3 comments about The World Of Jewish Desserts: More Than 400 Delectable Recipes from Jewish Communities.

1. Gil Marks, a rabbi, historian, linguistic detective and the author of three other books on kosher cooking and entertaining, provides a taste of not only the dishes, but the history of the Jewish communities that developed and transformed the dishes. And I don't mean an insert here and there, I am talking a page for each essay. For example, the story of German Jewish cooking, or Salonika Greek Jewry. I guarantee that you'll never look at a latka the same way after reading his latest book. The book opens with a treatise on cooking and baking. Did you ever wonder why fat is added to Jewish desserts (butters, oils, etc)? Is it any wonder that the person who introduced dry yeast (the kind that can be activated in your home by adding water) was a Hungarian Jew named Fleischmann? It's in the book. The chapters headings follow this format: Yeast Cakes and Pastries; Cakes; Cookies; Filled Cookies; Strudels and Phyllo; Fried Pastries; Pan Cakes; Baked Puddings and Kugels; Stovetop Puddings; Fruit based Desserts; Confections; and a whole chapter for Passover Pesach desserts/ For each recipe, Marks adds a tidbit of history or Semitic semantics. For example, for the Kuchen Buchen recipe, Marks discusses Yiddish rhyming, or for the recipe for Makosh Poppy Seed Rolls, he writes about how the German Mohn (poppy) filled cakes evolved into the Polish Makowiec rolls and German Makosh. Add some Hungarian cocoa, and you turn Makosh into Kakosh. Recipes are included for Debla; Lokmas; Loukoumades (in time for Hanukkah); Bombay Malpuah Banana Fritters; stuffed dates; blintzes; latkas of all sorts; marzipan, the Indian Jewish rice pudding called Kheer; Seffa; Brot Kugel; an Indian Carrot Halvah Pudding; an Alsatian Apple Charlotte (ApfelSchalet); a grandmother load that Seinfeld would know as a Babka; Schnecken; Haman-taschen; prune lekvar; Sephardic style Parmak, Moroccan Jewish Fakasch; Persian Klaitcha; Apfelkaka (don't you just love that name?); Iraqi Jewish Rayka Tamir; Lakach honey cake; Lepeny; strudels; Rugelach with a variety of fillings; Kadayif; Kindli; Kranszli; Farfel bars (not just for soup, you know); Biscotti (did you know that means twice baked?); Basboosah (a dessert, not a type of bus); Dobostorte 7 layer cake; and even a Gebleterter Kugel (a type of fluden).



2. The World of Jewish Desserts provides recipes with a fine background by gourmet cook Rabbi Marks, who gathers Jewish recipes from Jewish communities around the world. The international focus of the Jewish dessert recipes makes for an appealing, involving cookbook which provides a very surprising variety of Jewish dessert choices. No photos, but the amount of research and depth to this title makes them less necessary.



3. Gil Marks, rabbi, chef, and author of The WORLD OF JEWISH COOKING: More Than 500 Traditional Recipes from Alsace to Yemen, The World of Jewish Entertaining: Menus and Recipes for the Sabbath, Holidays, and Other Family Celebrations and the Jewish vegetarian treasury Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World, has truly outdone himself with The World of Jewish Desserts.
   
   A collection of over 400 desserts from every corner of the Diaspora from Alsace to Yemen, Marks has thought of everything the potential Jewish dessert baker needs to know. His brief introduction includes a primer on common ingredients (flour, leavenings, fats, sweeteners, eggs, nuts), measuring, high altitude baking, and more. The book is divided into yeast cakes and pastries, cakes, cookies and bars, pastries and filled cookies, phyllo and strudel, fried pastries, pancakes, baked puddings and kugels, stovetop puddings and creamy desserts, fruit desserts, confections, and Passover desserts.
   
   Each recipe is clearly written and many include numerous delectable variations (also included are tips on how to make a dairy recipe pareve when possible). The book is sparsely illustrated with an ornate blue border and scattered blue pen-and-ink drawings of various recipes and ingredients. In Marks' usual style, each recipe includes its origin, original name, and what holidays it's traditionally served on.
   
   Naturally, World of Jewish Desserts includes such well-known Jewish desserts as hamantaschen, rugelach, mandelbrot, blintzes, and cheesecake, but also includes a veritable treasure trove of Sephardic recipes including pumpkin (Italian pumpkin cake, Sephardic pancakes, candied pumpkin) that are perfect for fall, Indian recipes featuring coconut, mango, and tangerine that lend a refreshing tropical air to summer Sabbath dinners, numerous Middle Eastern recipes in rose and orange blossom syrups, and a valuable section on both traditional Hanukkah (fried pastries) and Passover (matza) desserts.
   
