PURIM ISSUE
* YOUR SOURCE FOR ALL THINGS KOSHER *
PURIM 2016 | ISSUE 30
#israelissue
FOOD TOUR OF ISRAEL
INSIDE LOO K TOP CHEF : MEIR ADON I
45+ recipes PASTRY TOUR WITH MASTERCHEF TOM FRANZ
PLUS USA $6.99 / CANADA $8.50 / UK £5.00 AUSTRALIA $8.50 / SA R90 / ISRAEL 25
MISHLOACH MANOT IDEAS KOSHER MEDIA NETWORK
a bitayavon production
FOR RECIPES, MENUS, CONTESTS AND MORE VISIT WWW.JOYOFKOSHER.COM
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Tel
Aviv
In a country as ancient as Israel, Tel Aviv—founded just over 100 years ago—qualifies as a young city, and it acts its age. With a vibrant arts scene, bustling nightlife, and the majority of Israel’s cultural and performing arts centers, Tel Aviv attracts over a million international visitors a year, and for good reason. Many religious travelers focus their itineraries on Jerusalem and other regions, assuming that more secular-leaning Tel Aviv won’t have much for them, but the kosher food and culture scene in Tel Aviv is strong and growing every year.
Carlton Hotel: A FOOD DESTINATION IN TEL AVIV Book a room at the Carlton Hotel, a boutique hotel on the Tel Aviv Marina, and learn what Tel Aviv can offer the kosher foodie. On a winter’s day, you may be greeted in the lobby with a warm apple cider (recipe follows); in the summer, it might be a fresh juice. Start with a glass of wine and taste some of Israel’s finest cheeses at the lobby wine and cheese bar. After an afternoon on the beach, or a massage at the on-site spa, make a dinner reservation at one of the two hotel restaurants, both run by
Meir Adoni, one of Israel’s top chefs. At Blue Sky, on the rooftop, sample seasonal vegetarian dishes using Israel’s best produce and fish fresh from the Mediterranean Sea. At Lumina, bistro staples and Jewish classics are reinvented with modernist techniques. On a recent visit, a chocolate peanut butter mousse was taken to the next level with liquid nitrogen, freezing the mousse so it arrived at the table smoking, before
Visit Joy of Kosher's YouTube video channel to experience the magic of liquid nitrogen.
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Endless beachfront breakfast bar at Carlton Hotel.
melting on the tongue. Accompanied by caramelized bananas and a chocolate tuile, the dessert was among the best non-dairy desserts you can find anywhere. Hotel breakfasts sometimes get a bad rap, but Israel’s hotels subvert those expectations with lavish spreads of Israeli-style delicacies. The Veal with corn ravioli
Carlton is no exception. Pile your plate with cheeses, a made-to-order omelet, salads, fresh halva, and don’t forget a bowl of yogurt topped with some fruit preserves and a piece of honeycomb flowing with honey. If you think about “the land flowing with milk and honey” as you dig in— well, you won’t be the first
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Meir Adoni
one. (Find our favorite salad recipe on page 32.) Eating seasonally has become trendy in the United States, but in Israel it has always been the way of life. In summer you will find berries piled on the buffet, in the fall, pomegranates and figs, and in winter, bright citrus fruits in every color. Rooftop restaurant, Blue Sky
Meir Adoni is one of Israel’s top chefs. In his 13 years in the restaurant industry he has run three kitchens. The first two, Catit and Mizlala, were not kosher, but with his third restaurant, Blue Sky, Adoni went kosher for the first time.
What are your culinary dreams? My biggest dream is to open a kosher restaurant in America! It would be similar to my Tel Aviv restaurant Lumina—classic Jewish with a twist, with a strong Middle Eastern and North African influence.
Why did you decide to open a kosher restaurant after all this time? Why do you think there has been such an explosion of good kosher dining in Israel? I come from a traditional—masorati—home, and I’ve always eaten kosher. My own home is kosher. It just seemed like the right time. Many chefs don’t venture into kosher, but today more and more people in Israel appreciate and value good kosher food, even if they don’t always keep kosher at home.
