(Mailing List Information, including unsubscription instructions,
is located at the end of this message.)
It is my distinct pleasure to invite you and your chosen guests to join me at Diaspora Dinner XIV - The Jews of North Africa on January 19 from 6-9 PM. This 5-course gourmet meal and multimedia history presentation (cited by the San Jose Mercury News as one of the more interesting experiences in the Bay Area) will include cuisine from the exotic locations of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt - with levels of authenticity that border on the obsessive.
How obsessive you might ask - I'm glad you did! ;)
The classic spice blend used in Moroccan cuisine is Ras el Hanout - a typical blend is 6 spices, a good blend is 12 - the top blends contain 24 or more. Ras el Hanout uses many spices, but is not in the least 'hot' - just exceptionally flavorful.
Our version of Ras el Hanout uses 27 ingredients - including some spices that are virtually impossible to find here in the US - the recipe is below, for your edification:
The Hirshon Ras el Hanout Spice Blend
Seeds from 32 cardamom pods
16 cloves
4 tsp each black peppercorns, powdered ginger, cumin, cinnamon and coriander seed
2 teaspoon each fenugreek seed, slivered earth almonds (these are used to make Horchata, a Mexican/Spanish drink and are also known as "chufas"), sansho pepper (JH substitution for an Ash Berry that is completely unavailable in the U.S. - the taste is very close), lavender, ajwain seed, crushed bay leaves, white peppercorns, allspice, orrisroot
1 tsp each powdered nutmeg, hot red pepper flakes, dried rosebuds, kalonji seed, cubeb pepper, long pepper, mace
1/2 teaspoon each grains of paradise, black cardamom seeds, star anise points, galangal powder
As you can see - we take our cuisine very seriously at a Diaspora Dinner! No restaurant - and very few Moroccan households - would use a blend like this due to cost and effort - we spare neither in our pursuit of the best for our guests!
We will be joining this amazing 5-course meal with a multimedia history presentation on the Jews of the region, as well as a raffle with hundreds of dollars in prizes. All proceeds benefit Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood and we truly hope you can join us in this event - DD XIV promises to be one of our best ever! We are also looking at special entertainment for the evening - something I believe everyone will find most enjoyable.
The event is limited to no more than 80 guests and typically sells out quickly - I encourage you to reserve your seats ASAP if you wish to attend. If you have never been to a Diaspora Dinner before - you are in for a real treat. :)
RSVPs are required - please send an email to <email removed> with the title 'Diaspora Dinner' with the number in your party. Alternatively, you can call the Temple office at 408-292-0939 with your RSVP. The cost for the Dinner is $40 for Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood members and $49 for non Brotherhood members. Please send your check to:
Temple Emanu-El
1010 University Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
c/o Temple Emanu-El Brotherhood
Your reservation is *not secured* until we receive your check, so please do get those in soon!
On behalf of the entire Diaspora Dinner team - I thank you for your support and consideration - please do try and join us for this unique event. :)
Best regards, Jonathan Hirshon
--
The following information is a reminder of your current mailing
list subscription:
You are subscribed to the following list:
Diaspora Dinner Updates
Using the following email:
example@example.com
You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by
visiting the following URL:
<http://lists.templesanjose.org/mail.cgi/u/Diaspora_Dinner/>;
If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the
entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break
this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.
You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:
<http://lists.templesanjose.org/mail.cgi?f=list&l=Diaspora_Dinner>;
If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:
<mailto:brotherhood@templesanjose.org>;
The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:
Temple Emanu-El
1010 University Avenue
San Jose, California 95126
(408) 292-0939
fax (408) 292-7625
)