   These are simple, delicious desserts that bring back happy memories of Bubbe's (or Babcia's) kitchen, with recipes from every corner of the globe that are sure to please, whether you're looking for the perfect sour cream coffeecake, chocolate babka, lekach, poppy seed roll, or something more exotic.

4 comments about The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook: Healthy Traditions from Around the World.

1. Some of the recipes presented here are quite tasty...but I found that many of them were thoroughly unworkable, as if they'd been translated into "vegetarian" without much thought. Matzoh balls are fussy enough with eggs -- with nothing to hold them together but potatoes, they're nearly impossible! Other recipes lacked flavor. In short, simply removing meat, dairy, and eggs does not necessarily make a good vegetarian recipe; something else needs to be provided to supply flavor and structure.



2. Considering the challenging subject matter, I have to appreciate this book even though it does not contain as much material nor is as professionally presented as many cookbooks. There are not as many Passover recipes as I'd hoped; but ANY source of non-dairy vegetarian Passover recipes is helpful to me, as I need to prepare dishes to bring to a meat-centric Passover seder where vegetarians will be in attendance. I have also just purchased the booklet Vegan Passover Recipes by Nancy Berkoff, which is brief but helpful as well.

   I have not tried every recipe in Lowfat Vegetarian (I can't comment, for example, on the matzoh ball recipe another review complained about). One non-Passover dish that I particularly enjoy is the Romanian Paprikash (made of mushrooms, potatoes, paprika and other seasonings, and elbow macaroni). Many recipes involve legumes (beans, chick peas, etc.) and various grains. I think the recipes for foods that are originally low in fat probably come out better than the adaptations of traditional fat-ful Jewish food.




3. This cookbook will be easy to follow and give more alternatives to eating a sound diet.



4. I normally love the cookbook offerings from the Vegetarian Resource Group and anxiously awaited the arrival of this one. However, many of the recipes are somewhat bland--I've remedied that by adding more flavorings as appropriate to the recipe. They are easy to make with clear instructions, but the flavor is somewhat lacking. (One example was the low-fat 'mock chopped liver,' which I made for my family and was roundly booed. Try the VRG regular high-fat version which uses walnuts--much better unless you are looking to cut fat!) But if you are looking for lowfat recipies, these are OK.

5 comments about The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking: 200 Seasonal Holiday Recipes and Their Traditions.

1. As an avid cookbook reader who tends to like reading cookbooks more than actually using them in my kitchen, I can already sense that my life has been subtly changed by this book (a gift from a friend). It's recipes are very simple, using pure & healthy ingredients -- and absolutely delicious. The food actually feels good to eat, and the writing is both sophisticated and accessible. In fact, I've used it every day since it found me! Too often these days, it seems chefs sacrifice something profound when updating traditional recipes and mixing flavors from different cultures. Not so with Phyllis Glazer. The recipes, and the cultures they come from, are really harmonious,a nd in some sense that seems to be what the cookbook is about -- a very grounded spiritual harmony that sees food as a central way of honoring our lives and our traditions. The information about the festivals is new to me, and though I'm not observant, and thought I would skip over much of it, the truth is that the information has really enriched my experience of cooking. The food has meaning. I've spoken with other friends who are more observant, and found that my newfound information has been new to them as well.
   My favorite recipe so far has been the Moshe B'Teyvah -- the little marzipan Moses baby in a cradle made out of date w/ pistachios, which I thought I would practice before bringing to a seder. I didn't need to practice at all! They were so easy, and absolutely charming (delicious, too). I also made the champagne-melon-mint soup w/ feta (meant for Tu B'Av) that was ridiculously easy and mouthwatering.

   Kudos to the Glazer sisters. They're welcome at my house any time!




2. Organized by season and offering large dollops of tradition and history along with 200 international recipes for celebrating the Jewish calendar, this is an amazingly complete book.

   The Glazer sisters introduce each festival with the history of the foods incorporated into the menu and their spiritual connections. The recipes, which follow, are each accompanied by notes on its roots, historical and familial - which foster a sense of connection and camaraderie as well as providing serving suggestions.

   And the recipes! For Rosh Hashanah there's Cornish Hens Stuffed with Bulgur, Raisins and Caraway, Bulgarian Leek Patties, Quince in Spiced Muscat Wine. For Shavuot (Spring Harvest time) there's Pistachio-Coriander Cheese Balls, Classic Cheese Blintzes, Whole Wheatberry Tabbouleh with Biblical (clarified) Butter. And more, lots more.

