Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish: A Whole Brunch of Recipes to Make at Home

By Cathy Barrow and Linda Xiao

BAGELS ARE EASY BAKING: This book brings bagels to the home baker with step-by-step recipes for making classic New York bagels, even in the smallest kitchen. And it's not about the water! It's about just five ingredients and straightforward technique.

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: Cathy Barrow is an award-winning cookbook author. She's been recognized by IACP and the James Beard Foundation for her work on Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry and Pie Squared, respectively.

Perfect for:

• Home bakers and cooks who love bagels
• Bread enthusiasts looking for a new project
• New Yorkers who live elsewhere and want to make a classic NY bagel at home

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Digital
• Release date: Mar 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797210568

Cathy Barrow

Cathy Barrow is an award-winning author and cook. She has written three cookbooks, Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry, Pie Squared, and When Pigs Fly. Cathy won an IACP award for best single subject cookbook Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry and was nominated for a James Beard Award in the Baking category for Pie Squared. She writes a monthly food column for the Washington Post Food section, and has been published by the New York Times, Serious Eats, FOOD52, The Local Palate, Garden & Gun, Southern Living, NPR, and National Geographic.

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TO MY MISHPOCHA

Text copyright © 2022 by Cathy Barrow.

Photographs copyright © 2022 by Linda Xiao.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781797210568 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Barrow, Cathy, author. | Xiao, Linda, photographer.

Title: Bagels, schmears, and a nice piece of fish / Cathy Barrow ; photographs by Linda Xiao.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021035053 | ISBN 9781797210551

Subjects: LCSH: Bagels. | Cooking (Bagels) | Sandwiches.

Classification: LCC TX770.B35 B344 2022 |

DDC 641.81/5--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021035053

Food Styling by Barrett Washburne.

Prop Styling by Maeve Sheridan.

Design by Lizzie Vaughan.

Typeset in Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk.

Quote, page 184: Miss Manners © 2020 Judith

Martin. Reprinted with permission of Andrews

McMeel Syndication. All rights reserved.

Baking Steel is a registered trademark of Stoughton Steel Company, Inc.; Costco is a registered trademark of Costco Wholesale Membership, Inc.; Cup4Cup is a registered trademark of Elizabeth M LLC; Diamond Crystal is a registered trademark of Cargill, Incorporated; Duke’s is a registered trademark of Sauer Brands, Inc.; Etsy is a registered trademark of Etsy, Inc.; Fairmount Bagel is a registered trademark of Fairmount Bagel Bakery Inc.; Google is a registered trademark of Google LLC; Hebrew National is a registered trademark of ConAgra Foods RDM, Inc.; Hellmann’s (Best Foods) is a registered trademark of Conopco, Inc.; June Taylor Company is a registered trademark of June Taylor Company LLC; Kerrygold is a registered trademark of Ornua Co-operative Limited; Kewpie is a registered trademark of Kewpie Corporation; King Arthur Baking Company is a registered trademark of King Arthur Baking Company, Inc.; KitchenAid is a registered trademark of Whirlpool Properties, Inc.; Litehouse is a registered trademark of Litehouse, Inc.; Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a registered trademark of ASR Group; Maldon is a registered trademark of Maldon Crystal Salt Company LLC; Microplane is a registered trademark of Grace Manufacturing, Inc.; Morton’s is a registered trademark of Morton Salt, Inc.; New York Post is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc.; Nordicware is a registered trademark of Northland Aluminum Products, Inc.; Old Spice is a registered trademark of The Procter & Gamble Company; Oxo is a registered trademark of Helen of Troy LLC; Philadelphia Cream Cheese is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC; Reddit is a registered trademark of Reddit, Inc.; Russ & Daughters is a registered trademark of Russ & Daughters LLC; SAF-Instant Yeast is a registered trademark of LeSaffre et Compagnie; St-Viateur Bagel is a registered trademark of The Bagel Shoppe, Inc.; Sunbeam is a registered trademark of Sunbeam Products, Inc.; Temp Tee is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC; Thermoworks is a registered trademark of ThermoWorks, Inc.; Village Voice is a registered trademark of Street Media LLC; YouTube is a registered trademark of Google LLC.

