Buricche are the Jewish-Italian version of pastry turnovers, known in Sephardic and Israeli cuisine as bourekas. Although most traditionally the fillings are savory, these days anything goes (pizza, anyone?) and my apple version shows off fall’s abundant fruit and warm spices. Stuffed foods like these (symbolizing plenty) also happen to be prized for the harvest […]
New Favorite All-Season Lemon Bars
March 8, 2018 · by
These lemon bars do so many things right. Most important, they balance all the delightful contrasts in a good bar—soft, creamy filling and dense crust, sweetness and tartness, fruitiness and nuttiness. But they are also gluten-free and Passover-friendly, and sport a nutritious whole grain base. Thanks to quinoa flour, the crust holds nice structure and […]
Spiked Peaches with Grilled Pound Cake
August 2, 2017 · by
Come August, peaches are ready for their close up. The market bins overflow with the colorful, fragrant fruit, and I find it hard to resist their call. Just this week, I took home peaches almost as large as softballs and every bite was sweet and juicy. Although I love making sangria out of them, they […]
Rustic Sicilian-Style Strawberry Cassata
May 10, 2017 · by
A rustic but still decadent strawberry dessert for Mother’s Day? Shavuot? Just because? Yes, yes, and yes, please. Ever since seeing a photo last year of a strawberry cassata, a Sicilian-style ricotta cake, it’s been on my list to try. This year’s arrival of spring’s best strawberries motivated me to do it—to create my own recipe for this festive and […]
My Go-To Pound Cake
August 2, 2016 · by
The pound cake arose, sometime in the 18th century, as a cake of simplicity—originally one pound of each ingredient, flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. As recipes do, of course this one evolved, using modern ingredients like leaveners and glazes and adjusted to more manageable sizes for a household. Bakers have also tinkered with the […]
Strawberry and Mint Granita
April 14, 2016 · by
There’s not much that’s truly simple about Passover cooking. I think that’s why a granita seemed like such an appealing addition to my playbook. This Sicilian frozen sweet is not only easy but also fresh and refreshing plus it requires just a few ingredients, looks beautiful, and is a versatile nondairy and pareve dish. It can […]
Ricotta-Mascarpone Hamantashen with Mocha Glaze
March 18, 2016 · by
No traditional Jewish-Italian hamantashen exists. But don’t worry. One thing I learned early on and I see played out every year in recipe compilations is that these triangle-shaped pastries, like kids in their Purim holiday costumes, can be just about anything. Even deliciously Italian-themed. Hundreds of years ago, that would be hard to imagine. Hamantashen, […]
Dates Stuffed with Roasted Pine Nut Butter
February 3, 2015 · by
Spring might seem pretty far away for many of us (I write as a wicked winter wind howls outside my window), but in Israel, the earliest blooming trees are starting to shake off winter. Marking that is the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, or the new year for trees. One of the traditional foods to enjoy […]
Mini Banana Ricotta Cheesecakes
May 22, 2014 · by
Although I never need an excuse to enjoy cheesecake, now the time’s especially ripe for it. If you’re minding the Jewish calendar, you know the holiday of Shavuot (commemorating the spring harvest and the giving of the Torah) is coming up June 3-5. And for this holiday, we typically roll out our cheesiest, creamiest recipes, because celebrations […]
