Compote

The New year for trees is called Tu B’Shvat in the bible. It’s not a holiday like say Rosh Hashana, but it is a holiday of biblical significance. In an agricultural society, which Israel was during the time of the judges and later the first and second temple this was an especially meaningful occasion, accompanied […]

Black and White Cookies

Makes 5-6 very large cookies The first recipe I ever wrote was for Black and whites – away from New York and feeling homesick this was the food I craved more than anything. It was our first year living in Israel and I searched far and wide for a black and white cookie. I finally […]

Homemade Applesauce

 5 medium apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped 60 ml (1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs.) apple cider 50 g (1/4 cup) light brown sugar 3 Tbs fresh lemon juice 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. kosher salt Add all of the ingredients to a medium-sized, heavy saucepan; stir, then bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, […]

DATE ICE CREAM

In the Bible, when referring to the ‘Land of Milk and Honey’ it is most likely that the reference to honey is that of dates. Date honey – called ‘sillan’ in Hebrew – is wonderful drizzled over yogurt. In this recipe, we have used dates combined with biscuit spread to create a caramel-like swirl in […]

Apple Pie

Though the bible does mention the ‘tapuach’ (Hebrew for apple), many authorities believe the bible is referring to a different fruit than the modern-day apple, perhaps a quince or some kind of citrus, firstly because at the time of the bible apples grew wild and weren’t yet easily cultivated in tropical areas like Israel and […]

Blueberry Hand Pies

For filling: 330g (2 cups) blueberries 70g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar 2 tablespoons cornflour 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar, for sprinkling 1 recipe (double crust) Flaky Pie Dough  Ahead of time: prepare Flaky […]

Italian orange and almond cookies

These cookies are inspired by both Nigella Lawson and Gil Marks, both have a similar recipe. Making these is usually a Zen moment in the middle of the madness for me. After a long day of cleaning and cooking for Pesach – usually long after everyone has gone to sleep. I will sit down at […]

Flaky Pie Dough

Makes 2 x 23cm (9 inch) pie shells Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavour — do not substitute extra water. The alcohol is key to our recipe; if you don’t have vodka on hand, you can use another 80 proof (40% alcohol) liquor. This recipe can be used […]

Perfect choc chip cookies

My love for the chocolate chip cookie, the ones I used to see sold from chain bakeries in my native New York, kept me searching for years for the perfect recipe, this may actually be it. Don’t replace margarine with butter – unfortunately it just won’t work. Just be prepared, though this recipe makes about […]