My Tea Planner
  • Home
  • About/Blog
    • Who We Are
    • Our Credentials
    • Tea Travels - Rose's Blog
    • Cakes and Tea - Kathleen's Blog
    • Contact Us
  • The Tea Book
    • The Road Back to Civilization
    • A Brief History of Tea
    • Philosophy of Tea >
      • Harmony
      • Humility
      • Respect
      • Creativity
    • Guidelines for the Host/Hostess >
      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
      • Herbal Teas and Tisanes
      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
      • Brewing Tea for a Crowd
    • Tea Utensils and Accessories >
      • Tea Kettle
      • Tea Pot
      • Tea Cozy
      • Teacups
      • Plates
      • Silverware
      • Teacart
      • Tea Strainer
      • Tea Infuser
      • Three-Tiered Server
      • Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
      • Cake Pedestal
      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
  • Resources
    • Bibliography and Resources
    • Menu and Recipe Index
    • Commercial Food Products
    • Glossary

A Kosher Family Reunion Tea

         << PREVIOUS SECTION                      < PREVIOUS PAGE                       NEXT PAGE >                           NEXT SECTION >>

Picture
In Jewish families today, it would be surprising if all the aunts, uncles and cousins in a multi-generational family kept Kosher. But even if only a few of the family members keep Kosher, you can welcome them to this Family Reunion Tea by making only a few minor adjustments to our menu.
​

Kosher food is international in scope and is not tied to a single national cuisine. Keeping Kosher is simply a way of eating and drinking that affirms the conviction that meals are sacred activities, and keeping our bodies pure can help to purify our spirits. The laws for keeping Kosher are both exquisitely simple and maddeningly complex. Let’s start with the first simple rule:

                                           Meats and dairy products should never be eaten at the same meal.

Picture
There is also a third food group in Kosher cooking called pareve. This refers to foods that are neither meat nor dairy and can therefore be eaten with either meat or dairy meals. While vegans classify fish, eggs and honey as animal products, Kosher cuisine does not. All three of these foods are considered pareve. All fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts are pareve. Certain types of meat, such as pork and shellfish are not Kosher and are never eaten at Kosher meals.

For our Kosher Afternoon Tea, we will serve a light buffet meal using dairy products but no meat. We can respect this principle at our Family Reunion Tea simply by removing the bacon and tomato and ham and cheese sandwiches from the menu. We suggest that you include instead the Mediterranean Appetizer Platter from the Mediterranean Tea menu, as none of the items in this assortment contain meat products.


Picture
You can also add a large platter of lox, cream cheese and bagels with slices of ripe summer tomatoes. You will need to choose the cheeses for the Cheese Platter carefully. Do not serve certain hard cheeses that may contain rennet, which is an animal product.

Since gelatin is not always Kosher, you will need to eliminate the Spiced Apple Gelatin from the dessert table. We recommend serving instead a large Cheesecake with fresh fruit. You can also add a Kugel with pineapple and raisins. Both of these desserts are good at room temperature.

Picture
Now we must deal with the complex aspect of keeping Kosher. Meats and dairy products cannot be cooked in the same pots and pans, nor can they be served on the same dishes. Here you will need to be vigilant. The simple solution is to make sure that family members prepare all the food following Kosher guidelines such as making sure that any dish or pan that might have been used for preparing meat is carefully cleansed or washed in a separate dishpan before it is used for serving dairy products. Alternatively, you can consult with the kitchen staff if your reunion is being held in a restaurant, hotel or conference center. They may be willing to prepare the food according to Kosher guidelines. Finally, you could engage a reliable Kosher restaurant or deli to make the food; then you could arrange to have it transported to the place where your reunion is being held.

For your relatives who keep Kosher, these steps will help to make them feel welcome, comfortable and included in the festivities. Those who do not keep Kosher will barely notice that you are serving a Kosher Afternoon Tea. They will simply love the food.


For a Kosher Family Reunion Tea, make the following adjustments to the basic Family Reunion Tea Menu:
  1. For the Cheese Platter, select only cheeses that do not contain rennet.
  2. Eliminate the Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches and the Ham and Cheese Sandwiches.
  3. Add a platter of lox, bagels, cream cheese and sliced tomatoes
  4. Add the Mediterranean Appetizer Platter from the Eastern Mediterranean Tea menu.
  5. Eliminate the Spiced Apple Gelatin 
  6. Add a Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit.
  7. Add a Kugel with Pineapple and Apples. 
  8. Assess the entire Family Reunion Tea menu and eliminate any items that, though Kosher, (such as the Corn and Red Pepper Frittata and the Cherry Pie,) may seem unnecessary. If you decide to include pie, make sure that the crust is made with vegetable shortening or butter, not lard.
  9. The entire Eastern Mediterranean Tea menu is Kosher, including the honey-laden Baklava. Feel free to add any items from this menu to your Kosher Tea.
  10. Develop a strategy to ensure that all of the pots, pans, plates and serving dishes have been handled in accordance with Kosher guidelines.