What’s next for you as a chef? Next I will be running a Pesach restaurant in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Before that, I am headed to London to open my first restaurant in what once was the famous Reuben’s restaurant in Central London. I am working to create a great restaurant that just happens to be kosher, with classic deli on one floor and fine dining on another. My dream is to attract every kosher tourist in London and to eventually receive a Michelin star.
Do you find it challenging to cook kosher food? What are your techniques to make your kosher food stand out? Techniques from molecular gastronomy can help create the textures that are missing when you cook kosher, but you have to do it right! Too many people try to use these techniques but don’t do it right, and it doesn’t taste very good. For example, in the corn ravioli at Lumina, the creamy corn filling is made from squeezing the juice out of the corn, cooking it until it thickens, adding agar, and then blending to make it creamy. But it takes real skill to get that perfect texture—you have to know what you’re doing. I would be a liar to say cooking without butter isn’t difficult, but it makes you a better chef. It’s hard to make a great dessert that isn’t chocolate without using butter. I still haven’t found the perfect replacement, but I am always experimenting.
Why haven’t you received a Michelin star*? Interestingly enough, the official statement from Michelin is that it isn’t financially worthwhile for them to make a Michelin guide of Israel as not enough people will purchase such a guide. As of now, it isn’t an option for any Israel-based chef. Do you find it difficult to balance restaurant life with your family life? Does your family influence your culinary style at all? For the last seven years, my wife has forced me to take weekends off and spend it with the family. I am finally starting to appreciate it! My favorite comfort food has always been my mother’s comfort food: chamim, the real way, the most unbelievable moussaka, and stuffed vegetables. She has her secret techniques for all of these. She hollows out the vegetables and fries them before stuffing and braising. She doesn’t add water to her sauces and cooks them very slowly to develop that real, rich flavor.
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Hamantaschen Haman's Pockets RECIPE BY ORLY ZIV
Editor’s Note: With all the gourmet options available, we decided to share a classic hamantashen recipe; the real deal. If you want to add some gourmet touches you can add dry spices or citrus zest (about 1 teaspoon) into the dough for an extra pop of flavor.
INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH: 3½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ cup finely ground almonds 9 ounces butter 1 cup icing sugar 3 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs Pinch salt INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING: 300 grams ground poppy seeds 1 cup sugar 1½ cups milk or orange juice 3 tablespoons honey Lemon zest (optional)
1. Sift flour and almonds.
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6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. 7. Cook milk, sugar, and poppy seeds for 15 minutes. 8. Add the honey and lemon zest and cook 5 minutes more. Let cool. 9. Roll out the dough thinly and create circles. 10. Put about ½ teaspoon of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up dough into a triangle and pinch the edges.
2. Beat butter with icing sugar and sugar.
11. Bake about 10 minutes in 180° C oven until golden.
3. Add eggs to the butter.
Orly is a nutritionist, Israeli food tour guide and cookbook author. Visit her site www.cookinisrael.com.
4. Add the sifted flour and 14
almonds, baking powder, and salt to the butter. Knead until dough is formed.
Triangular cookies filled with poppy seeds said to represent Haman's three-cornered hat
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Mishloach Manot “Packing a punch” of Style and Taste BY OKSANA BELLAS
AS SWEET AS IT GETS EVENTS | WWW.ASSWEETASITGETS.COM CUSTOMIZED GIFT LABELS BY SWEET PAPER SHOP | WWW.SWEETPAPERSHOP.COM
Editor’s Note: Please do your due diligence and research the products’ kashrut certification, as everyone has different standards.
My youngest just asked: “What will be our theme for mishloach manot this year?” It is January and she expects that I have already started brainstorming ideas. It turns out she is right. I approach Purim and the mitzvah of giving mishloach manot seriously. Not only is the task an opportunity for me to exercise my creativity as a self-proclaimed foodie, but it is also a challenge to create Purim packages that will contain tasty and beautifully packaged kosher products. Here is how I go about styling the perfect mishloach manot.
