vayakhel
parasha Vayakhel, Exodus chapters 35—38
menu
and thoughts…
Vayakhel
and he assembled
This parasha is fairly straight forward. God calls upon everyone to donate materials, as their hearts motivate them to do, for the building of the mishkan and its furnishings. No one is forced to contribute, but a little positive reinforcement goes a long way and everyone, being of one mindset and a singular purpose, jumps in enthusiastically. In that moment they are truly a community. In fact, they jump in so wholeheartedly that Moshe has to command them to stop—they’d given more than could be used.
Then, God assigns Bezalel to be master artisan, with Oholiab as second in command. With everyone chipping in with the work, each in their own fashion and according to their nature and abilities, everyone will feel as though the mishkan belongs to them, and the finished product will be a fitting place for God to live among them—among them as part of their community, and among them individually.
Each of us has our own talents. It’s important, for a good outcome to any project, that each task is assigned to the right person. Everyone has something to contribute, and even the simplest tasks are important. There’s no work of art if there’s no one to make paint brushes or to get those brushes to the painter.
So, everyone contributes materials, and those best suited to the work do the construction and add the artistic finishes.
That’s got me thinking…what if everyone who’ll be at the table this Friday night, even guests, contributes to Shabbat dinner this week? Perhaps every adult can make a dish—recipes can be distributed—something they’ll enjoy making and take pride in. Children (even toddlers) can make pretty decorations for the table. Or, perhaps those who don’t want to cook can contribute special, precious ingredients, so that no one person has to bear the cost of supplying them all. One person can send over the morel mushrooms, another the saffron, yet another a special bottle of wine, etc. You get the idea. This could be the most enjoyable Shabbat ever for everyone, because an experience where everyone has a vested interest is always the most meaningful one. Children will beam to see their paper flowers on the table, and the adults will feel good about their own contributions. What’s more, you may end up with a very extravagant, especially beautiful, and delicious Shabbat dinner.
Vayakhel aside, this is the perfect menu for when you want to pull out all the stops for a special birthday or anniversary, or even just a romantic dinner for two. Any of the dishes will stand brilliantly on its own.
So, what shall we eat?
As I forewarned, this is going to be extravagant. That said, if this menu is a little too over-the-top for you, there are ways to take it down a notch by making some substitutions. It will still be a wonderful meal.
Creating a super fancy, multi-course frufru dinner, is my idea of fun. It may be a bit much to take on every week, but once in a while I like to go wild and really play with my food. I do intend to maintain the look and feel of a classic Shabbat dinner—challah of course, fish, matzo balls, kugel, a sweet dessert—but all taken to the next level.
And tonight, the main attraction, the sun around which all other ingredients will orbit, is going to be duck. Specifically, magret of moulard duck. (also known as the best duck breast you’ll ever eat.)
Here’s the plan: For the appetizer, I’m going to skip the gefilte this week and go for my absolute favorite fish—chilean sea bass. We’re going to serve 3 ounce portions as an appetizer, but if you use this recipe as a main course, serve 6 ounces. Topped with prosciutto and and pan seared honeydew melon, and drizzled with a midori sauce, it doesn’t get more elegant than this. But…It’s not at all complicated to make. We’ll give a nod to the classic Ashkenazi first course by serving the fish with a tiny ramekin of beet and horseradish hummus with a pretty lotus root chip or two for scooping.
Possible substitution: Any thick, hearty white fish, such a cod, can be used instead of the Chilean Sea Bass.
Wait…back up…hold the phone…did I say prosciutto?
Ummm, that is so not kosher…
Unless it’s duck prosciutto from a kosher butcher! Read on and I’ll tell you where to find it.
When the goal is to put together a superlatively elegant meal, my mind gravitates towards my favorite chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten. J.G. has a plethora of fab duck recipes and I’m going to go with one of my favorites, which is easily replicated in a home kitchen. In fact, it comes straight from his cookbook, Home Cooking with Jean-Georges.
So , where are you going to find all these marvelous duck products? Aaron’s Gourmet online has all of these and more, the quality is excellent, and it’s 100% kosher. If you’re planning to make this and you don’t keep kosher, I recommend using D’Artagnan. They are the duck people. Or...you can make it yourself, at home!
There’s no reason for me to re-invent the wheel. This recipe for Duck Prosciutto from Chef David Leite is perfect. And you’ll happily have enough prosciutto left for lots of other things. It’s great with all fruits, makes a fabulous kosher saltimbocca, and takes a noble place on your charcuterie board.
Possible substitution: Although it would change the dish substantially, you could make it with chicken breasts. Just don’t serve them medium-rare, as you would duck!
Back to the menu: It’s Shabbat. There needs to be a soup. Why? Because. It’s Shabbat. But I want something light, as a counterpoint to all these rich dishes. One of my favorite soups, one I’ve loved since I first tasted it as a child in a long-gone NYC Spanish restaurant, is Garlic Soup. It’s cooked in such a way that the garlic actually becomes sweet. Generally, it’s served with a crouton and a poached egg, but I’m going to switch that out here for some tiny saffron matzo balls. Start with my Grandma’s Matzo Ball recipe with a simple modification—bloom ¼ teaspoon crushed saffron in the seltzer for 5 minutes before adding it to the batter, and make them very small, using no more than 1- 1½ level teaspoon of batter per matzo ball.
Now, what to serve alongside the duck…I’m going to go with a vegetable tian. There’s not a lot of work involved in making it—save slicing a lot of vegetables—and you can assemble it in advance. It’s delicious as well as gorgeous. I usually make 1 large one and serve it family style, but I think I’m going to go with little individuals ones, to plate along with the duck. These little crème brulée ramekins will work perfectly for the job, and they’re pretty inexpensive. You can make individuals like I’m doing, or make a large one for everyone to dig in to.
And last but not least…a classic (almost) potato kugel. But this meal needs something more than just a delicious square of my fabulous kugel. We’re going to layer in some morel mushrooms with the potatoes and drizzle a bit of truffle oil over the top when it comes out of the oven. And instead of half oil, half chicken schmaltz like I usually use in my recipe, I’m going to use duck schmaltz (see sources above), which is brilliant with anything potato.
Possible substitution: Instead of the morels, you can use dried porcini or chanterelles, or any fresh mushrooms of your choosing (if going with fresh, be sure to sauté them in a bit of oil [with a bit of garlic] before layering them in the kugel).
And…dessert. It seems like every restaurant serves a version of lava cake. Many kitchens get them pre-made and delivered by a food service; others make it themselves. You can even buy an almost-instant version in a box in the supermarket baking aisle. But none of them come close to the original, first invented and served by…you guessed it, chef Jean-Georges. For the best results, use a superlative chocolate, such as Valrhona, or another fair trade, slavery-free chocolate. Switch out the dairy butter with vegan butter, and it’s pareve. Valrhona is available at Whole Foods, or click on the above link. You can find Jean-Georges’ original recipe here. In keeping with the theme of Vayakhel, I’m going to garnish each cake with edible, real gold flakes. These are surprisingly inexpensive.
I like to serve the cakes with a dollop of coconut whipped cream. Buy it in a can or make your own.
I hope you have as much fun with this menu as I did.