The Best Cookbooks of 2023

This yearly list of mine could probably be renamed to ‘My Favourite Books of [insert year]’ as that’s really what this is. I’m obviously not comparing all cookbooks that were released in 2023, only the ones I personally own that were released last year. My tastes in food, flavour and cookbooks, as well as my knowledge of what’s out there across varying markets, obviously limits what books I will personally purchase in any given year and therefore what might make this kind of list. 

Lots of great cookbooks were released in 2023, and this is a small selection of them. This list comprises the books that have captured me the most from last year and I can’t stop thinking or talking about. If I added everything I really wanted the list would be ridiculously long and since brevity is not my strong suit when writing, I limit myself to around five books to avoid writing too many essay length blog posts 🤣. Though if you do want more cookbook chat paid subscribers to my newsletter get even more of that! You can sign up here if you’d like to.

I’ll be back next week with the first instalment of Cookbooks Worth Waiting for in 2024, but for now lets round out 2023, another great year for cookbooks!

The Plain Cake Appreciation Society by Tilly Pamment - To say I love this book is an understatement. A cookbook has not captivated me so much in a long time. Yes, I adore other cookbooks. But something about Tilly’s book keeps me coming back and actually baking from it. For me whether I have made lots or nothing from a cookbook isn’t necessarily an indication of how good the book is - cookbooks can be useful and worthy of a place on our bookshelves for more reasons than how many recipes have been cooked out of it. However, with this book it does feel like something to mention, as so few baking focused cookbooks have drawn me in so completely and actually had me baking multiple things from them in a long time.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the photography and styling is stunning in this book, combined with the colour palette used it really draws me in and I think makes me want to try the recipes even more. Since I last spoke about this book, the Raspberry-Studded Tea Bars (p.36) have been on high rotation in our household. I think we’ve made them at least half a dozen times since September 2023. We use a friand tin as I don’t have a suitable bar tin to use, and after the first batch decided to omit the ground up tea in the recipe which makes them even simpler to make. We often have a batch in the freezer as they freeze well, and make a great gluten free, lactose free, low fodmap treat (which is why we started making them in the first place). I highly recommend this recipe and so many others from The Plain Cake Appreciation Society! 

Portico by Leah Koenig - This was a long awaited release for me, as I recipe tested for this book back in 2021 (and I am doing the same for Leah’s next book!). I really like the story and the history Leah weaves through this book, which places a spotlight on Rome’s longstanding Jewish community and the food that has shaped their lives and history in such a well known culinary city as Rome. I personally really love a cookbook that does a deep dive on a particular city, area or community so Portico helps add to my collection and knowledge on Italian and Jewish cuisines in a way that shows their similarities and differences. This is done in a way that has seriously added to my recipes I want to try list, though I can highly recommend the Fennel Gratin (p.79) as this is a recipe I tested back on 2021 and loved. It’s different to a traditional gratin as there is no cream in the recipe, which is great if you are lactose intolerant or just don’t like creamy things like me. And if you love arancini, you should try the Mozzarella-Stuffed Risotto Fritters (p.140-1) also known as Suppli al Telefono as they are like the Roman Jewish cousin to arancini!

Recipes in the Mail by Amy Minichiello* - After hosting the Sydney launch of this book with Amy, I feel I can call her a friend, so my thoughts on this cookbook may be a little biased. However if you have an interest in old fashioned family recipes and connecting with the stories around those recipes you must add this book to your collection. This book has so much heart and soul, it feels like a personal invitation from Amy to join her in discovering and baking these recipes. And if you have met Amy, you’ll know that’s exactly how she is in person too. I think everyone who attended the Afternoon Tea we hosted back in August 2023 would agree (you can read more about the event and how the book came about here). The recipes in this cookbook mostly fall into the baking category with a couple of exceptions, where recipes fit for dinner are also included.