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MY BAGEL LIFE 9

A Homemade Bagel Bakery 15

Essential Ingredients 19

Tools of the Trade 23

NO 1

BAGELS 26

A BRIEF BAGEL HISTORY — 31

BAGEL TECHNIQUES 32

CLASSICS 43

THE NEW YORK BAGEL — 43

THE MONTREAL BAGEL — 45

THE PUMPERNICKEL BAGEL — 51

THE MARBLE BAGEL — 55

THE CINNAMON RAISIN BAGEL — 57

THE EGG BAGEL — 61

THE PLETZEL — 63

THE BIALY — 67

BAGELS MY GRANDMOTHERS WOULDN’T RECOGNIZE 71

THE GLUTEN-FREE BAGEL — 71

THE GRANOLA BAGEL — 74

OLIVE OIL MAPLE GRANOLA — 77

THE BLUEBERRY BAGEL — 79

THE HONEY WHEAT AND OAT BAGEL — 81

THE SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND OLIVE BAGEL — 85

THE ASIAGO CHEESE AND PEPPERONI BAGEL — 87

THE HATCH CHILE JACK BAGEL — 91

THE BAGEL DOG — 93

NO 2

SCHMEARS 96

FINDING YOUR INNER BALABOOSTA 101

MASTER SCHMEARS 103

SCHMEAR MASTER RECIPE 105

SAVORY 107

CHIVE CHEESE 107

SCALLION CHEESE 108

BACON SCALLION CHEESE 109

LOX CHEESE 111

HOT-SMOKED SALMON CHEESE 112

OLIVE CHEESE 113

VEGGIE CHEESE 115

PIMENTO CHEDDAR CHEESE 116

HOT HONEY AND MARCONA ALMOND CHEESE 119

BALABOOSTA HOT HONEY 120

TRIPLE LEMON CHEESE 121

BALABOOSTA SALT-PRESERVED LEMONS 123

SWEET 125

WALNUT RAISIN CHEESE 125

CARROT CAKE CHEESE 126

CHERRY CHEESECAKE CHEESE 127

CANNOLI CHEESE 129

DRIED APRICOT, COCONUT, AND THYME CHEESE 130

TAMARI ALMOND CANDIED GINGER CHEESE 132

TAMARI ALMONDS 133

NO 3

A NICE PIECE OF FISH

& Other Favorites from the Appetizing Store 134

WHAT’S A PARTY WITHOUT A PLATTER? 139

THE FISHES 143

HOME-CURED LOX (CURED SALMON) 143

KIPPERED, OR HOT-SMOKED, SALMON 146

BEET-CURED GRAVLAX 149

THE SALADS 152

BALABOOSTA MAYONNAISE 152

BALABOOSTA SOUR CREAM 153

EGG SALAD 154

CHICKEN SALAD 157

TUNA SALAD 158

DEBONING A WHOLE FISH 160

SMOKED WHITEFISH SALAD 162

SMOKED TROUT SPREAD 163

CARROT PINEAPPLE SALAD 165

PICKLES AND FERMENTS 166

QUICK PICKLED ONIONS 166

QUICK PICKLED CARROTS 168

HALF AND FULL SOUR PICKLES 169

SPICY MARINATED OLIVES 172

FAMILY FAVORITES 173

SUMMER BEET BORSCHT 173

COLD SPINACH BORSCHT (SCHAV) 176

ALLAN KADETSKY’S ONIONS AND EGGS 177

BAGEL SANDWICHES & SALADS 178

SECRETS FOR BETTER SANDWICHING 183

SANDWICHES 185

THE BACON EGG CHEESE (BEC) BAGEL 185

WAKE ME UP WITH A NECTARINE, BACON, AND JALAPEÑO BAGEL 186

NOSHING WITH THE FISHES 186

IF A BAGEL WERE A BURRITO 187

PUTTANESCIZZA BAGEL 188

BACK IN THE DAY BRIE AND APPLE BAGEL 189

PAN BAGELNAT 190

THANKSGIVING ANY DAY 191

COLD STEAK, BIALY, AND BLUE 191

AN ITALIAN HERO BAGEL 192

SALADS 193

FATTOUSH MY BAGEL 193

PANZABAGELLA 195

Bagel-Centric Menus 198

Bibliography 200

Acknowledgments 201

Index 203

HAVE A LITTLE NOSH, BUBBALA

MY BAGEL LIFE

I grew up Jewish—gastronomically, culturally, and only marginally observant. My Boston-born mother, Jan, was not built for Toledo, Ohio, bemoaning a world without a seashore, an international airport, nor a single freshly baked bagel.

To remedy the situation, my grandmother Bea would fly to us regularly with provisions. As she exited the plane looking elegant in a trim suit, heels, and a chic hat, as if off the pages of a magazine, our eyes would be trained on the round, striped hatbox tied together with wide, white ribbon, stuffed to the brim with bagels from my mother’s favorite Brookline bakery.

