By Chef Jeff Nathan, Abigaels Restaurant

Yield: 4

Blueberry Syrup
2 ½ cups blueberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 – 3 lemons

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until blueberries burst. Using a hand blender, puree the blueberries. Pour into a plastic container and refrigerate, uncovered until cool.

Lemon Zabaglione
6 egg yolks
¾ cups sugar
3 tablespoons sparkling white wine
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups whipped heavy cream or pareve whipped topping
½ cup crumbled almond or coconut macaroons, lightly toasted

Using a hand whisk, combine the yolks and sugar in a bowl. Add in the sparkling wine, lemon juice and zest. Place the bowl over a double boiler and whisk until tripled in volume. Do not let the bowl touch the lightly simmering water below.

Remove from the heat and cool the base of the bowl over an ice-bath, whisking occasionally. When cool, fold in whipped cream and set aside.

Assembly
In tall parfait or wineglasses, alternate layers of Blueberry Syrup, Lemon Zabaglione and crumbled macaroons until full. The final layers should be a drizzle of Blueberry Syrup and a sprinkle of crumbled macaroons.

6 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup good quality aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons potato starch
1/4 cup dried tart cherries

Pound chicken breasts to a uniform thickness of 1/2″. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the chicken and brown on both sides; turning once, about 3 – 4 minutes each side. Remove from heat and transfer to a platter, cover, and keep warm.
To the same pan, add the shallots, and sauté over medium high heat for 2 minutes until soft. Add the pears, continue cooking, stirring occasionally for 3 – 4 minutes, until the pears are soft and golden brown.

In a separate bowl, combine chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and potato starch. Pour over the pear mixture; add the cherries. Increase heat to high and simmer, stirring frequently for 6 – 8 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Return the chicken and juices to the pan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer; decrease heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat.

Mix pesto, white wine vinegar, and hot water. Pour over the steak and marinate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Grill steak on an oiled grill pan or outside, brushing with extra pesto while cooking.

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Glamorous Gold

Table designed by Irwin Weiner of www.design2share.com
Photographed by Simon Scheiner of www.theperfectportrait.com

1.Flowers by Flowers by Debbie, available at www.debbieflowersonline.com

2. Glamorous gold charger, by Two Lumps of Sugar, available in our shop, $18
Large tempered glass black plate, by Two Lumps of Sugar, available in our shop, $12
Medium paisley gold and clear plate, by Two Lumps of Sugar, available in our shop, $10
Small black and gold rimmed plates, by Two Lumps of Sugar, available in our shop, $6
Black Jewel Acrylic Stainless Steel Cutlery (set of 16 pieces), available in our shop, $20
Organza napkin by Kim Seybert, available at www.kimseybert.com $28
Tablecloth by Mona, available at www.lagoonlinens.com $324

3. Streit’s matza, available at supermarkets nationwide

4. Seder Plate, by Esther Shahaf, available in our shop, $224

5. Segal Cabernet Sauvignon, available at www.onlinekosherwine.com $18

6.Beaded Kiddush cup, by Esther Shahaf, available in our shop, $110

All Passover items in our shop are 15% off, use code PASSOVER15.

Mix strawberries and 6 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl; let stand until berries release their liquid, 30 to 60 minutes.
When ready to assemble dessert, beat pareve cream and orange zest to soft peaks, gradually adding remaining 1 ½ tablespoons sugar.
Pour 6 tablespoons of the strawberry juice that has collected in the bowl over the crumbled macaroons. Toss to coat.
To assemble, choose size goblets that hold at least 12 ounce; in each, make two layers in the following order; scant ¼ cup macaroons, scant ¼ cup pareve cream, ¼ cup strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

Ganache filling:
4 ounces chocolate
½ cup margarine (1 stick)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 280 degrees F.
Grease compartments of a non-stick mini muffin pan very well.
For the Macaroon Cups, mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Press mixture against the sides and bottoms of each muffin compartment. Cover each compartment evenly and fully, and try to ensure that the bottom isn’t too thick. (You can wet your fingers occasionally to help you press the coconut mixture in easily.)
Bake for 30 minutes, then let cool completely before removing macaroon cups from the pan. You may need to run a sharp knife around the top edges of each cup to loosen.

For Ganache Filling, melt chocolate and margarine together in the top of a double boiler, and stir to mix. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in egg yolks while whisking thoroughly to prevent them from cooking. Add cocoa and mix well. Pour mixture while it is still warm into coconut cups and leave at room temperature to set. Store in airtight container.

Heat oven to 350°F.
Coat an 8×8-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
Combine sliced carrots, pineapple, apples, matzahh meal, cranberries, slightly beaten egg yolks, almonds, cinnamon and coriander in a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; gently fold them into the carrot-pineapple mixture. Pour into the baking dish; bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Servings: 12

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients very well. Pour into 9 x 13-inch pan and bake until solidified and golden – about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

2 yellow peppers
2 red peppers
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
40 fresh asparagus spears

Cut the peppers in quarters and boil in separate pans until soft. Drain. Combine the red peppers with half the olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Purée. Do the same with the yellow peppers. Place in separate containers and refrigerate. Steam asparagus until tender – between 5 and 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon salt. Cool and refrigerate. Bring all ingredients to room temperature before serving. Drizzle red pepper coulis and yellow pepper coulis over aspargus, either on individual plates or in one large dish. Beautiful and delicious.

3 pints strawberries, half-small sliced
6 tablespoons plus 1½ tablespoons sugar
2 cups pareve whipping cream
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
3 cups (about 8 ounces) crumbled, store-bought coconut macaroons

Mix strawberries and 6 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl, let stand until berries release their liquid, 30 to 60 minutes. When ready to assemble dessert, beat pareve cream and orange zest to soft peaks, gradually adding remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar. Pour 6 tablespoons of the strawberry juice that has collected in the bowl over the crumbled macaroons. Toss to coat.

To assemble, choose 6 goblets that hold at least 12 ounces, in each, make 2 layers in the following order : scant ¼ cup macaroons, scant ¼ whipped cream, ¼ cup strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.