My thoughts on Jewish food.
While Rosh Hashanah is now but a memory, it’s nice to review what worked and what didn’t, in terms of what was produced in the kitchen. The following apple cake recipe looked gorgeous, was easy to make, and serves a lot of people—more than we needed with our abbreviated pandemic guest list. Still, it stayed …
In the run-up to Sukkot, it’s nice to bake a variety of cookies. Most cookies keep well, even at room temperature. Biscotti or Mandelbrot are pretty much the same thing and are traditionally enjoyed with a glass of tea at the end of a meal. They are also far easier to prepare than most cookies. …
We are in love with the flavor of preserved or pickled lemons, but were surprised to discover there aren’t many recipes for baked goods using this lemony condiment, so ubiquitous to the Middle East. Wanting to make some lemon and olive oil biscotti, but being out of lemons and too lazy to go to the …
Because of kashut issues, those of us who are observant with only one oven, tend to use it for cooking meat meals, the main exception being the Shavuot holiday, when eating dairy food and cheesecake is de rigueur. Before turning the oven back to its natural, meaty state after Shavuot this year, I pulled out …
Looking for a cooking project to do with the kids? Even a very small child can help make these wonderful, crumbly peanut butter cookies. Cooking teaches math skills and how to measure. But children of all ages enjoy rolling the dough into balls, and making the traditional crosshatch design on the tops of these cookies …
Looking for a fun cooking project for the kids stuck at home due to coronavirus? Look no further. Crepes may sound fancy and difficult to make, but once kids get into the swing of things, they’re really fast and easy. They’re also incredibly delicious, thin, and delectable. Makes a nice switch from pancakes and your …
The corona lockdown is sending some of us into the kitchen, not only to gorge on snacks, but to cook and bake, often as a family activity. These wonderful zucchini muffins fit the bill. With a little adult supervision and set-up, they are so easy to make that even a child can make them. They …
Bourbon balls came to mind while brainstorming items to put in Purim gift packages (mishlochei manot or “shalach manos”). These fudgy, moist treats pack an alcoholic wallop. They make a lot at one time, and they look like you patchked for hours, but they’re the easiest thing in the world to make–you don’t even bake …
Our go-to dessert when we want something easy and homey is this simple applesauce cake with its moist and tender crumb. After many years of experimentation, we decided to leave the raisins out and substitute cornstarch for some of the flour to lighten the texture. The result is a cake that practically melts in one’s …
Now that the Jewish high holidays are over, we can breathe a sigh of relief. The cooking marathon is over. Alas, our freezers are empty and we have nothing to serve our guests and grandchildren when they come to visit. Enter nut roll cakes to the rescue. The cake rolls aren’t difficult to make, and …