Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 47

iiboutFOOD Wednesday, Nov. 7, 1973 47 i 1 If' I 'T- I-' I (9 A South Jersey Cooks They Laughed at First (At Wives' Idea) But Look at Them Now RESEARCH is standard procedure before the creative cooks get to work. From left to right, above, are Larry Kramer, Steven Shapiro, Mark Belafsky and Donald Meltzer. and cooking, since they're all busy men and physicians' hours, are especially irregular. The dishes chosen were not necessarily ones that would make up a "coordinated menu" but they enjoyed them anyway.

(After realizing that most of the dishes were heavy in the garlic department, we feel, in retrospect, it was a wise choice to make this an outdoor meal.) THE SNAILS in garlic butter, made by Steve Shapiro, started off the dinner. This was followed by another garlic-laden dish, Mediterranean shrimp, a two-man effort by' Drs. Kramer and Belafsky. Marv Gross' contribution was a special salad full of anchovies, olives, onions, marinated artichokes and. of course garlic.

For the dinner party, Dr. Meltzer prepared a hot ratatouille recipe which is a combination of eggplant, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic. Dessert, of course, did not contain garlic. That was Ian Berg's Bananas Flambe. A rich mixture of bananas in a buttery sauce it was flamed with cognac, then served over vanilla ice.

cream. THIS WEEK, the men are getting 'together for a second "gourmet" event. They've decided to make a complete fondue dinner. There will be two tables for six with three fondue ppts at each. (That means six fondue pots, all going at the same time, for the appetizers, main course and dessert.) The men think this might be the answer to the energy crisis.

And their wives are hoping for a cold day. The heat from six fondue pots might make central heating an unnecessary luxury. By BARBARA WOLFE Courier-Post Staff WHEN Mrs. Marvin Gross of Cherry Hill called with a recommendation for the South Jersey Cooks column, we never expected six cooks. But the real surprise was that these were six men: Mrs.

Gross's husband, a busy endodontist, and five other professional men who have recently formed a gourmet cooking club. "It all started at the Willowdale Swim Club," explained Mrs. Gross. "A group of us women were thinking about starting a cooking club this summer. We would sit around the pool, discussing the menus, and our husbands kept coming up with more and more suggestions.

"Finally, we said to them, 'If you know so much about food, why don't you do some AT FIRST the men laughed at the idea, but when they gave it more thought, they decided it might be fun. The five other Cherry Hill men in the group include Dr. Mark Belafsky, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat); Dr. Larry Kramer, a general practitioner; Dr. Donald Meltzer, a radiologist; Steven Shapiro, a certified public accountant, and Ian Berg, president of Copelco Corporation of Haddonf ield.

The first venture, an outdoor dinner this summer, consisted of the men's favorite dishes. After researching several cookbooks, changing ingredients here and there and consulting for long hours over the phone, the men finally got together for their dinner party. It wasn't an easy task to arrange a time for shopping for ingredients (no, they didn't send their wives) Courier-Post Photos by Jack Wolfer BANANAS flambe have the undivided attention of the other members of the six-man team: Marvin Gross, left, and Ian Berg, who was responsible for preparing the dessert. These May Challenge the Budding Chef in Your Life Bananas Flambe stove in a small pan. Add the cognac to warm bananas and ignite mixture, using a long match (a fireplace match is good for this) for safety.

Pour flaming bananas over scoops of vanilla ice cream in serving glasses or dishes. Serves 6. 6 slightly underripe bananas Juice of Va lemon 1 cup brown sugar Va cup butter Dash of cinnamon Vi cup good cognac Vanilla ice cream Snails in Garlic Butter 2 doz. canned snails 2 doz. snail shells 'a lb.

butter 116 tsp. chopped onion 6 cloves garlic, crushed Vs tsp. salt Dash pepper 2 tbsp. bread crumbs 1 tbsp. parsley Wash shells and set aside.

Set aside snails. Combine butter, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing' bowl and mash together, combining well. Place a bit of the butter ture in the bottom of each shell. Place a snail in each shell. Fill remainder of each shell with the garlic butter.