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Theme matters
It is obvious and I am totally predictable for suggesting it, but a theme really makes a difference. It does not matter whether it is a color or a flavor or a geographic location; it really helps to have a unifying factor. I hope the three themed mishloach manot styled here will provide some inspiration and sources of quality kosher products:
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DAY
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7 Unmissable Food Experiences at Shuk HaCarmel
2 LOCAL BEER AT BEER BAZAAR. This is a great place to become acquainted with the rapidly growing microbrewery scene in Israel. (Read more about the Israeli beer movement on page 28.) The friendly staff will offer you a sample of one of the house beers before you decide on your brew of choice.
The unique gas range and heated tops used to cook the salouf bread .
1 SALOUF BREAD. Start your food tour early at the Yemenite bakery right off Shuk HaCarmel—it’s open from the crack of dawn until about 10 AM, bustling with deliveries to local restaurants and shops. Watch the bakers churn out rounds of salouf bread, a spongier version of a laffa. Working quickly, he rolls a small piece of dough directly onto a hot flattop, then sprinkles it with water infused with fenugreek seeds, and then covers it so it cooks quickly from both sides. The bakery makes only three items—this salouf, the best pita you will taste in all of Israel, and lachuch, a type of savory pancake.
Visit Joy of Kosher's YouTube video channel for a live demo on making this unique bread.
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COFFEE BEANS from Cohen Coffee Roasters. This is the best place to pick up some gifts for friends and family back home. Mr. Cohen mixes his fresh, fragrant beans in custom blends for each customer—ask for small bags to bring a little taste of Tel Aviv back to your friends at home.
4 SOUVENIR SPICE SHOPPING. Take a break from all the eating at a local spice shop, and and hunt for fragrant souvenirs that will leave your suitcase smelling fragrant for months. You’ll see a surprising number of chickpea varieties, as well as freekeh, the newly trendy “ancient grain” that has been a staple in North African cuisine for generations. Make sure to pick up some potent Moroccan paprika mixed with olive oil.
Notice the difference between the orange-hued traditional paprika and bright red hue of Moroccan paprika, which is prepared with oil.
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DRUZE BREAD WITH LABNE. Ask Orly to show you where to try some Druze bread, which is filled with tart fresh leben, herbs and olive oil. (You can try this technique at home with the recipe on page 30.)
YEMENITE COFFEE WITH HAWAIJ, and shakshuka with hummus at Shlomo V’Doron. You may be familiar with the traditional Yemenite spice blend, but you may not know that there are several kinds of hawaij—the one for coffee is made with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger, while the one for soup adds savory flavors like cumin and turmeric. Start your breakfast with a warm bowl of ful—a dip made with fava beans—and then fill up on shakshuka served over hummus. At this traditional restaurant, which has been owned by the same family for generations, one big pot of hummus is made every day—when it runs out, they close for the day.
6 POTATO AND EGG BOURIKA. Orly can help you find Merkaz HaBourika, a tiny shop where you can try a little-known Libyan specialty, the bourika. After you order, the guy behind the counter will spread a mashed potato filling on a thin crepe, then fold it and submerge it into hot oil. While it bubbles, he adds an egg into the middle and seals it. The result is warm, rich and carb-filled, a perfect afternoon snack to keep you going. If you can make room, try one of their excellent Moroccan doughnuts on the way out.
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How does she do it? Visit Joy of Kosher's YouTube video channel on Druze bread-making.