   Whether you're Jewish or not, this is a cookbook to enjoy for its rich heritage as well as its sumptuous, healthful recipes.




3. `The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking' by Phyllis Glazer and Miryam Glazer and `The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook' by Gloria Kauler Greene are two leading representatives of a great cookbook subgenre which may be unique among all cookbook flavors in that they represent that extraordinary relation between Judaism and food. Like the exceptional `Jewish Holiday Cookbook' by Joan Nathan and unlike the encyclopedic `New York Times Cookbook of Jewish Recipes', both books spend much space and words on the practice of kashrut or keeping kosher. But this is not the whole story. There are numerous Jewish culinary traditions which are not directly related to kashrut, such as the traditions surrounding the number of challah loaves baked for the Shabbat or the number of bumps on the challah loaves (The magic number here is 12, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, so the tradition is to have 12 loaves. More practical is the tradition to have two loaves each with 6 bumps created by the braiding of the bread before baking.)
   
   There is one major difference among these three books which is evident in their titles. Ms. Glazer's book deals with `festival' cooking while Nathan and Greene deal with `Holiday' cooking. The subtle difference here is that the festival book does not cover Shabbat and the two `holiday' books do.
   
   To a non-Jew, my guess is that since there are 52 shabbats in a year, while there are at most seven or eight major `festivals', it is much more important to have a book covering Shabbat as well as the yearly holidays. Between Greene and the Glazers, I find at least one other big difference in that Ms. Greene gives far more coverage to the creation of challah, which may be the single most important Jewish holiday recipe in any of these books, as it seems to be the one food which tradition calls for at every Shabbat. In fact, even though Joan Nathan's book combines two books, one of which is on Jewish holiday baking, Ms. Greene's treatment of challah, at least in the details she give for braiding several different numbers of dough strands is the most extensive. Among the recipes from the three books, the amateur bread baker in me prefers Ms. Nathan's recipe, as it uses the least (1 packet) yeast and calls for the longest raising time. She (and Ms. Greene) also use my preferred `active dry yeast' rather than the `rapid rise' yeast.
   
   All three books deal in depth with Jewish holiday traditions, although Ms. Glazer and Ms. Greene seem to have better rabbinical sources and seem to be more dedicated to the details of the traditions. Of the three, Ms. Greene seems to touch me more effectively in her discussion of these traditions than the other two.
   
   All three writers are primarily from the Ashkenazy tradition, although all three also give fair treatment to Sephardic dishes and menus. If you are really interested in Sephardic menus primarily, Ms. Nathan spends much of her space on Sephardic menus.
   
   If you are willing to take a recommendation from a goyem, I recommend Ms. Greene's book most highly, followed by Ms. Nathan's book for her many baking recipes; however, all three are quality books.



4. Where did the tradition of eating Kreplach on the Purim originate? Why were pomegranates, of all fruit, adopted for the Shehecheyanu on the second day of Rosh Hashana? You'll find all of this information in this cookbook.
   
   Some holiday foods, say the Glazers, have rabbinic sources. For other foods it is a question of putting your prayers where your mouth is, like the Rosh Hashana honey cake for a sweet year. Other foods have become part of the tradition by word association. Carrots, say the Glazers, are associated with Rosh Hashana because the Hebrew word "gezer" is reminiscent of "gzar din" - we should be judged for a good year.
   
   These and many other bits of Jewish food lore make this cookbook not only a treasure of Jewish traditions and a collection of great recipes, but a truly great read. The recipes are conveniently organized in menus and the ingredients are highlighted in red print. Each dish is gender-coded "M" for meat, "D"and "P" in the menu.
   
   Like the Jewish year, The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking starts with Pesach. There is a treasure of 31 Pesach recipes in 40 pages.
   
   The Glazers quote liberally from their mama's Ashkenazi kitchen, but Sephardic folk traditions are not neglected. Maimonides, we are told, suggesting sipping honey water as a 12th century Viagra. Find this tip in the Tu B'Av chapter, the holiday of love.
   
   The foods of the holidays, say the Glazers, are closely entwined with the agricultural growth cycle in the Land of Israel. The fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices that abound in Israel at the time of year were integrated into the lore of the holiday. During the exile from Israel our food traditions continued to be linked to the land of Israel. This is a nice thesis, but I am not so sure about some of her examples.
   
   This Jewish tradition foodbook/cookbook is a book that you'll use in the kitchen or you'll read curled up with on the couch and discover a thing or two about Jewish food traditions.



