The Mile End Cookbook: Redefining Jewish Comfort Food from Hash to Hamantaschen

WHEN NOAH AND RAE BERNAMOFF OPENED MILE END, their tiny Brooklyn restaurant, they had a mission: to share the classic Jewish comfort food of their childhood.

Using their grandmothers’ recipes as a starting point, Noah and Rae updated traditional dishes and elevated them with fresh ingredients and from-scratch cooking techniques. The Mile End Cookbook celebrates the craft of new Jewish cooking with more than 100 soul-satisfying recipes and gorgeous photographs. Throughout, the Bernamoffs share warm memories of cooking with their families and the traditions and holidays that inspire recipes like blintzes with seasonal fruit compote; chicken salad whose secret ingredient is fresh gribenes; veal schnitzel kicked up with pickled green tomatoes and preserved lemons; tsimis that’s never mushy; and cinnamon buns made with challah dough. Noah and Rae also celebrate homemade delicatessen staples and share their recipes and methods for pickling, preserving, and smoking just about anything.

For every occasion, mood, and meal, these are recipes that any home cook can make, including:

SMOKED AND CURED MEAT AND FISH: brisket, salami, turkey, lamb bacon, lox, mackerel

PICKLES, GARNISHES, FILLINGS, AND CONDIMENTS: sour pickles, pickled fennel, horseradish cream, chicken confit, sauerkraut, and soup mandel

SUMPTUOUS SWEETS AND BREADS: rugelach, jelly-filled doughnuts, flourless chocolate cake, honey cake, cheesecake, challah, rye

ALL THE CLASSICS: the ultimate chicken soup, gefilte fish, corned beef sandwich, latkes, knishes

With tips and lore from Jewish and culinary mavens, such as Joan Nathan and Niki Russ Federman of Russ & Daughters, plus holiday menus, Jewish cooking has never been so inspiring.

 

"This debut cookbook melds old school kosher food with a modern finesse, bringing the idea of 'kosher delicatessen' into the 21st century. Hoping to prove that the Jewish deli is not a thing of the past, the Bernamoffs (who lived in Montreal but now reside in Brooklyn where they opened their deli) rely on classic recipes 'from grandma' infused with new technique and palate to offer their restaurant meals in the convenience of the reader's home. Broken into two sections, 'Do-It-Yourself Delicatessen' and 'To the Table,' the book enables readers to build the perfect delicatessen meal from the ground up. Providing recipes for a complete meal, at any time of the day, the Bernamoffs incorporate smoked meats and fish, pickles, garnishes, and condiments, bread and noodle-making, as well as dessert (e.g., honey cake and rugelach) into a small book filled with anecdotes and tips. With extra sections written by other food purveyors and vendors, e.g., 'How to Love Your Knife So It'll Love You Back' by Joel Bukiewicz (a Brooklynite knife-smith) or 'An Ode to Pastrami' by Ken Gordon (owner of Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen in Portland, Ore.) give this book the quirky, hipster personality of its restaurant namesake. Perhaps slightly impractical for the average home cook (smoking meat is time consuming), this book will definitely serve those willing to put in the time and effort required for the perfect roast beef sandwich. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

NOAH AND RAE BERNAMOFF opened Brooklyn’s Mile End Delicatessen in 2010. The New York Times dubbed it “a loving tribute to the deli tradition,” and Zagat and New York magazine voted it New York’s best deli. Originally from Montreal and New York, respectively, Noah and Rae now live in Park Slope.