Cinnamon Rolls
In honor of her friend Hadar Hoshen, who was murdered on October 7, Karin Cherchil shares a recipe for the cinnamon rolls she knows her friend would have loved. This recipe is part of “A Place at the Table.”
Dessert
Marzipan-Filled Cigars
“Marzipan-filled cigars, fried and dipped in honey syrup, are an Algerian treat my grandmother Miray would make for Shavuot,” says chef Enav Azgouri.
Syrniki (Russian Cheese Pancakes)
“My parents used to make syrniki for breakfast on Shabbat, and the sweet-sour smell of the frying pancakes became a symbol of home and togetherness. Everyone in our family had their own favorite way of eating them”.
Palascinta (Hungarian Passover Crepes)
This recipe for Hungarian palascinta or crepes is made kosher for Passover by swapping flour for matzah meal
South African Melktert
Liora Ben Tsur shared this Melktert recipe in honor of her mother Marcelle Taljah, who was killed on OCtober 7. This recipe is part of the commemorative project “A Place at the Table.”
A ‘Kiss From the Past’: Semolina Cakes
We’ve gathered several semolina dessert recipes including the ancient prototype of the cake called ma’amuniya, which is essentially a sweet semolina porridge, and the iconic basbousa cake recipe from Machneyuda.
Revani (Turkish Semolina Cake)
The Turkish version of revani includes yogurt in the batter, while the Greek version omits yogurt and often calls for honey.
Gâteau Semoule (Algerian Semolina Cake)
Chef Enav Ezagouri grew up immersed in North African cuisine. “Most semolina cakes from North Africa are very simple. Gâteau Semoule cake was made here as a quick option and served at festive events and holidays, like Mimouna”.
Dahdah (Palestinian Semolina Cake)
The dessert’s name comes from the Arabic word dahdah, meaning a plump person — fitting for a cake that is rich and hearty.
Pistachio Hareesa Nabqia
The hareesa nabaqia cake originates from Nabq, an important Syrian city nestled in the Qalamoun Mountains, along the Syrian-Lebanese border.
Hareesa bel Qashta
Safa Ibrahim, a Druze cook from the Golan Heights, comes from a family deeply rooted in Syria. Her hareesa cake, filled with qashta (or ashta—both pronunciations are correct), carries this heritage
Mamounia (Syrian Semolina Pudding)
Mamounia is a medieval sweet, believed to have been created for the Caliph al-Ma’mun, who ruled The Muslim Empire in the 8th century. Legend has it that the Caliph asked his chef to prepare something quick using only the ingredients available, resulting in either a rice or semolina porridge or pudding (versions of the story differ). This one is drenched in sugar syrup before it’s served.
Quick Doughnuts with Cherry Jam
A recipe by the food writer Vered Guttman for quick and easy yogurt donuts for Hanukkah, which she serves alongside homemade cherry jam.
Chebakia (Fried Moroccan Cookies)
Chebakia are fried cookies made from thin strips of dough, dipped in sticky sugar syrup.
Baghrir: Moroccan Pancakes
Although baghrir is simple to make, Moroccans treat it with great care, as if it carries the curse of the evil eye — too much attention during preparation can result in performance anxiety, preventing the signature bubbly texture from forming
Tishpishti (Semolina Layer Cake)
The cake, which comes from Turkey and whose name translates to “quick cake,” was too sticky to move from one tray to another.
Marble Bundt Cake
The oil in the batter lends a velvety smooth crumb to the cake. Plush and impressively marbled, this simple marble bundt cake is a hit the guests.
Honey Walnut Cake
The Honey Walnut Cake uses just one saucepan (and the food processor), and the flavor and texture improve overnight as it soaks up the lemon-honey syrup
Baked Apples With Meringue
Chef Einat Admoni prepares baked apples with meringue for the Rosh Hashanah table – A festive and delicious way to celebrate the New Year
Honey Citrus Cake
For Rosh Hashanah, local women made the same cake, a honey cake laced with orange juice and lemon zest. Beat the egg whites hard enough by hand and the cake’s interior will turn almost white, a point of pride for the town’s cooks
Hungarian Walnut Kindl
Alta Blima Hartstein, Baily Kohn’s great-grandmother, would make kindl for big family gatherings and holidays like Simchat Torah and Purim.