5. I have now tried almost every recipe in this collection. Every one has been absolutely delicious ... Instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the commentaries are wonderful. It is now my favorite present -- my non-Jewish friends who have eaten dinners chez moi with recipes from this collection have also ordered the book!

1 comments about The Settlement Cook Book 1903.

1. I don't own this cookbook, though I do intend to own it. I just wanted to be the first person to write a review. Yeah, I have no life.

No comments about Jewish Baker's Pastry Secrets: The Art of Baking Your Own Babka, Danish, Sticky Buns, Strudels and More.

3 comments about A Taste of the Past: The Daily Life and Cooking of a Nineteenth-Century Hungarian-Jewish Homemaker.

1. The book really brings to life a community that was wiped out by the Holocaust. The description of life in the small city in Hungary is vivid and the amazing illustrations are a great complement. The easy-to-follow recipes round out the experience.



2. This lovely book brings a slice of Hungarian Jewish culture to life in a uniquely three-dimensional way - the sights, the tastes, the details of everyday life. I found the recipes easy to follow and the pictures charming. The author's great-grandmother whom he profiles here is a refreshingly complex character - her views about such things as religion and national identity change over time, along with historical changes, and some of these shifts are even reflected in her food! For example, this is one Hungarian cookbook that is light on the paprika - apparently ginger was the spice of choice in the 19th century. Who knew?



3. This lovely book brings a slice of Hungarian Jewish culture to life in a uniquely three-dimensional way - the sights, the tastes, the details of everyday life. I found the recipes easy to follow and the pictures charming. The author's great-grandmother whom he profiles here is a refreshingly complex character - her views about such things as religion and national identity change over time, along with historical changes, and some of these shifts are even reflected in her food! For example, this is one Hungarian cookbook that is light on the paprika - apparently ginger was the spice of choice in the 19th century. Who knew?

3 comments about The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook.

1. This is one of the best Jewish cookery books I have ever bought. I have used it since I received it as a gift two years ago, and have bought copies for my family and friends both here in the UK and abroad. If you can only buy one Jewish cook book, this is the one!



2. evelyn rose's complete international jewish cookbook is just that - complete. the recipes are simple yet delicious and come out perfectly every time (well nearly!). no long lists of impossible to find ingredients for the recipes either. the only cook book you'll ever need!



3. I have had this book since 1998 and it simply makes fantastic recipes. Not everyone is a hit, and the some of the deserts are too difficult, but really, my copy is stained, tattered, the binding is both taped up and broken.

5 comments about Secrets of Fat-free Kosher (Secrets of Fat Free).

1. "Secrets Of Fat Free Kosher Cooking" is an incredibly unique cook book. It's well written and arranged. Each page includes easy to follow illustrations and prepartion directions. Whether you are an experienced cook, or just starting out you can be successful with the recipes. I like the fact that the ingredients and directions are on the same page. The book includes metric conversion tables, not to mention facts related to nutrition and healthy eating.

   The book is full of traditional recipes...chicken soup, matzoh balls, guiltfree hamentaschen, latkes, kugels, cholent...and much more. On the comtemporary side I found, tex mex cholent, buffalo wings, chili, burritos, chocolate chip cookies....there is something for everyone in this book.

   I showed this book to my dentist, at the time he was doing the family cooking. He asked if he could take the book home and try some of the recipes. I said sure. The follow week he told me he was ordering three books. One for himself, one for his rabbi, and for the temple library. But...could he keep my copy until his recieved his.

   I also sent copies of Secrets Of Fat Free Kosher Cooking to both of my sons. My older son is a bachelor and does all his own cooking. He loves this book. Using this cook book is easy and fool proof. My favorite is "chiken with potatoes lyonnaise." Thank you Dr. Bernstein.




2. This is a great book if you're looking for healthy, low-fat kosher recipes that are delicious but not very time-consuming to make. I highly recommend it.



3. Im a newlywed, and my wife and I love this cookbook! It provides usefull recipes for food which we should eat, provided in a clear straightforward manner which is easy to follow. And all this within our kosher paramenters. Even more important, every recipe we tried we loved! I reccomend it highly to everyone! And oh yes my Bubie (jewish grandmother) loved it too!



4. In "The Secrets of Fat-Free Kosher Cooking", Deborah Bernstein, M.D. provides us with a large variety of mouth watering, lowfat recipes which essentially are quite simple to assemble. In addition, the author clearly explains all recipes while giving the reader background information and amusing stories, relating to the importance of the recipe, and which also bring balance to the wonderful illustrations. Among other timely tidbits, the reader will also learn about the laws of Kashrus. To sum up, this recipe book is an attractive, compilation of facts, and pictures, that will find a wide and appreciative audience. A very laudable effort.



