Little Book of Jewish Sweets

By Leah Koenig and Linda Pugliese

Beloved cookbook author Leah Koenig brings us the sweetest installment yet in her Little Book series, this time focusing on cookies, cakes, and all manner of sweet Jewish treats. With delectable photography and 25 tasty recipes—from Orange-Chocolate Rugelach and Mocha Black-and-White Cookies to Fig Baklava and Cinnamon-Almond Babka—this slim collectible features traditional Jewish desserts with a modern twist. The year-round recipes are perfect for the home baker of any skill level looking to expand their repertoire. This scrumptious book can also be purchased with its two companion volumes (featuring Jewish appetizers and feasts) to round out any meal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Digital
• Release date: Jul 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781452159157

Leah Koenig

Leah Koenig is a writer and cooking teacher based in Brooklyn, New York.

Book preview

Dedicated to my sweetie, Yoshie Fruchter

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The Little Book series is a collection of thematic Jewish cookbooks that is published serially. Each book includes a bite-size collection of meticulously curated and category-defining global Jewish recipes. Packaged in slim, gorgeously designed books, a single volume—or the whole series—fits perfectly on and enhances an already overcrowded bookshelf.

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Text copyright © 2019 by Leah Koenig.

Photographs copyright © 2019 by Linda Pugliese.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452159157 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Names: Koenig, Leah, author. Title: Little book of Jewish sweets / Leah Koenig. Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2019] | Series: Little book series | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018036640 | ISBN 9781452158969 (hc : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Confectionery. | Jewish cooking. | LCGFT: Cookbooks. Classification: LCC TX783 .K59 2019 | DDC 641.5/676--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018036640

Photographs by Linda Pugliese.

Food styling by Monica Pierini.

Prop styling by Paige Hicks.

Series design by Vanessa Dina.

Typesetting by Jared Gentz.

Bob's Red Mill is a registered trademark of Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods, Inc. Frontier is a registered trademark of Frontier Distribution LLC. King Arthur Flour is a registered trademark of King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. Manischewitz is a registered trademark of R.A.B. Food Group, LLC. Nielsen-Massey is a registered trademark of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc. Sadaf is a registered trademark of Soofer Company, Inc. Seinfeld is a registered trademark of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Simply Organic is a registered trademark of Frontier Distribution LLC. Solo is a registered trademark of Sokol and Company.

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San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

INTRODUCTION 8

CHAPTER 1

COOKIES AND CAKES 13

Orange-Chocolate Rugelach 15

Coconut Meringue Macaroons 19

Apricot-Walnut Hamantaschen 21

Chocolate-Cranberry Mandelbrot 27

Mocha Black-and-White Cookies 31

Fig Baklava 35

Kourabiedes (Almond Flour Shortbread) 39

Cinnamon-Almond Babka 41

Flourless Chocolate-Hazelnut Torte 47

Tishpishti (Syrup-Soaked Walnut Cake) 53

Cassola (Baked Ricotta Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Sauce) 57

Honey-Apple Cake 61

Cinnamon-Sugar Sponge Cake 65

CHAPTER 2

PUDDINGS, PASTRIES, AND SWEETS 71

Plum and Cider Compote 73

Maple-Wine Poached Pears 77

Walnut- and Pistachio-Stuffed Dates 79

Marble Halvah 83

Malabi with Salted Caramel Sauce 87

Arroz con Leche (Sephardi Rice Pudding) 91

Cherry-Apple Strudel 93

Makosh (Poppy Seed Strip) 97

Atayef (Fried Sweet Cheese Pancakes) 103

Bimuelos (Cardamom-Sugar Fritters) 107

Challah Bread Pudding with Raspberries and Chocolate 111

Teiglach (Honey Dumplings with Crystallized Ginger) 115

INGREDIENT GLOSSARY 122

ALMOND EXTRACT 122

ALMOND PASTE 123

INSTANT COFFEE GRANULES 123

ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER 124

PHYLLO DOUGH 125

POPPY SEEDS 126

POTATO STARCH 127

ROSE WATER 128

UNSWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT 129

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 130

INDEX 132

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 136

INTRODUCTION

From the apples that get dipped into honey on Rosh Hashanah to the cinnamon and allspice that perfume Sephardi stews, sweetness is woven into the fabric of Jewish cuisine. Like all food traditions that come bound up with ritual and family, Jewish home cooking is driven by a desire not just to nourish, but also to inspire and delight those around the table. And what could be more delightful than closing a meal with a slice of almond-scented babka, a nutty, syrup-drenched square of baklava, or a fudgy sliver of sesame halvah?

Throughout history, Jewish communities have been deeply involved in the business of sweets. Sephardi Jewish merchants in Europe and the Middle East traded extensively for centuries in sugar and vanilla. And during the seventeenth century, Jewish craftsmen were central to the establishment of France’s chocolate industry. Later, pastry making became a common profession for the Jews of Central Europe, yielding one of the region’s most iconic confections, the Sacher torte. Although not a Jewish dessert per se, the decadent chocolate cake was developed in the 1830s by Jewish baker Franz Sacher.

It is understandable, then, how deeply important the dessert course has become to Jewish life. Even during moments of hardship, Jewish communities around the world have found ways to incorporate sweetness. Take hamantaschen, the poppy seed– or jam-filled cookie eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on Purim. The pastry’s triangle shape is designed to mimic the hat or pocket of the Purim story’s reviled villain, Haman. On Rosh Hashanah, Tuscan Jews traditionally eat long, thin, honey-walnut cookies called sfratti, which resemble the sticks once used to drive out Jewish families during periods of expulsion. Meanwhile, the charoset