In preparation for the Afternoon Tea Amy and I hosted, we made many recipes from the book and I was able to try a few too. Standouts were Ma Lyn’s Fruit Slice (p.71) which I have made since then too, Nanna Joy’s Sausage Rolls (p.151-2) which I have also made again since the Afternoon Tea, and showing my bias completely now, I would also say my Grandma’s Pavlova (the recipe for which I shared with Amy when the Recipes in Mail project was not yet a book) with Amy’s addition of a creamy strawberry topping (p.46-7) was also a standout. Since then, one recipe has become a clear favourite for me, and that is Catherine’s Grandma’s Pikelets (p.22). In October 2023 I think I made these every week, and have made them so many times since then as well. To me they are the perfect breakfast, and any leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days ready to be heated up and topped with fruit and maple syrup (my personal topping preference) for another breakfast.

*my copy of this book was gifted to me by Amy as I contributed a recipe that was included in the book. There is no link to where this book can be bought as at the time of writing, I could not find anywhere that had it in stock (except for a $80+ copy via Amazon that would be shipping from the USA). I have seen it in some bookshops recently (Dec 23/Jan 24) Dymocks Chatswood and Novella Fine Books in Wahroonga (both in Sydney), however I would recommend asking your local/favourite bookshop if they can order it for you. Edit 26/02/24 - To find books such as Recipes in the Mail in local bookshops, use https://yourbookstore.io to find your nearest stockist or one that can ship to you, thank you to Kelly for alerting me to this great way of supporting our local bookshops online.

The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours by Niki Segnit- A running theme you may notice about some the cookbooks I talk about in lists like this one is my appreciation for research and the work that an author does to really provide an educational element to their work. This new instalment of The Flavour Thesaurus is a massive work of research, and like the first book, this research provides so much to any one who likes cooking and wants to understand food and flavour more. I am mostly enjoying the complementary nature of The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours with the original Flavour Thesaurus, as the second instalment continues on with the more flavours researched and explained in the same style as Niki’s first book. Between the two books there is a wealth of knowledge to work with when learning about how to pair flavour together, and The Flavour Thesaurus More Flavours included flavours I had hoped I would find in the first one but were not included. This is a great book for anyone interested in cooking beyond recipes, or like me, does recipe development work.  

Malta by Simon Bajada - As mentioned above I love a book that does a deep dive on a particular place, cuisine or area so Malta immediately appealed to me. It also appealed to me as I knew basically nothing about Malta or Maltese cuisine and felt my cookbook collection could benefit from a book like this. The photography is really stunning, and between the food images and location images the reader gets a really great feel for Maltese food and a taste of what Malta would be like to visit. It looks sunny, hot and has a very Mediterranean vibe that made me feel like I was on a mini holiday looking at all the photos. 

The introductory section has a really good overview of Malta, Maltese history and how Malta’s geographic location and geography itself have influenced Maltese cuisine over time. Of course the brevity means there would be so much more to discover and learn, but it is a great starting point if you like me, know little about Malta and Maltese cuisine. 

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024

Cookbooks Worth Waiting For in 2023 Part 2 - A Recap

What a lovely stack of books! 

The second half of this year has produced some great new cookbooks, and these were my picks for the best and those worth waiting for - surely I am not the only one who counts down the weeks to cookbook releases?! 

Below are my thoughts on each book, they are all quite different but all worthy of their place on this list and on my shelf (maybe yours too?). My original thoughts on these books can be read here, plus you can catch up on past Cookbooks Worth Waiting For lists here as well.

Please let me know in the comments below if you have added any of these new releases to your cookbook collection, and what you thought of them!

The links provided are just for your reference. Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

The Plain Cake Appreciation Society by Tilly Pamment (July 2023) - I knew I would like this book. I was not prepared for how much I like it! The Plain Cake Appreciation Society is probably my favourite new release for the whole of 2023. This book is equal parts fantastic recipes and beautiful styling, photography and design. It feels like a warm hug, a comfort on busy or hard days, and gives a sense of Tilly’ warm gentle demeanour throughout. 

The Plain Cake Appreciation Society follows on from a series Tilly started on Instagram where she shared a recipe a week, and called it The Plain Cake Appreciation Society. These cakes weren’t the three day project extravaganza type cakes, but more simple homely, yet very flavoursome cakes one wants to eat with a cup of tea most days of the week. These are the kinds of cakes I like to bake and eat, so this book has only increased the number of recipes I want to bake for that mid-week tea and cake moment. 