Arrange snails in bottom of special snail dishes or small shallow pans. Sprinkle crumbs and parsley over shells. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 She has prepared it many times in the past for four people. Triple the recipe for a group the size of the men's cooking club.) Chop or grate the chocolate into small pieces. Melt over very low flame in a small fondue pot.

Stir in the cream, then allow mixture to heat for about three minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon. Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Serve warm, not hot, over moderate flame in fondue pot. Dunk pieces of pineapple, apples, oranges and bananas into mixture. (Drizzle lemon juice over bananas to prevent browning.) You may also use pieces of firm poundcake and mallows for dipping.

l'j tbsp. dried parsley flakes 6 tbsp. dried basil 3 tsp. dried oregano l'a tsp. garlic powder 2 env.

Spatini spaghetti sauce mix 6 lb. cooked shrimp, cleaned and deveined Grated parmesan cheese Brown garlic in hot oil. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add tomato paste, water and spices.

Add spaghetti sauce mix and cook 15 minutes more. Taste to adjust seasonings. Add shrimp and cook only long enough to heat the shrimp. Serve over cooked spaghetti-or alone, as preferred. Serves 10 to 12.

Chocolate Fondue 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 3 tbsp. heavy cream 2 tbsp. Kirsch liqueur Va tbsp. ground coffee Va tsp.

cinnamon (Note: This is a recipe that Ellen Gross has suggested the men use at their fondue party. Peel bananas and slice diagonally into pieces about 2 inches thick. Brush slices with lemon juice. In a chafing dish, melt the sugar with the butter. Add the bananas and cook until barely tender.

Sprinkle bananas with cinnamon. Warm the cognac on the minutes. Serve immediately. Use a small seafood fork to remove snails. Dip in butter and eat.

(Be sure to include plenty of French bread to dunk into garlic butter.) Serves 4. Hot Ratatouille (Eggplant Casserole) 2 onions, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped cup vegetable oil 2 med. eggplants, peeled and diced 6 to 8 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced 1 tsp. dry basil or cup fresh chopped basil Vt tsp. salt 1 lb.

fresh mushrooms, sliced 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated Saute onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add the eggplant. Cook about five minutes over medium heat, tossing well and shaking pan often. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt.

Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking about 10 minutes more, until mushrooms are soft. Place mixture in a very lightly oiled casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 6. The kitchen is no longer the woman's domain. So many men have taken up creative cooking that lots of housewives can't get into "the kitchen to prepare their everyday meals. If your husband is one of those creative cooks, he might enjoy some of these recipes: Men's Special Salad Vi cup drained pitted black olives 3 tbsp. liquid from olives 1 can (2-oz.) anchovies 1 tsp.

liquid from anchovies 1 jar (8-oz.) marinated artichoke hearts 6 tbsp. liquid from artichokes 'A clove garlic, crushed Vi cup salad oil cup tarragon vinegar 1 tsp. sugar tsp. salt tsp. lemon-pepper mixture a4 tsp.

garlic salt 1 large head Boston lettuce 1 large head Bibb lettuce 1 large head Romaine lettuce Vj cup sliced fresh mushrooms; 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced 1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings 2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges Place drained liquids from olives, anchovies and artichoke hearts in a jar with tight lid. (Set aside the olives, anchovies and artichoke hearts.) To the liquids in the jar, add the crushed garlic, salad oil, vinegar, salt, lemon-pepper and garlic salt. Combine and shake well, then refrigerate at least one hour. Wash lettuce, drain and tear Into bite-size pieces. Place in a salad bowl.

Add mushrooms, cucumber, onion and tomatoes. Toss. Add olives, anchovies and artichokes, tossing again. Shake dressing vigorously and pour over salad, tdss until all parts are well coated. Serve immediately.

Serves 12 to 14. I mmr mil tri-mr ir --i i i A Mediterranean Shrimp 8 cloves garlic, minced l'a cups olive oil 3 cans 12-oz. each) Italian plum tomatoes 3 tbsp. salt tsp. pepper 2 large (12-oz.

each) cans tomato paste 2 cups water BUTTER MIXTURE is poured over snails in shells before they are baked. The holder is used to place them, while very hot, on serving plates. HOT RATATOUILLE ingredients: Eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions..