Food, faith and fellowship spark retiree's creativity in the kitchen

By AnnaLisa Michalski

Correspondent

Churchland

You can take a man out of the professional kitchen, but you can't take the professional kitchen out of the man. Though Al Eisenpress retired from his chef career 13 years ago, you'll still find him making tasty treats.

Al became hooked on cooking during his training in the military and in a culinary arts school. It wasn't long before the Brooklyn native could be found feeding crowds at New York's Jimmy's Chop House and in the famed kitchens of the Waldorf-Astoria.

For Al, cooking is an essential part of his Churchland retirement. The lack of a paycheck doesn't stop Al and his wife of 54 years, Sandy, from being involved in all sorts of food-related activities.

The couple helps with breakfasts and luncheons every weekend for Gomley Chesed Congregation. Al also donates his culinary creations to the synagogue's Men's Club sales. At home, he raises vegetables and herbs to cook up jar upon jar of pasta sauce.

These days folks know Al best not for the stuffed lobster he perfected in the big city but his homey, comforting baked goods. He specializes in kosher and organic treats.

His challah, bagels and onion rolls are a hit, but Al says his most popular offering is bialeys. "The cousin of the bagel," Al says, a bialey is a round roll with an indentation - not a complete hole - made with less yeast than a bagel and baked without being boiled first.

Today's project is Italian bread. Al buzzes around his kitchen as he narrates his process. Ask a question and get a lesson, often introduced with Al's jovial "I'll let you in on a little baker's secret." The secret he divulges now: how to get a perfectly firm crust on an otherwise tender loaf.

He opens his oven and explains that steam and direct contact with the baking surface are key. By covering the top rack with unglazed terra cotta tiles, he has transformed his household range into a brick oven. He puts the prepared dough directly on the hot tiles, then pours water into a shallow pan on the bottom of the oven..

When the loaf come out of the oven, its crust is perfect not just in its chewy firmness but also in its smooth, lightly glazed appearance. How does that happen?

"I'll let you in on a little baker's secret." The new lesson begins.

AnnaLisa Michalski, churchland-corner@adminmaven.com