Tea and flowers are taken very seriously in this book (as they should be), and each recipe comes with a suggestion for what tea to serve with the cake and what flowers might best accompany the cake. The combination of these elements, along with the gorgeous photography and styling, create a calm inspirational feeling that allows the reader (or baker) to know a nice cake (which despite the title of the book are really anything but plain - the flavours used will satisfy even the most complex of palettes), a moment of calm and a cup of tea are never far away. 

I have tried a few recipes from the book, and I am planning an Off the Shelf post in the near future to go through all of them in more detail. So far the stand out has been the Quince and Blackberry Cake (p.108-10) which comes with the recipe for poached quince (I told you the recipes were full of flavour!). The cake has a brown butter crumble which is genuinely the best and most delicious crumble I have ever tasted. The brown butter flavour really comes through and the short amount of time taken to brown the butter really is worth it. 

This is definitely a book for the bakers in your life (or yourself?!), I don’t recommend baking books all the time since I find so many of them are offering the same thing, or don’t feel like they have a really unique voice that really interests me beyond the baking books I already have. Tilly’s The Plain Cake Appreciation Society is the antithesis of this, and I am overjoyed to say it deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen by Leah Koenig (September 2023) - This book really lives up to the ‘cookbooks worth waiting for’ element of this series! As wait I have! Sometimes cookbook titles from the US take a while to get here, and the release date for this book was changed so many times I had serious fears I would not get this book until early 2024. Thankfully Portico is now available in Australia (it can be around $60AUD so have a look around for the best price), and I can now relax knowing this wonderful book is at my fingertips at a moments notice. 

As I mentioned a few months ago in the original post for this list, I did some recipe testing for this book back in 2021 and enjoyed all the recipes I made. I can now finally say that everything else in the book looks amazing too! As I thought, this book has a very different take on Roman cuisine and opens up so many more dishes to try from the Jewish community of Rome outside of what we might first think of when considering the food of Rome. 

I really enjoyed reading Leah’s introduction to the book, where she explains her connection to Roman Jewish cuisine and the impact it had on her. The brief explanation of Roman Jew’s 2000 year history in Rome was also a fascinating read, and reading Leah’s writing on the Ghetto in Rome and seeing the photos taken by Kristin Teig, brings back great memories of my last trip to Rome many years ago. A friend and I made sure to visit the Ghetto and Via del Portico d’Ottavia and we ate fried artichoke and sampled matzah as our side to our meal (rather than some kind of bread). We took a tour of the Tempio Maggiore di Roma, and I now lament we didn’t know about the bakery that sells their famous Pizza Ebraica - a biscuit (not an actual pizza!) filled with dried fruit and nuts. Luckily Leah has a recipe for it on page 273.  

Along with Pizza Ebraica I am very much looking forward to trying the Lemony Almond Cake (p.286), Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice (p.174-5) and the Whole Roasted Fish with Raisins and Pine Nuts (p.211). This is a book that is well worth adding to your shelf if you love Italian food and are keen to learn more and widen your understanding of more types of food from Italy. 

Garlic, Olive Oil and Everything Else by Daen Lia (August 2023) - Daen’s first foray into cookbook writing is a fun look into her tasty cooking style, using lots of garlic and olive oil! These recipes are tasty and seem to be full of flavour. I really feel Daen’s cooking style translates beyond the world of TikTok and into our kitchens with recipes that are beyond trends, but are just good. I’d suggest Daen’s recipes maybe even suit this more traditional format better, as people picking up this book probably wouldn’t have an issue with the use of olive oil, salt or insert other random thing Daen has been criticised for on TikTok for - my only conclusion is those people aren’t really into food and don’t ‘get’ it? 

Daen’s Spanish and Italian heritage really shine through in this book, and if like me you love the style of food and ingredients used in those cuisines, you’ll love this book. I hope we see more of this kind of format from Daen in the future, this book did feel like there could have been more (in terms of recipes, it’s quite a thin book despite it’s slightly larger size overall) and I’m hoping it’s just a first taste of what will we seen from Daen. 