5. I found some of the techniques employed in the recipes of this low-fat kosher cook book to be particularly helpful and time-saving. It is very informative with respect to Jewish dietary laws and the tempting-looking color photographs are an additional bonus. The results obtained were excellent so I have to say that it's my kind of cook book.

5 comments about How to Keep Kosher: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Jewish Dietary Laws.

1. I am finding How to Keep Kosher a valuable tool to explain and de-mystify the how tos and whys of keeping kosher. This book is a must read for a Jew by choice, or a Jew wanting to live a more kosher life.
   Lise Stern explains the process of kashering a kitchen, something which may seem very over whelming. I appreciate that she acknowledges how work intensive the kashering process can be, but as she explains the reasons for keeping kosher, it becomes more achieveable and worthwhile.



2. This is an excellent work on the Kashrut or the rules of how to eat. The basic rules require that no forbidden meat, fowl or fish be consumed. Milk and meat may not be consumed together and no
   non-Kosher meat may be consumed. Major Kosher organizations are
   Star K, Kashrus Labs, The Orthodox Union and K of K Supervision.
   Orthodox Jews eat only in Kosher restaurants or homes. The Talmud guards against forbidden fat (cheleu) or blood of mammals or birds.
   Sample Kosher foods are pasta, salsa, jam, cakes, cereal,
   cheese of France/Israel, Kiddush wines and fair Merlot. The
   Integrated Marketing Communications tracks Kosher foods.
   Orthodox Jews have debated the acceptability of microwave ovens
   for use in food preparation. A plethora of meal plans is provided for ease of reference. The work is well worth the money for
   food enthusiasts-all over the world. Every fine restaurant should be cognizant of the details of the Stern work.



3. A useful introduction to keeping kosher, and to the differences not only between Orthodox Jews and more liberal denominations, but even between stricter and more lenient Orthodox views- although as the author repeatedly points out, there is no substitute for consulting the rabbi of your choice on details.



4. This book is a clear, informative, comprehensive, and flexible guide for creating a kosher life. With this in hand, you can make decisions that fit your own inclinations toward keeping kosher, to whatever extent you might wish to. The book explains all the basic elements and offers a comparison among several branches of Judaism. It is not a rabbinic text, but a practical and useful one which also recommends consultation with one's rabbi of choice. It also provides some information on the food rituals of Succot, Passover, Chanukah, Shabbat, and High Holy Days.
   
   In the back of the book is a helpful glossary, a selection of recipes, some tied to holidays, and a number of very useful web resources. Depending on your interest and commitment, this may not be the only book on the subject you will ever want, but it's a great introduction or refresher course, and will come in very handy.



5. Great book. Till now I never got a proper explanation about what is kosher and what is not. Easy to understand and helped me a lot to understand its principles.

5 comments about My Most Favorite Dessert Company Cookbook: Delicious Pareve Baking Recipes.

1. I've never done this before, but had to pipe in to defend this book-- every recipe I've tried from it has come out delicious the first time; I'm truly shocked to see that they didn't work for other people, as I'm no baker. The double-chocolate cookies and the biscotti recipes are now standards in my house.



2. I also felt the need to chime in here. I LOVE this cookbook. Everything comes out perfect and delicious (except the chocolate ganache which was quite a mess). My guests actually recognized Doris' Blackout Cake and said it tasted exactly like the one at the restaurant. The double chocolate chip cookies are incredible. The entire "pie and tart" section is wonderful. And I think the basic vanilla and chocolate cakes are perfect and delicious. This is one of my favorite dessert cookbooks and my "go to" book whenever I need an impressive dessert.



3. I applaud Ms Schechter for writing this cookbook. The restaurant, My Most Favorite Dessert, is a hugely popular destination. MOst of the recipes are decent. I especially like the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made them for a friend we went to for Shabbat. Like anything else, ther are some great recipes in here and some not-so-great recipes. For a truly great cookbook, try Marcy Goldman's Jewish Holiday Baking.



4. I have recently had to cut diary products from my diet for health reasons. Being a dessert fanatic made this very difficult until I got this book. I have made several recipes including the traditional apple pie and brownies. Everyone who has tasted them thought they were outstanding. It is great that the recipies use all parave products such a margarine and soy milk, it allows us lactose intollerant people to enjoy desserts again!!!



5. THESE RECIPES ARE OK BUT SUSIE FISHBEIN IS FOOL-PROOF. ESPECIALLY KOSHER PALETTE WHICH SHE EDITED BUT DIDN'T WRITE!