Seder Meal with the Grays
This Monday, Chef Todd Gray and his wife Ellen Kassoff Gray hosted a Seder meal at Equinox Restaurant in celebration of Passover and their just released book The New Jewish Table: Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes.
A Family Affair
The Gray family and guests took turns reading from the Haggadah, enacting the symbolic exodus of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery and answering the question: Why is this night different from all other nights? With a room full of kith and kin, there was hardly an empty chair for Elijah the prophet.
In keeping with the literal meaning of Seder, “order”, the evening was a well-planned event. Each table was set with a Seder plate filled with the traditional roasted bone, roasted egg, bitter herbs, parsley and a bottle of Manischewitz wine. Guests found their seats with chocolate dripped Matzah bread bearing their names.
Passover Eats
After the Seder ceremony, the Grays reworked the meager flight fare of the escaping Jewish people, unleavened bread and bitter herbs, to include a hearty three course menu of Roasted Red and Golden Beet Salad, Black Angus Beef Brisket in Red Wine Sauce and Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with Salted Caramel Ice Cream.
The meal was a tasty indicator of the reimagined Jewish recipes found in the Grays’ book, The New Jewish Table. Introduced to Jewish cooking through his wife Ellen, Chef Todd Gray says the book contains traditional family recipes touched up with the fresh and bright seasonal flavor that has become the hallmark of Equinox entrees.
Shalom!
Though Passover may differ from all other nights, Equinox consistently serves an exciting regional menu of Mid Atlantic tastes every night. Stop in for a meal or if you are feeling adventures try making one of the 125 recipes found in Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray’s book, The New Jewish Table: Modern Seasonal Recipes for Traditional Dishes.
By: Richard Barry, Food Editor