We have already tried the Pan-Fried Salmon with Cherry Tomato Confit (p.66), and I’m thinking I will need to make some of Daen’s Focaccia (p.96-99) and use the leftover Cherry Tomato Confit to top the foccacia! I really like the look of many of Daen’s seafood recipes, the One-Pan Roasted Fish Puttanesca (p.68) is high on my ‘to cook’ list, along with the Whole Roasted Snapper with Green Anchovy Butter (p.91). And I wouldn’t be getting the full Daen’s Kitchen experience if I didn’t make Confit Garlic (p.14)!

Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking by Emiko Davies (October 2023) - This book gives us a more personal glimpse into Emiko’s food history and influences in a way we haven’t before. I love Emiko’s Italian cookbooks, but this one is even more personal to Emiko as she has finally been able to share the Japanese side of her food self. We are so fortunate that she has, as this book feels deeply personal, and also really informative. I love the illustrated cover and those dotted throughout the book, and how Emiko has brought her trademark writing style to this book. In a similar style to Emiko’s previous cookbooks, this is a book you could just as easily curl up and read as cook from in your kitchen. 

The recipes range from basics like how to cook rice, and make staples like panko breadcrumbs and pickled ginger, to breakfast dishes, whole meals and recipes that have been influenced by more Western cooking styles and ingredients that have become popular in Japan over the years. 

These recipes are bound by the meaning behind the title of the book, Gohan. Gohan literally translates to ‘rice’ but as Emiko explains, when she spoke to her mother about naming the book this, her mother said that Gohan embodied the idea of an everyday home cooked meal, that wasn’t fussy yet was nourishing. “‘I think the best food is created when you cook for someone love’” said Emiko’s mum Sumie, and I think that, the connection to family via food (both past and present) and a connection to a place, really sums up not only this book but maybe a running theme of Emiko’s work more generally. 

I am looking forward to making some Pickled Ginger (p.35), learning how to properly steam rice (p.80-81), try my hand at Japanese Milk Bread (p.221-2) and continue to read more of Emiko’s writing in this book and learn more about her, her family and Japanese food and ingredients generally. 

Now and Then by Tessa Kiros (October 2023)* - If you have any of Tessa’s other cookbooks you will know her trademark style. The beautiful design, and use of pattern, the colourful ribbon bookmark and the recipes influenced by her life and family or travels. 

Each chapter focuses on recipes influenced by a place or time in Tessa’s life (now or then). The recipes vary a lot, and in any other context might not make sense as a whole. But since this book is part cookbook part memoir for Tessa, it makes sense because it is her story. Many of Tessa’s books remind me of scrapbooks (albeit fancy scrapbooks!), and this one is no different. I can’t help but think Tessa must have a big say in the design process as this book has many personal touches, but also such a different style to many other cookbooks around. 

The use of colour in the book is calm and inviting, as are the photographs throughout the book. Now & Then is a book you might buy for the beauty of it and the personal touches and story. Or for someone who is interested in peoples lives, the food that enriches them and beautiful things generally. I am looking forward to trying the Gingerbread (p.50) and the Pistachio Biscuits (p.381).

*This book was gifted to me by Murdoch Books, with the expectation a review would be written. All opinions are my own, and I would have purchased this book myself if it had not been gifted to me.

Cookbooks Worth Waiting For in 2023 - Part Two!

We are almost halfway through the year, which means there are more new cookbook releases on the way for us! 

There are so many cookbooks I am interested to see in the second half of this year. However the below titles are the ones I will buy or preorder without having a look through first as I am that sure I will like them. 

As always this list a bit of a mixed bag, some come from cookbook writers whose previous works I have loved and others are first time cookbook authors whose transition from the internet world of cooking I am keen to see translated into our ever favourite recipe format, the cookbook. 

Links are there for your reference (not sponsored or anything), and I suggest searching around for the best price as at the time of writing some of these titles are quite pricey (we can only hope it goes down closer to their release date?!). 

To read my first Cookbooks Worth Waiting for List for this year click here, and to read the recap of that list click here.

Let me know in the comments below if you are looking forward to any of these books as well, or if there are others you have on your list. 

