Cookbook Reviews by Norene

Norene Gilletz reviews Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited

“Food can connect us to our past. In fact, food is often our very last and only connection to our pasts, enduring long after the old language has been forgotten and other traditions have died. There’s many a Jew, for instance, who identifies as a Jew mainly through his or her love of pastrami, or potted brisket, or chicken soup with matzo balls.”

In his poignant introduction, Arthur Schwartz invites his readers to join him on a wonderful, mouth-watering and sentimental journey through the memory-filled pages of his newest cookbook, Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited (Ten Speed Press, $35, color photographs by Ben Fink).

Read more “Passover Food Memories from a Food Maven” →

A Book Review by Norene Gilletz

DIVINE KOSHER DISHES – A TAPESTRY OF TASTES FOR PASSOVER

I have a huge collection of nearly 2,000 cookbooks on my bookshelves and scattered throughout every room of my house. My collection continues to grow because of the many books that cross my desk for review. For the past several months, I had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Divine Kosher Cuisine by Barbara Wasser and Rise Routenberg as I wanted to review the book for my Passover column. I was totally blown away when I finally received the proofs. What a labor of love!

Read more “Divine Kosher Cuisine” →

Book Review by Norene Gilletz

I’m quite experienced when in comes to reducing the fat in most recipes, but creating lower-fat cookies that taste terrific is quite difficult.

I was delighted to discover a wonderful Canadian cookbook – One Smart Cookie by Julie Van Rosendaal of Calgary. This tip-packed book (175 pp) contains photos and over 200 recipes for your favorite cookies, squares, brownies and biscotti…trimmed of fat, but not of flavor! This book will definitely help you reduce the fat in your favorite cookie recipes.

Read more “One Smart Cookie” →

ELEGANCE FOR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION

Concern about what to serve family and friends on special occasions is a major topic of conversation for many people I know. If you are faced with the challenge of preparing a special meal, here are some terrific offerings from, Crowning Elegance: A Kosher Culinary Experience (now out of print), a fundraising project of Arie Crown Hebrew Day School in Skokie, Ill.

This hard-cover book with wipe-clean pages is a unique compilation of extraordinary dishes, with nearly 300 recipes, many with wine recommendations. It also features 180 fabulous colour photographs (including step-by-step directions on how to braid a six-strand challah). There is also a helpful index of recipes with 15 minutes or less prep time.

Read more “Crowning Elegance: A Kosher Culinary Experience” →

Cookbook Review by Norene Gilletz

Apples and honey bring sweet blessings to the New Year

Maggie Glezer knows there is definitely more than one way to braid a challah! Glezer was captivated by the symbolism and myriad meanings in each twist of the challah’s braid, leading her to years of research and recipe testing.

The result is her award-winning cookbook, A Blessing of Bread (Artisan). There are more than 60 impeccably tested recipes, old and new, for challah and other Sabbath and holiday loaves, plus an exploration of the rich symbolism of their history and the rituals governing their baking and eating.

Read more “A Blessing of Bread” →