On the way home in the car, my mother, oblivious to the rest of us, would pry open the box, and the mountain of bagels would fill the car with a wonderful yeasty aroma. I gazed at the tiny poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flakes of onion, beads of garlic. Pumpernickel bagels, dark and sweet, contrasted with the sunny yellow egg bagels. Always, there were bialys, but only a couple. My mother worked to ferret out and take the first bite of the lone salt bagel. My mother loved bagels.

For my entire life, those have been the bagels by which I evaluate any others. Until very recently, finding a good bagel in much of the country was nearly impossible. The sad, spongy, pale, presliced offerings, usually frozen and steamed back to life, were downright unacceptable. A determined DIY-er, I struggled to make a bagel at home, one that could live up to my bagel standards. Time after time, recipe after recipe, they were doughy, they lacked the proper structure, and the flavor was dull. They were just rolls with holes. I began to wonder if maybe bagels were just one of those things that couldn’t be made successfully in the home kitchen. But I persisted, fueled by the belief that there’s nothing like freshly baked homemade bread—surely the same was true for bagels.

In 2016, the Washington Post printed a recipe for bagels that changed all that. I discovered the power of high-gluten flour, and from that recipe, I went on to find more than a dozen additional bagel recipes that led me to months of experimenting in the kitchen. Eventually, I had a bagel with the chew, the density, the tang, the consistency, and the yield that I wanted.

Once I conquered a solid basic bagel recipe, it was time to work bagel making into real life. After a few bakes, I gained competency, as one does with any skill, and my bagels consistently came out smooth and round with defined center holes. Soon, my experiments in the kitchen branched out into the deli offerings that accompany a great bagel. Naturally, the New York–style bagels began a kitchen journey that continued to seed-covered Montreal bagels, bialys, and oniony pletzels. I craved creamy schmears, sweet cured fish, and briny pickles, and before long, set out to produce the entire deli experience of my youth, right in my own kitchen. As I created different bagel flavor combinations, breakfast sandwiches and midnight bagel snacks became part of my bagel zeitgeist. Bagels, Schmears, and a Nice Piece of Fish distills the essence of these deli favorites into simple, easy-to-recreate recipes for a perfect bagel breakfast or an overstuffed bagel sandwich at any time of day.

MY MOTHER, JAN KADETSKY COHN

Whether you bake the bagels yourself or buy them and fill platters with homemade accompaniments, whether you dress up grocery store cream cheese or make it from scratch, I’ll guide you through it all—including curing and smoking salmon, even if it’s your very first time. Deli salads will evoke old memories or create new ones. And we will make half sours together, because when a bagel sandwich is lunch, a pickle spear belongs on the plate.