1. The Plain Cake Appreciation Society by Tilly Pamment (July 2023) - The first book to be released from this list in early July is Tilly’s (of @tillystable) first foray into cookbook writing. I am really excited to see this one, as I’m sure many of you are as well. Tilly’s well known aesthetic is equal parts beautiful and delicious and to see it, along with her recipes, in a cookbook is something I am very excited about. Tilly has not just written this book, but styled and shot the whole thing as well - no mean feat! I was lucky to get some ‘insider’ knowledge about this book recently, and I have been told there aren’t too many recipes using chocolate (which I can’t eat), which brings me a great sense of relief (thank you Angela!). Sometimes I open a new baking book to find it so chocolate heavy I know I will barely make anything out of the book. But to know I am in safe hands with Tilly makes me all the more excited to see her book in a few short weeks. 

2. Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen by Leah Koenig (August 2023) - I have been looking forward to this book for what feels like a long time. Back in 2021 when the current pandemic kept us all at home, I was lucky to do some recipe testing for this book (along with lots of other people!). I made three dishes and loved all of them. I tried a fennel gratin, that had no cream in it, which I traditionally dislike in such dishes as I find them too rich. This gratin was so delicious I made it a couple more times. I also tested a chicken and celery dish that looked like it would be quite plain, but somehow definitely was not. The final recipe was a Roman Jewish version of arancini balls, which were delicious, if not slightly fiddly on top of making the risotto, but it was lockdown so I had time!

   I cannot wait to finally see the other recipes in this book and read what Leah has researched and discovered about Rome’s Jewish kitchen. The food of Jewish Rome (and Italy generally) is quite different to traditional Roman or Italian cuisine, due to the religious rules known as kashrut (to prepare and eat kosher food) - no pork and no dairy with meat is the very basic ‘gentile’ way of describing it (there’s really more to it, you can read more here for a better description). Pork is so widely used in all Italian cuisine, that it’s removal changes the cuisine entirely in my opinion - so this book is sure to have very different recipes than other Roman/Italian cookbooks, and I am very much looking forward to it after enjoying many of Leah’s previous books.

3. Garlic, Olive Oil and Everything Else by Daen Lia (August 2023) - Another first time cookbook author, Daen has flown to the top of the TikTok food scene and is now sharing her recipes in a cookbook. I am personally not a massive fan of recipe based Reels or TikTok (I don’t even use TikTok honestly), however discovering more about Daen, her recipes and food in an ‘old school’ format (i.e. a cookbook!) is something I can get behind. I really like Daen’s use of flavours, notably those that come from her Spanish and Italian heritage - like garlic and olive oil! - and while some on social media may criticise their use, I think these ingredients and Daen’s recipes will feel right at home in our cookbook loving part of the world. 

4. Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking by Emiko Davies (September 2023) - I think we all love Emiko, and her many books on Italian cuisine, however we are now finally seeing more of the food that Emiko grew up with and that is part of her food history rather than that of her current home in Italy. Emiko has spoken of how this book was a harder sell to publishers as they perceived a book on Japanese cuisine less ‘sellable’ than one on Italian, but I know I and many others are so glad this book is almost with us. I do not personally eat lot of Japanese food or ingredients generally, but I am keen to support this new book of Emiko’s as I know how much I love her previous ones. I know this book will be heartfelt, well researched and beautifully photographed as all her previous works are. And hopefully I will find some recipes that become unexpected favourites too. 

5. Now and Then by Tessa Kiros (October 2023) - A few years ago I made it my mission to expand my collection of Tessa’s books. I found some older titles on eBay, and even one I’d never heard of in Books for Cooks in Melbourne. So when I saw we would finally be getting a new book from Tessa (her last was published in 2016 I think), I knew it would make my cookbooks worth waiting for list. What I really like about Tessa’s cookbooks is they all have their own very unique story and often bring the reader along in some kind of discovery of a place, cuisine or Tessa’s family/family history. No two books of Tessa’s are the same, however all are beautiful and always have really thoughtful design elements that bring such a personal touch to each publication. The description of this book says it will be part memoir, travel guide and food odyssey and it feels like it will be a reflective piece filled with new recipes and memories. 

Links to books on Booktopia removed 15/07/2024.

Cosy Bakes for Cooler Weather

Here in Sydney, we’re well into Winter now - and a COVID related lockdown - so here are a few cosy things to bake to enjoy the cooler weather, and take advantage of being at home.

. . .

I for one am quite relieved the cooler weather has really begun, I hate the heat, but also find it much more comfortable to cook and bake in the cooler weather. There are many Autumn and Winter inspired things I want to bake, and below is a little list of the recipes I have been enjoying or hope too soon. 