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DAY
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Shiloh
michai Luria is a guy in the know, especially when it comes to food. He has the best contacts for beef and lamb and has built his own greenhouse a minute’s drive from his home in Ma’ale Levona, a gated community in the Judean dessert. Amichai is a home cook extraordinaire and also happens to be the wine maker for the award-winning Shiloh wines. Before traveling north, we detoured to Amichai’s home for a six-course meal and wine pairing. The stunning views from Shiloh Winery of the mountains of Israel was breathtaking. It was worth the trip to experience the physical beauty of Israel. It was also a surprise moment in our trip when, inspired by Amichai, we were able to take a step back and marvel at the spiritual dimension that Israel has to offer. When harvesting the grapes for wine and when planting and growing the cornucopia of plants in his greenhouse, Amichai does as many mitzvot as he possibly can, and there are plenty. From shmitta (letting plants rest every seven years) to the various types of ma’asrot (setting aside food
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for the less fortunate), there is plenty of opportunity to provide a glimpse into what life must have been like in the times of the Holy Temple. Two standout dishes we enjoyed were the ceviche and salmon. Amichai’s unique twist on ceviche was using freshly squeezed pomegranate juice as the acidic element of the dish. Combined with fennel, mint, and jalapeno we picked ourselves from the backyard farm and paired with an acidic Shiloh rosé, the ceviche was a bright introduction to the memorable meal ahead. For our second course, paired with Chardonnay, we enjoyed a baked salmon dish. The third and fourth courses included braised lamb and corned beef, paired with Shiloh Legend and Shiloh Cabernet Sauvignon. The meal ended with the best non-dessert of seared crescent steak, bone marrow, and mushrooms paired with the award-winning Shiloh Legend 2, a complex, rich wine ending a complex, rich meal.
Simple Salmon Serves: 4 4 2 2 2
salmon fillets tablespoons good-quality olive oil teaspoons salt teaspoons paprika
1. Combine all ingredients. 2. Bake uncovered in 375-degree oven for twenty minutes. 3. Serve with a glass of Chardonnay.
There is nothing like cooking with freshly picked produce. The vegetables we picked, like the fresh fennel, were packed with enhanced flavor.
Homemade corned beef
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Galilee Visit Joy of Kosher's YouTube channel for a hilarious clip of classic Israeli-style directions.
ancient caves of Tzfat. While you eat, ask the lachuch maker to tell you more about his community of Yemenite Jews who emigrated to Israel over 60 years ago. Despite their hundreds of years of isolation from the greater Jewish community while in Yemen, they were surprised to find how many customs they shared with their Jewish brethren when they arrived in the Holy Land. Tzfat is well known for its art, and an afternoon can be pleasantly spent strolling the narrow alleyways, admiring the galleries and perhaps purchasing a piece or two to take home. (If you want to buy something larger, the gallerists will be happy to package it well and
For an authentic experience, spend the night at a simple, no-frills tzimmer tucked into an alleyway of the Old City ship it directly to your home address.) Stave off afternoon hunger pangs with a quick and cheap falafel at Felafel Hakikar, a neighborhood institution that is under the Mehadrin hashgacha. Burn off that lunch walking down the hundreds of steps to the famed cemetery of Tzfat, the resting place of the Arizal and so many other luminaries, then take a walking tour of the Old City’s synagogues, each with its unique architectural style and history. 46
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Take in dinner with a view either at Haarei Shmoneh, for simple Israeli classics, or at Geffen Courtyard, a dairy restaurant and wine bar with panoramic views of the Galilee mountains. For an authentic experience, spend the night at a simple, no-frills tzimmer tucked into an alleyway of the Old City—chances are your room, with its thick stone walls and small windows, dates back over a hundred years, with hundreds of students and mystics, spiritual seekers and pilgrims,
DAY
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Machne
Yehuda
All that shopping and tasting is going to get you hungry, but luckily you don’t have to leave the shuk to try some of Israel’s best, and cheapest, food. Israel excels at the art of street food—and it’s not all about the falafel either.