Throughout these pages you’ll find that, in addition to the recipes, there are stories and asides, history and fables, and tales of my childhood. Because growing up, mine was a bagel-loving family in which every member could make a party from a bagel breakfast.

I did not start this project with the idea that writing and cooking my way through it would conjure memories of my grandparents, that I would again taste foods that we ate regularly when I was very young, or that I would suddenly start dreaming about those days. But that is precisely what happened. And because my world is larger now than it was when I was a child, I know that Jewish cuisine is defined not only in the Ashkenazi tradition, but also in Sephardic and other cuisines of which I have no direct experience. I leave that to other writers.

Mishpocha

My family encouraged a love of food and cooking, and found joy watching company delight in something homemade. I learned in kitchens that I can still see in my mind’s eye—the big, white enamel stove with two ovens and a warming drawer, the Sunbeam mixer, the small paring knives with wooden handles I was allowed to use. I know you came for a cookbook, but you’re going to get some family stories too. It’s impossible for me to write about these foods and not see and hear my grandmothers in my ear. Mishpocha is Yiddish for family. It’s a word filled with warmth. Meet the mishpocha.

My mother went to graduate school when I was three years old, teaching classes while she studied. My father was occupied with his work. So after school, during summer vacations, and on weekends, my brother, David, and I spent time with my paternal grandparents, Mary and Ben Solomon.

Until I was eleven years old, we lived near them. So near, in fact, that my brother and I could walk from our house—through a cornfield, across railroad tracks, winding through neighborhoods—and arrive at Grandma Mary’s about twenty minutes later for a cold ice cream float or a cookie or hot cocoa. She spoiled us rotten in the very best way.

Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, Mary emigrated to Chicago with her seven siblings and grandmother just before the First World War. She learned to speak English without a trace of an accent, but peppered her sentences with Yiddish—the only one of my grandparents who did so. She never spoke of her life in Lithuania, which I fear might have been terrible. She came from a family of rabbis and leaders in the community, none of whom made the journey to America.

In the early 1920s, after completing eighth grade, Mary went to work for a stockbroker. She told me she made a man’s salary—a point of pride her entire life. Her ambitions were cut short when her older sister Doris died shortly after giving birth to my father. Mary, in typical Old-World tradition, married her brother-in-law, my grandfather Ben, and left Chicago for Toledo, Ohio, to live as a housewife, volunteer, and savvy (but never acknowledged) finance manager for the family.

My Grandma Mary was a natural in the kitchen, comfortable with all kinds of cooking. She taught me to bake, to make chicken soup, and to remove the bones from a smoked whitefish. I still remember every corner of her kitchen, what was in each drawer, where she hid the licorice. Even well into my thirties, whenever I visited, she pushed a tin of brownies into my hand for the trip home, an hour by airplane. What she called Aunt Sophie’s Yum Yum Coffee Cake was so frequently on her kitchen counter that when I first saw a cinnamon swirl coffee cake in a bakery, I assumed somehow the store had my grandmother’s recipe.

Every week growing up, we gathered at Mary and Ben’s house with our family and their singleton friends for the Sabbath. Mary’s Sabbath dinners were magnificent feasts of meats and vegetable-rich side dishes, homemade noodles or potatoes, and pickle plates. She spent Fridays setting the table with china and crystal and polishing the silver candlesticks. She served a first course of herring or smoked fish sitting atop cucumber slices or chopped liver spread across thin slices of challah. And after the meal, we watched The Wild Wild West and Star Trek with Grandpa Ben, an avid fan of both.

MY PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, BEN AND MARY SOLOMON

I began research for this book by opening an army-green, dented metal box and thumbing through Mary’s yellowed recipe cards. Her cramped writing, so familiar, listed ingredients and steps for favorite salads and luncheon casseroles, cakes and cookies, long-simmered