This list is quite quince heavy, as to me, it isn’t Autumn without poaching a few quince! 

1. On the long weekend I used this recipe to poach 2kg of quince, and am hoping to make the quince cake (pictured above) from my free eBook Seasonal Cakes and Bakes ASAP (get your free copy by signing up to my mailing list today!).

2. I saw the talented Tilly of @tillys_table post the recipe for this Blackberry and Almond Afternoon Tea Cake on Instagram a week or so ago, as part her Plain-Cake Appreciation Society (a society I would definitely like a membership with!). I immediately saved Tilly’s post, and hope to make it soon. I also think you could use poached quince instead of blackberries, which I may do since I have so many now!

3. On another quince related note, I made my annual double batch of Sophie Hansen’s Quince Chutney, which I am obsessed with and can’t ever seem to make enough of. The recipe is also in her book ‘A Basket by the Door’ and goes excellently with the pork sausage rolls on the page before hand (p.142). 

4. Since there are still some lovely Australian plums in the shops at the moment, I made Leah Koenig’s Passover Cake which can be found in the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s book ‘Now for Something Sweet’. The recipe asks for pears and pecans, however I used plums and pistachios and it was delicious. And while I did use superfine matzo meal as the recipe says, you can substitute for plain flour and I am told it is an excellent cake made that way too. 

5. For more cosy baking ideas check out my Cosy Winter Bakes eBook - I am going to be revisiting some of the recipes now the weather has cooled down!

Off The Shelf - 'The Jewish Cookbook' by Leah Koenig

Bought at: it was gifted to me for Christmas. 

Recipes Made: Jewelled Rice p.174, Chicken and Quince Tagine p.269, Babka p.324, Yeasted Hamantaschen p.342, Candied Quince p.404, Charoset pp.406-409 and Lekvar p.410.

I made the Jewelled Rice on the same night I made the Chicken and Quince Tagine, and wow did I use a lot of pots of pans that night! This is no simple rice dish, but it is very tasty and beautiful. For a more simple version in the future, I would probably make the baked rice with salsa from ‘Simple’ by Ottolenghi as I definitely found it hard to co-ordinate all the pots and pans on the stove and the cooking times to have everything ready along with the Chicken and Quince Tagine. 

Chicken and Quince Tagine + Jewelled Rice

The Chicken and Quince Tagine was a big hit, and after the quince are candied it’s not a difficult dish to make you just need a little time. I’d never had quince with chicken and of course it was a great pairing. I did use the recipe for Candied Quince from the book as the recipe says, but I think if you already had some poached quince you could definitely use that. I am hoping to make this again whilst quince are still about, I liked it so much! 

Babka

When I was making Babka a few months ago, I consulted a few recipes one of which was the Babka recipe in this book. Comparing recipes was really helpful, and the recipe I ended up with can be found here. The recipe in this book was for a Cinnamon-Golden Raisin Babka which I definitely need to go back and try without making any of my own adaptations!

Yeasted Hamantaschen

I had been wanting to try Yeasted Hamantaschen for a while, only ever having made the more shortcrust biscuit like version before. I was delighted when I saw Leah had a recipe for Yeasted Hamantaschen in her book, and I made my own version with Quince Lekvar. I altered the quantities of flour a little from the original recipe, check out my blog post on this recipe for more if you want to try making them (and for more information on what hamantaschen are and when they are traditionally made see this post!).

Making Candied Quince

I was intrigued by the Candied Quince in this book, and I wasn’t sure what the end result would be. I was sort of imagining candied fruit like you would candy orange slices etc, but this actually ended up being more a quicker version of poaching quince. I didn’t find my quince turned a deep ruby red (I’m not sure if this was to do with the variety of quince I used), but once added to the Chicken and Quince Tagine the colour really didn’t matter as the taste was so good!

My version of Charoset

In the lead up to the Jewish holiday of Passover I decided I wanted to play around and create my own version of Charoset. Charoset is traditionally eaten as part of the Passover Seder, and comprises fruit (dried and often fresh apple too) and sweet wine. Leah has six different Charoset recipes in this book, all from different parts of the Jewish diaspora. They all have some things in common but also differ slightly in other ways too. I took the parts of each I really liked - rolling Charoset into balls like the Kurdish version and using a combination of dates, figs and a variety of spices like the Yemenite version - to create my own. 

