side until they are set and have a pink-golden color. Adjust temperature to prevent burning. Add more oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan coated.
- Remove fish cakes with a small slotted spatula and place on a baking pan to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with Comeback Sauce.
PREPARE AHEAD: Can prepare through step one and keep in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before continuing with step 2. Freeze fish cakes in a baking pan in a single layer. Once frozen, transfer to a plastic freezer bag. The fish cakes will keep in the freezer for up to six weeks. To reheat, place the fish cakes on a baking pan in a single layer. Heat in an oven preheated to 400° for 5 minutes until sizzling, or place in a single layer on a warming tray until thoroughly heated.
Fully Cooked fish cakes will keep in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.