Modern Jewish Cooking

February 16, 2015
Food columnist and cookbook author Koenig (The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook) continues to “breathe new life into Jewish cuisine” with her latest interpretations of classic dishes. In 175 recipes, Koenig revisits the Jewish table with an “artisanal sensibility” and innovative spirit, reinventing traditional foods but never eclipsing Jewish culinary heritage. Eleven chapters of recipes feature modern breakfast favorites like granola, scones, and coffee cakes, along with savory French toast with za’atar butter and blintzes filled with roasted garlic and potato. Rustic soups include creamy sorrel soup with harissa, and borscht with 20 cloves of garlic. Vegetable sides and salads are focal, and there is an entire chapter on vegetarian mains. A chapter on traditional Jewish pastries showcases mandelbrot, macaroons, almond cakes, and hamantaschen. There are essays on various Jewish culinary heritages, keeping kosher, must-have modern kitchen appliances, types of vegetable oils, frying techniques, spice storage, and the new Israeli cuisine. Koenig also outlines major Jewish holidays and the Shabbat table with accompanying menus. Fans of Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem will find much to treasure in Koenig’s work. Her recipes, designed for the upcoming generation of Jewish cooks, are also a contemporary portrait of the global flavors and simple, fresh ingredients that are shaping the modern kitchen.

June 1, 2015

While Koenig (The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook) states that her intention for this book is to write "for the next generation of Jewish cooks," anyone interested in recipes that are clearly written, use fresh ingredients, and result in delicious dishes will enjoy it. The 175 recipes, all of which follow Jewish dietary requirements, include grilled pear, fennel, and toasted walnut salad; pan-roasted turnips; butternut squash soup with maple syrup; and roast chicken with fennel and orange. For those who crave sweets, caramel-chocolate matzo custers with pistachio will be perfect. The chapters are arranged by type of food--breakfasts; salads and spreads; soups; noodles, matzo, grains, and beans; fish, chicken, and meat; vegetarian mains; breads and pastries; cookies, cakes, and other sweets; and fillings and extras. The final section discusses the Jewish holidays of Shabbat, Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Hanukkah and recommends suitable recipes for each. The full-page sidebars touch on a variety of topics, for example, "wise frying," challah 101, and "thoughts about margarine." VERDICT The beautiful photography, pleasing layout on heavy paper, and excellent recipes make this a fine gift book as well as a suitable purchase for cookbook collections, especially in communities with large Jewish populations.--Christine E. Bulson, emeritus, Milne Lib., SUNY at Oneonta

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