Quince Lekvar

Lekvar was something I had never heard of before. It is a fruit paste used in Central and Eastern European sweets made using dried friut and fruit juice. Prune and apricot are popular versions, but this got me thinking about other dried fruits I could use. I love dried quince, and decided to give making Lekvar a go with it, and it worked so well. I used my Lekvar to fill the Yeasted Hamantaschen I made and used the remainder to fill some untraditional rugelach made with cream cheese dough from the book ‘Beatrix Bakes’ (which were delicious!).

Beatrix Bakes Rugelach with Quince Lekvar

Favourite Things About the Book: My favourite thing about this book is how comprehensive it is. This really could be the one cookbook you own on Jewish food and you would have enough recipes to keep you going forever. And it covers the foods of the wider Jewish diaspora, not just the more common recipes from Eastern Europe (as good as those are!). There are recipes from Jews native to Italy, India, Georgia, Iraq and South Africa. There are even a few recipes which are relics from Jewish life in pre-Inquisition Spain and Spanish occupied Italy.

This book feels so well researched and collated, Leah has done such a great job of providing really interesting recipes and insights about their history, without the book tipping over into a reference book or making the reader feel overwhelmed with information. It remains firmly in the cookbook category, and even despite the lack of food photography (the book is 431 pages so images for each recipe isn’t possible), I find Leah’s writing and the information she is sharing through these recipes so engaging. Each time I pick this book up a different recipe stands out to me, and another post it note goes in to mark it’s importance. And as you can see in the photos of my copy, I have used a LOT of post it notes in this book - which is purely a testament to how many great recipes there are in this book. 

Leah really highlights and champions the diversity within Jewish cuisine, showing those of us who are still learning about the world’s Jewish communities and their food, how much more there is to discover outside of bagels and babka (though naturally recipes for both these carb filled delights that we all know and love are in the book too!). 

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Caponata alla Giudia p.116, Vegetarian Cholent p.144, Jewish-Style Braised Fennel p.158, Potato Laktes p.184, Eggplant and Tomato Stew p.249, Mandelbrot p.334, Almond Cardamom Cookies p.348.

Yeasted Hamantaschen with Quince Lekvar

This year I was determined to make hamantaschen again, but this time with the more traditional yeasted dough. I loved my Pistachio Hamantaschen I made last year, but I really wanted to have a comparison with a more traditional hamantaschen. 

For those who have never heard of hamantaschen before, they are made to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim (see links at the end of this post to find out more). They are kind of like a cross between a biscuit and a pastry with a sweet tasty filling, and the triangular shape has great symbolism for the holiday. Check out my post from last year to find out a little more.

I tried to stay as traditional as I could with this, but me being me, and not being bound by any Purim traditions of my own, I altered a prune filling (or Lekvar) recipe to include dried quince and dried pears. Mostly because quince is my third favourite flavour (coming in close after rose and pistachio which alternate between spots one and two), and I have access to amazing dried quince from Singing Magpie Produce, which I knew would taste amazing cooked into a lekvar. 

I heavily leaned on Leah Koenig’s new book ‘The Jewish Cookbook’ to produce this hamantaschen recipe. Leah’s book is my new ultimate resource on Jewish cooking, spanning all diasporas and nationalities and all types of meals and holidays. If you just want one book to show you the ways of Jewish cooking and baking, this is it. I (somewhat ironically I admit) received this book as a gift for Christmas, and it has maintained its spot as my most looked at cookbook since then. 

View fullsize

Folding Hamantaschen

View fullsize

The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig

I was delighted to find a yeasted hamantaschen dough in Leah’s book, as I had already decided I wanted to try this type of dough for my next hamantaschen attempt! And out of the many cookbooks I own, it is the only one to contain such a recipe. Leah also provides many hamantaschen filling options, and I was particularly intrigued by the fruit lekvar traditional to Central and Eastern Europe. Lekvar is a thick jammy paste made using dried fruits and juice. I adapted Leah’s Prune Lekvar recipe to create my Quince Lekvar, but you could stick to prunes if you can’t find any dried quince. If you can get your hands on fresh quince, a quince butter would also make a great substitute for the lekvar (see my Cosy Winter Bakes eBook for a Quince Butter recipe). 