ELI MIZRAHI ew people represent the spirit of the shuk quite like Eli Mizrahi. Born and raised among the stalls—his father owned a fruit stand as far back as the 1930s—Mizrahi has spent his whole life right here. “I’m a child of the shuk,” he says. He became chairman of the board of Machne Yehuda in 2000, during a particularly politically tense time for the country. The tourists were staying away, locals came and went quickly without lingering for a coffee or a beer, and half the stores in the shuk were shuttered. Mizrahi decided that this was the time to open a new, modern-style café on a quiet side alley off Etz HaChayim. At the time everyone thought he was crazy, but today his bustling café is a landmark and Mizrahi is hailed as a pioneer of the new, revitalized shuk. If there were a mayor of the shuk, Mizrahi would be it. Despite a recent bout of throat cancer, he is still there nearly every day, chatting with old friends and strangers alike outside his bustling café. He explains that while his doctor told him not to work, “I don’t consider the café to be work!” and that he has too many plans for the future of his beloved shuk to consider retiring. While he is talking, Mizrahi pulls a large, hot café hafuch—an Israeli-style cappuccino, known to be extra creamy because of the fresh Israeli milk. Mizrahi was also the first to introduce the cortado to the Israeli market; the small, extra-strong cappuccino served in an espresso cup has become the country’s trendiest drink. Over coffee, Mizrahi talks about the changes that the shuk has undergone in recent years. Many are positive— more cafés and bars, more diverse customers, and over 200,000 visitors every week. Along with all the growth, there are also challenges. “My only disappointment is that prices have gone up so much, it can be too expensive for the locals.” Eli Mizrahi just might be the most famous person in the shuk—he seems to know dozens of people who pass by and through his café every day—but his care and attention to each customer, local and tourist alike, reflect his classic Israeli roots: tough on the outside, caring and warm on the inside.
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CHABA – This modern café has a French feel, with outdoor seating in a charming garden lined with potted plants. The food is Israelmeets-France—one standout dish includes delicate gnocchi in a sauce made with cream and amba, pickled mango. Delicious pastries, sandwiches, quiches, and other French café classics are available all day.
FISHENCHIPS – Yes, that really is the name. You can laugh at the classic Israeli “reimagining” of an English word, but you should also try the beerbattered fried fish and fresh French fries, dipped into one of four homemade sauces. (The standout sauce is the amba mayo—see the recipe on p. 30.) This is a great place to relax with a cold beer and practice your Hebrew on some friendly Israelis.
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PASTA BASTA – Hand-crafted, house-made pastas worthy of a fine dining establishment is rarely served in such a casual, fun environment. Pull up to the bar and order fresh pappardelle with beet sauce, pesto, and goat cheese (recipe on p. 59), sweet potato ravioli with Parmesan, or whatever the special of the day is. You really can’t go wrong.
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FALAFEL—Of course, falafel remains Israel’s greatest contribution to the annals of iconic street food. You can try two excellent versions of the classic cheap-eats in the shuk, and don’t forget to top your sandwich with local favorite add-ons like fresh fried eggplant and savory eggs boiled in black tea, used to make the classic sabich sandwich (recipe pg. 84).
FINE DINING: JERUSALEM
Caramel waffles from Waffle Bar
Israel offers a plethora of dining options that provide a unique dining experience. Generally speaking, dairy restaurants offer richer variations and a generous serving style. We found that most dairy establishments served fresh, homemade pasta which we greatly appreciated. While few steakhouses exist (we have to admit, the quality of meat and steakhouses in the USA is superior), Israel offers more modern, bistro-like and chef-designed establishments which each offer a unique culinary experience that you can only experience in each establishment. During our seven-day stay we managed to frequent quite a bit of restaurants, and the great thing about Israel is that there was so much we missed. Below are some of our favorite spots in Jerusalem.
DERECH HAGEFEN. In an ideal world, a restaurant is a full sensory experience. The food is five star and the atmosphere matches it. This idealism is achieved in Derech HaGefen, located in one the wealthiest moshavim in Israel, Moshav Beit Zayit, just outside of Jerusalem. The restaurant is designed around a one-of-a-kind garden. During the winter months there is a glass enclosure which allows you to view the beauty but keep warm near a wood-burning fireplace. The food is incredible as well. We enjoyed an Israeli classic—fish kebobs in a wonderful tahini-sumac sauce which was fresh, herbaceous, and represented modern Israeli cuisine. A standout dish was the beet risotto with blue cheese, and the crème brûlée was creamy, just sweet enough with the perfect crunch of brûléed sugar. Derech Hagefen 1 Moshav Beit Zayit, Jerusalem 90815, Israel 972-2-6502044 http://www.d-hagefen.co.il/ kashrut: Rabbanut Beit Zayit
For a recipe on fish kebobs turn to page 12.
