"Kosher Kettle is a 'must add' to your cookbooks collection. It is extensive in its scope and range, tantalizing in
its wide variety of new and traditional taste sensations and welcoming in its format and easy to follow recipes. Congratulations to Five Star Publications and Sybil Kaplan for this outstanding contribution to the world of Jewish cooking."

-- Kay. K. Pomerantz, author of Come for Cholent, Come for Cholent Again, Come for Everything... but Cholent

Not Just for Kiddush
"Blessed art Thou, O Lord our G-d,
King of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine."
Most of us are familiar with that traditional kiddush, the blessing over the wine, and we tend to associate kosher wine with--something sweet, dark red, syrupy or Passover.

Today, a new trend is growing in the kosher wine industry. One might say, a revolution has taken place and the words associated with it are Sauvignon, Emerald Riesling, Zinfandel and Chardonnay.

While a segment of the Jewish population today still drinks only the sweet wines for Shabbat and other ritual occasions, others are changing the stereotype and discovering that kosher wine can be a high-quality beverage to have with meals. Many people have refined their tastes in food, they enjoy wine as a complement, and they are actively seeking these wines to drink.

Take our community of 22,000 Jews with one kosher butcher who also has a bakery and grocery section as part of the store. One wall is now filled with fine kosher table wines from numerous countries and the United States and Israel.

Wine drinking has had an interesting historical evolution. Eastern European Jews who immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s took the grapes available, added lots of sugar and made their own wine. When the first kosher wines were produced commercially, they too were sweet and used for rituals.

The first winemaker was actually Noah, so they say, and when Moses sent spies to explore the land of Israel, they returned with a cluster of grapes upon a pole. Wine is frequently mentioned in the Bible and viticulture has become a real science and art in modern-day Israel.

Not only are kosher wines produced in Israel, they are also produced in Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, the United States and other countries.

What makes a wine kosher? Wines are considered kosher only if Sabbath-observant Jews are involved in the process from harvesting to fermentation to processing and production. Ingredients such as gelatin, lactose, glycerines, corn products, non-wine yeast or most chemical additives are not added during the processing, lest they render the wine non kosher for year- round use, including Passover.

All of the American producers of kosher wines have long histories. All have added to the traditional sweet wine other varieties such as creams, champagnes, cooking wines and California varietals.

Articles even appear from time to time in gourmet food magazines discussing kosher wines today and the changes which have taken place especially during the 1970s.

Wine can make a difference in cooking as well. At the end of this chapter is a list of more than 60 recipes in this cookbook using wines, liqueurs or cordials which we hope you will enjoy.

The following recipes come from staff members or the chef from two of the well-known American producers of kosher wines: Hagafen Cellars in California and Kedem Royal Wine Corporation in New York State. We have also included some brief synopses of these two wine producers and some of their recommended recipes.

Next time you think of kosher wine, remember,

"A feast is made for laughter,
And wine maketh glad the life" (Ecl. 10:19)
Sybil Kaplan

Hagafen Cellars, Napa Valley, California
Hagafen ("the vine" in Hebrew) crushed and bottled its first wines in 1980 and became Napa Valley's only producer of premium table wines that are also kosher. The winery was founded by Emie Weir in 1979 and annually produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Johannesberg Riesling, Pinot Noir, Harmonia Red, White and Blush tables wines. All are either dry or off-dry. Hagafen wines are produced under strict kosher guidelines. They have won many awards and have been served on several occasions at the White House.

Kedem Royal Wine Corporation
Through eight generations and more than 140 years, from 19th century Czechoslovakia through Nazi-occupied Europe to modern-day America, the Herzog family has operated the Royal Wine Corporation, the world's largest importer/producer of kosher wines, foods and beverages. Often referred to as "Kedem," the company traveled a bumpy road before finding the path to success in America under the then family leader, Eugene Herzog. The name, Kedem, is derived from the Hebrew words, chadaish yamanu cakedem, "renew our days as before."

Pears Poached in Red Wine

Dairy
Hagafen Cellars, Napa, California
Yield: 4 Servings

This recipe was submitted by Nancy Levenberg, Sales and Marketing.

2 cups Hagafen red wine 1 cinnamon stick 1/3 cup sugar 2 strips lemon peel 2 whole cloves

4 ripe pears, D'Anjou or Bose, peeled with pith and seeds removed Freshly whipped cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon sugar added

1. Place wine, cinnamon stick, sugar, lemon peel and cloves in a heavy saucepan. Warm over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
2. Add the pears so they are covered by the liquid. If not, add water. Cook the pears on medium-low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring periodically and turning the fruit. The pears are done when they are easily pierced by a sharp knife.
3. Remove pears from the pan and set in a bowl. Increase the heat to high and reduce the liquid by one half by boiling. Add vanilla and sugar to whipped cream. For each serving, place two pear halves on a plate, pour reduced wine sauce on top. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Preparation and Cooking Time: 1¼ hours

Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Pareve
Kedem Royal Wine Corporation, Brooklyn, New York
Yield: 1 1/3 cups

Chef Bare created this for Kedem.

3 ounces Bartenura Balsamic Vinegar
3 ounces Kedem Raspberry Syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dry herbs
8 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1. Blend vinegar, syrup, salt, pepper and herbs.
2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, beating until emulsified. Taste and adjust if necessary.

Preparation and Cooking Time: 10 minutes