Master of Parve Desserts!
KosherEye "Foodie" Friend
Most kosher cooks, at least the ones we know, are always looking for the "next" great parve (non-dairy) dessert recipe; either to serve after a meat meal – or just to serve. We were excited when we met someone who loves to create, and prepare, parve dessert items.
Rabbi Shoshana Ohriner is a very unique person; she feeds both the soul and the body and as she told KosherEye, "it is really the same." A conservative rabbi, Rabbi Ohriner is a hospital Chaplain, and lives in New York with her husband and son. She describes herself as having a love of baking and a passion for confectionary arts.
Growing up in California, her family loved to cook and Rabbi Ohriner's interest in baking started when she was in college. Her incentive to start baking – the terrible parve desserts that were served at many social functions she attended. "I began to experiment with new ingredients and methods to stretch the limits of parve baking, while still using natural ingredients."
With no formal training, (she did take several recreational baking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City), the results of stretching the limits of parve baking are very impressive. Rabbi Ohriner has a repertoire of many traditional and non-traditional recipes that will impress family and friends. Whatever the reason a person has for avoiding dairy, she believes that no one should have to sacrifice good taste to achieve those goals, especially when it comes to dessert. She is currently moving towards using as many natural ingredients as possible in her recipes, and is reworking some of her older recipes to use oil or natural margarine, such as Earth Balance.
KosherEye asked Rabbi Shoshana Ohriner several questions:
What is your very favorite parve dessert recipe?
I love pretty much all desserts and my favorite changes by the week. Right now it is a
toss-up for me between burnt caramel ice cream and passion fruit marshmallows.
What ingredients should the parve baker always keep in her pantry?
Soy Milk Powder, Almond Milk, Soy Milk, MimicCreme and good quality chocolate.
Are you searching for a particular parve recipe translation right now?
I am working to perfect my vanilla ice cream recipe. The things that are the most difficult to make parve, are the ones with the more delicate flavor; so that the flavor of the dairy itself shines through in the original version. I will keep tweaking until there is no lingering aftertaste of anything but rich, creamy vanilla when you eat the ice cream.
What Passover parve dessert recipes do you make every year?
Almond Butter Cookies and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
Rabbi Ohriner has created three wonderful Passover recipes for KosherEye: Frozen Strawberry Parfait with Basil Meringues, Coconut Panna Cotta with Lime Curd and Flourless Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies. You are in for a treat!
To share her excitement for parve desserts, Rabbi Ohriner has created an online website, Couldn't Be Parve. Please visit her and enjoy her wonderful recipes.