WAFFLE BAR. Crispy, airy waffles with EXTREMELY generous, rich toppings. Go for dessert and coffee. If you are in the mood of a full meal, Waffle Bar offers a full-day menu, offering the standard Israeli café dishes, but we are still dreaming about their waffles. A standout waffle was the halva waffle with Belgian chocolate sauce. The Belgian chocolate sauce was the perfect balance of rich, deep chocolate that paired way too perfectly with shredded, fresh halva. (See pg. 88 for more on chocolate and halva.) Various locations. We visited Emek Refa'im St. 54, Jerusalem, Israel +972 77-5561645 http://waffle-bar.co.il/ kashrut: Rabbanut mehadrin
JACKO’S. Located at the edge of Machne Yehuda, this is a small, cozy restaurant with a young, hip vibe. Sit at the bar for a view of the kitchen and see chefs cooking up spectacular dishes such as braised short rib bruschetta, juicy burgers, veal sweetbreads, and their famous meat platters. In the spirit of being located near the shuk, Jacko’s pricing is not too expensive for a meat restaurant. 6 Hashkima Street, Jerusalem, Israel. You can check out their Facebook page for more information. Kashrut: Rabbanut Jerusalem
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Short rib dish from Jacko's
MAMILLA HOTEL. (see pg. 54) Within the confines of this five-star hotel lies Mamilla Café, Mamilla Mirror Bar & Mamilla Rooftop Restaurant. All three are great food destinations. The view at Mamilla Rooftop is phenomenal and Mamilla Café lies steps from the famous Mamilla Mall. Kashrut: Rabbanut Jerusalem
Israel Street foods of
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| LAST BITE |
Babka
Sesame and Chocolate Match Made in Heaven:
YEAST CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE AND HALVA Recipe by Orly Ziv, excerpted from her book Cook in Israel Ingredients for the dough for 2 cakes Tip: 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons 560 grams (18 ounces) flour 1 tablespoon dry yeast 100 grams (3⅓ ounce) sugar 100 grams (3⅓ ounce) soft butter 2 eggs ¾ cup milk 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Ingredients for filling: Chocolate spread Halva crumbs For coating: 1 egg
1. Knead all the ingredients into a smooth and flexible dough. 2. Let the dough rise until doubled in volume. 3. Roll out a large rectangle about half an inch thick. 4. Spread the chocolate spread generously over the dough. 5. Sprinkle the halva crumbs over the chocolate. 6. Roll up the dough lengthwise and press down slightly. 7. Cut with a sharp knife into halves and braid a form. 8. Brush with egg and leave for 15 minutes.
uring our travels, we tasted sesame paste, a classic Israeli ingredient, in many savory dishes, from falafel to hummus to sabich sandwiches. We then encountered a world of sweet that sesame can produce which we couldn’t get enough of; as kosher bakers it is always wonderful to find healthy sources of fat that can be used in pastries. The Israeli halva’s main ingredient is sesame paste. As we met the halva king’s products in the shuks of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, we loved the way sesame-based halva was able to blend with almost every flavor, from chili to
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coffee to chocolate and even banana. At the Waffle Bar branch we visited in the Emek Refaim neighborhood of Jerusalem, we tasted a waffle drenched in a Belgian chocolate sauce, topped with a generous helping of shredded halva. It was phenomenal, and as such inspired us to use sesame paste as a crucial ingredient when making pastries. Here are two fabulous recipes that combine these two ingredients in magical ways. Orly Ziv shares a chocolate halva babka and Danielle Oron shares a chocolate chip cookie enriched with sesame paste/tahini…amazing!
9. Preheat oven to 340 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.