Recipes Included:

Kathleen’s Prize Winning Virgin Cheesecake
During the years when Kathleen worked at the inns, she baked one or more cheesecakes a week. She created a wide variety of cheesecakes, including pumpkin, almond, lemon and of course chocolate. However, there is something indescribably alluring about the unadorned virgin cheesecake, the one that won many blue ribbons for Kathleen at the county fair.

Kugel with Pineapple and Raisins
Kugel is a homey baked dessert similar to bread pudding, but it is made with noodles instead of bread, and who doesn’t love noodles? This version includes raisins, pineapple and cinnamon with a nice crunchy topping of crushed cornflakes. Any leftovers can be refrigerated and enjoyed for breakfast the next morning.
Picture
Picture

Contact US
home
free recipes
purchase recipes
Address : 51-349 Kamehameha Highway, Kaaawa, HI 96730

Telephone :  408-379-5200


Copyright © 2015 by Epilogics
  • Home
  • About/Blog
    • Who We Are
    • Our Credentials
    • Tea Travels - Rose's Blog
    • Cakes and Tea - Kathleen's Blog
    • Contact Us
  • The Tea Book
    • The Road Back to Civilization
    • A Brief History of Tea
    • Philosophy of Tea >
      • Harmony
      • Humility
      • Respect
      • Creativity
    • Guidelines for the Host/Hostess >
      • Gathering and Greeting
      • Sharing Stories
      • Sharing Food
      • Sending the Guests Home
    • Guidelines for the Guest >
      • Respect Your Hostess/Host
      • Bring a Gift if You Wish
      • Practice Humility
      • Monitor Your Conversation
      • Arrive with a Grateful Attitude
      • Help if Help is Needed
      • Do Not Criticize
      • Leave Gracefully
      • Send a Thank You Note
    • A Checklist for Planning a Tea Party
    • Teas of the World and How to Make Tea >
      • A Sampling of Teas
      • Herbal Teas and Tisanes
      • How to Make Tea
      • Making Iced Tea
      • Tea Concentrate
      • Brewing Tea for a Crowd
    • Tea Utensils and Accessories >
      • Tea Kettle
      • Tea Pot
      • Tea Cozy
      • Teacups
      • Plates
      • Silverware
      • Teacart
      • Tea Strainer
      • Tea Infuser
      • Three-Tiered Server
      • Cream Pitcher and Sugar Bowl
      • Cake Pedestal
      • Trifle Bowl
      • Jam Pots
      • Serving Dishes, Platters, and Trays
      • Silver Tea Set or Silver Tray
      • Linens
      • Kitchen Equipment for Food Preparation
    • Tea Menu Basics >
      • Sandwiches and Savories
      • Savory Spreads and Dips
      • Scones and Tea Breads >
        • About Lemons
    • Afternoon Tea and the Four Seasons >
      • A Spring Tea
      • An Outdoor Summer Tea
      • An Autumn Afternoon Tea
      • A Winter Afternoon Tea
    • A Calendar of Tea Parties >
      • January: A Japanese New Year’s Tea
      • February: A Valentine’s Day Tea
      • March: A St. Patrick’s Day Irish Tea
      • April: An Easter Tea
      • May: A Mother’s Day Tea
      • June: A Wedding Reception Tea >
        • Lemon Yogurt Wedding Cake
      • July: A Picnic Tea
      • August: A Family Reunion Tea >
        • A North American Family Reunion Tea
        • An Eastern Mediterranean Family Reunion Tea
        • A Kosher Family Reunion Tea
        • A Scandinavian Family Reunion Tea
      • September: An Ozark Farm Harvest Tea
      • October: A Tea to Honor Our Ancestors (Dia de los Muertos)
      • November: A Post Thanksgiving Tea
      • December: A Christmas Tea >
        • In Defense of Fruitcake: Fruitcakes and Candied Fruit
    • A World of Tea Parties >
      • A Chinese Dim Sum Tea
      • A Portuguese Tea
      • A Classic British Afternoon Tea
      • An Indian Chai Party
      • A California Tea
      • A Hawaiian Tea
      • An Italian Tea
      • An American Southern Tea
      • A Russian Tea
      • A French Afternoon Tea
      • A Kosher Tea with Tradional Jewish Foods
    • Afternoon Tea for Special Occasions >
      • An Afternoon Tea for Children
      • A Tea for Our Elders
      • A Honey Bee Tea in the Garden
      • An Urban Tea on the Go
      • Tea for One
      • Afternoon Tea for a Large Group
      • A Vegan Tea
      • A Rose Tea
  • Purchase Recipes
  • Resources
    • Bibliography and Resources
    • Menu and Recipe Index
    • Commercial Food Products
    • Glossary