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Balaboosta does Seder

Israeli chef Einat Admony says she isn’t daunted by making a Seder night for 55 in New York

March 19, 2015 14:41
Einat Admony at work in Balaboosta's kitchen.

ByAnthea Gerrie, Anthea Gerrie

3 min read

Passover dinner for 55? When you're used to catering family Seders for almost that many - and happen to be a chef - it's a joy rather than a nightmare. And Einat Admony's public Pesach celebrations have become an eagerly awaited feature of New York culinary life since she launched the annual event four years ago.

"Tickets went on sale for this year's dinner on March 2 and the phone has been ringing off the hook ever since," laughs the Israeli who set up shop in the Big Apple in 2005 with a falafel joint and has just opened her third eatery in the city.

But while the food she is serving this year at Balaboosta on New York's Lower East Side sounds traditional, it's anything but. There will be shredded duck buried in the matzah balls and the brisket which follows will be studded with Asian spices. As for dessert, what Admony calls her "chocolate soup" - a rich, very liquid chocolate sauce - will be laced with cardamom and lemongrass.

This exotic fusion of East meets Middle East on the menu comes from the fact Admony has developed her menu with Chinese-American chef Anita Lo, proprietor of Annisa restaurant - who will be beside her in the kitchen on April 6.