A yeasted hamantaschen definitely takes a bit more time and effort than a more shortbread pastry hamantaschen (see my recipe last year for a good one), but it is worth the effort. I found my first dough attempt didn’t work, I think because I am baking in a more humid climate and my dough just became unbelievably sticky and wet and barely rose at all. I have slightly altered the quantities of flour in the recipe, and continue to generously add more flour as I knead the dough. This is quite an intuitive recipe (which is why I suggest kneading by hand rather than using a stand mixer), and depending on your climate, you may not need nearly as much flour as I did. For reference the original recipe says to start with 350g, and up to 70g more if needed. On my second attempt I added that total amount (420g), then I added more when I was kneading and my dough worked out much better. 

Quince Lekvar (or thick jam)

Quince Lekvar

Ingredients:

200g dried quince

100g dried pears (or dried apple)

120ml cloudy apple juice 

175ml water

4 tbsp panela sugar

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method: 

Place the quince, pears, apple juice, water and panela sugar in a small saucepan. Over low-medium heat bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan with its lid. Cook the fruit, stirring every now and then, for about 25-35 minutes or until the fruit has softened and most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

Take the pan off the heat, and puree the fruit with a stick blender. Stir in the honey, cinnamon, cardamon and vanilla then allow to cool completely before storing covered or in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Makes approx. 580g.

Yeasted Hamantaschen

Ingredients: 

7g dried yeast

150g + 1 tsp caster sugar 

120ml warm water

420g plain flour, plus extra

pinch of salt

60ml canola oil, plus extra

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract 

360g (approx.) Quince Lekvar

Method: 

In a large bowl stir together the yeast, warm water and the 1tsp caster sugar. Leave for 5-10 minutes until it has become frothy.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the remaining 150g caster sugar, flour and salt.

Add two of the eggs, oil and vanilla extract to the activated yeast and whisk to combine.

Add the flour, and mix. 

Generously dust your work surface with more flour, and tip the dough out. Dust the dough with flour, and begin to knead. This dough can be quite sticky, so continue to knead and add flour until the dough becomes more manageable and elastic. Knead for about 10 minutes, the dough will still be a little sticky, but once it becomes smoother and more elastic it will be ready to prove. 

Lightly oil a large bowl with a little more of the canola oil, and place the dough in. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm spot for 1.5-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. This dough won’t rise as dramatically as a traditional bread dough, but if the size has at least doubled during the proofing time, then it will be ready for the next step. 

Once the dough as proofed, line two to three trays with baking paper, and preheat oven to 180 degrees/170 degrees Celsius fan. 

Lightly dust your work surface with more flour, and roll out half the dough (leave the other half covered in the bowl). Using a 7-8cm round cutter, cut out rounds of the dough and place in the prepared trays. Keep the scraps of dough and place to the side for now. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out with the cutter. Re-roll all the scraps, and cut out as before. The dough will become harder to work with now as it is becoming overworked. Discard any remaining scraps now, especially if you have cut out close to 30 rounds, and your trays are filled. 

Place a teaspoon of the quince lekvar in the centre of each round. Shape the rounds of dough into the characteristic triangle shape by pinching one side into a corner, then folding the other side up to form two more corners. Ensure the corners are well sealed and stuck together. If you need some more tips on how to fold hamantashen take a look at this graphic made by The Nosher.

Loosely place some cling over the trays and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Crack the remaining egg into a glass and beat with a fork. Brush the tops of the hamantaschen with the egg, then place in the oven for about 18 minutes to cook. Rotate the trays in the oven about half way through to ensure the hamantaschen cook more evenly. The hamantaschen will be ready when they have puffed up a little and are golden. 

These are best eaten the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container for a few days.

Makes about 30 hamantaschen.

Reference: ‘The Jewish Cookbook’ by Leah Koenig (Phaidon Press Limited, 2019), pp.342 & 410. For more info on yeasted hamantaschen check out this post on the blog Poppy & Prune and this recipe on kosher.com.