Cheese Puffs

Makes 40

This recipe comes from an American food magazine and takes about 30 minutes preparation and making time.

• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup coarsely grated kosher Swiss cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare several large cookie sheets with vegetable spray and flour.

2. In a saucepan, combine water. butter pieces, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, add flour and stir vigorously about 2 minutes with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball and is firm. Remove from heat.

3. Beat in mustard, eggs and cheese.

4. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto cookie sheets 1½ inches apart. Place one sheet in top third of oven and one in bottom third of oven. Bake in preheated 425 degree F. oven 15 minutes. Reverse position of sheets and bake 5 minutes more or until puffs are golden brown. Serve hot.

 Artichoke Cheese Squares

8 servings

• 2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 small finely chopped onion
• 4 eggs
• 6 crushed crackers
• 2 cups kosher shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a large baking dish.

2. Drain artichoke hearts and reserve 2 tablespoons. marinade. Place in a bowl.

3. Place reserved marinade in a frying pan and sauté onions. Remove from heat to artichokes. Add eggs, crackers and cheese. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake in preheated 325  degree F.  oven 35-40 minutes. Cut into 1-inch squares. Serve immediately or reheat before serving.

 Garlic Bread ‘Fries’

8-10 servings

Grace Parisi is a well-known chef, and she created this party snack for Food & Wine online.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 large minced garlic cloves
• ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 large split and halved baguette
• ½ cup freshly grated kosher Pecorino-Romano or a kosher sheep’s cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a frying pan, melt butter in olive oil. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add parsley.

3. Place bread on baking sheet cut sides up. Spoon garlic butter on top, sprinkle with cheese, and bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven 10 minutes. Light broiler and broil 1 minute.

4. Cut bread into 1/2-inch “fries” so they look like breadsticks.

 Marinara ‘Ketchup’

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 peeled, halved garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 35 ounces canned, whole, peeled Italian tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of sugar
• 2 sprigs basil

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushing them with the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper.

2. Stir in sugar and basil and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce is reduced to 3 cups and thick. Discard basil and garlic.

Sybil Kaplan is a Jerusalem-based journalist, author and compiler/editor of 9 kosher cookbooks. She is a food writer for North American Jewish publications, and she leads walks of the Jewish food market, Machaneh Yehudah, in English.