A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

August 31, 1998
Goldman's cheerful cookbook provides recipes for all sorts of baked goods, from traditional Jewish fare (Delicatessen-Style Classic Sour Cream Coffee Cake) and treats for specific holidays (an Etrog Cake for Sukkot) to others that are just plain good (New Wave Chocolate Tunnel Cake). A chapter on breads contains recipes for both New York-Style Water Bagels and Montreal Bagels, as well as Pumpernickel Cranberry Rolls. This book will satisfy any challah devotee: a chapter on Shabbat offers Traditional Friday Night Challah and "This Tastes Like Cake" Fresh Yeast Sabbath Challah (Goldman likes wordy, exclamatory names). A chapter on Rosh Hashanah boasts cunning New Year's Sweet Challah Miniatures and a New Year's Apple Challah. Many desserts, like a Blitz Cherry Cake, are easy and fast. Others, like Pomegranate and Sour Cherry Mandelbrot, incorporate unusual ingredients without getting too wacky. The true test of the Jewish baker, of course, is Passover, and Goldman provides a wealth of the flour-free inventions, notably My Trademark, Most Requested, Absolutely Magnificent Caramel Matzoh Crunch, Passover Rich Chocolate Genoise and Buttercream Roll, and Mock Chestnut Torte.