Crème Brûlée
“A Place at the Table” is a commemorative project that documents the favorite dishes of those lost on October 7 with the help of their families. This is the first time Maor Shalev has made crème brûlée since her best friend Raz Mizrahi was murdered on October 7, 2023. She carefully pours the crème anglaiseContinue reading “Crème Brûlée”
The ‘Birthday Cakes’ Cookbook That Defined a Generation of Kids Parties
For decades, ‘Birthday Cakes’ by Josie Mendelson has provided Israeli children with iconic cakes shaped like treasure chests, trains, dolls, vehicles, and animals. A historical dive into this beloved cookbook reveals that its origins come from the other end of the world.
Cream Puffs
This recipe was a favorite of Ayelet Katzir’s husband David Kacho Katzir who was tragically murdered on October 7.
Poppy Seed Crepes Suzette
Ben Harush uses poppy seeds and finishes the crepes in a brandy-citrus sauce like the French classic Crepe suzette.
Poppy Seed Nut Squares
recipe for flaky shortbread squares topped with a poppy seed filling, subtly seasoned with lemon zest
Poppy Seed Tart
Rather than the traditional poppy seed hamantaschen, Tosha Bakery celebrates the holiday with a festive poppy tart.
Poppy Seed Cake
This delicacy, often served during holidays and special occasions, is renowned for its rich flavors and indulgent texture
Teiglach
A dessert made of small knots of dough boiled in honey, teiglach is often served on Rosh Hashanah as a nod to a sweet new year
Snappy Poppy Seed Cookies
This dough is made with oil and can be rolled out as soon as it comes together. Serve these cookies with tea.
Recipes for Cozy Winter Days
This is the time to linger in the kitchen over long simmering broths and stews and savor hearty local fare.
This is the time to linger in the kitchen over long simmering broths and stews and savor hearty local fare.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
This gluten-free cake takes center stage at Aharoni’s Passover table and is a favorite year round, particularly when it’s served with coffee
Coconut and Jam Roulade
This recipe comes from Brigitte Choufan. “When I arrived in Israel, everyone was making this cake,” she recalls.
Classic Apple Cake
The holiday season is exactly the time to pull out the recipe for this classic and wonderful cake that fills the house with the smell of apples and cinnamon
Ice Cream Cones
On a hot day, nothing’s more fitting than pastry chef Rinat Tzadok’s recipe for homemade ice cream cones
Easy Fruit Sorbet
This recipe for fruity sorbet is a perfect treat to make with kids on a hot summer day
Dutch Baby with Fresh Fruit and Ricotta
Instead of a stack of pancakes that need to be cooked individually, Lavie created a recipe for a plump family-sized pancake that’s baked in the oven
No-Bake Chocolate Tahini Cake
The chocolate mixture is pressed into a cake pan instead of being rolled into balls, creating a fuss-free no-bake cake that’s vegan and gluten-free, but still deeply chocolatey
Coconut Candy Bars
The nostalgic, eye-catching coconut candy has long been a favorite in Israel and it’s easy and fun to make it at home.
Bocca di Dama (Flourless Almond Cake)
For a long time, Benedetta Jasmine Guetta debated the origins of bocca di dama, a delicate almond cake her Libyan grandmother made. Was it Italian or Libyan?
Dessert Pizzarelle
Roman Jewish tour guide Micaela Pavoncello serves these sweet matzo fritters drizzled with honey at her home to cap off Seder.
Passover Chocolate Fudge Muffins with Black Coffee and Cardamom
For this recipe, chef Ohad Levi likes to use black coffee crushed with cardamom in a traditional mortar and pestle from Wadi Attir.
Halo Halo (Frozen Filipino Dessert)
The halo halo is a frozen dessert from the Philippines loaded with brightly-colored sweets.
Dried Fig and Nut Snack From Jish (Ma’akud)
Ma’akud is a general term for preserving fruit by cooking it with sugar into a jam enriched with spices, nuts, and seeds.
Smoked Dates Roll
In this riff on the classic date roulade from Asif’s culinary director Chef Ayelet Latovitch, Barhi dates are smoked with herbs.
Honey Cake
This honey cake from New York baker Zoe Kanan is best made a few days before the holiday. The extra time allows the flavors to come together.
Plum Tart
This plum tart recipe from award-winning cookbook author Joan Nathan makes the most of the short period when Italian plums are in season.
Apple and Date Challah Bread Pudding
This bread pudding from chef Einat Admony brings together two classic Rosh Hashanah flavors, apples and dates, in one dessert.
Walnut and Raisin Rugelach
Dave Dreifus never got the chance to visit the Pastry Shop owned by his grandparents, but those rugelach are inspired by the ones sold there.
Rugelach With Meringue and Walnut Filling
This 100 years old recipe is made of yeasted dough filled with meringue and walnuts, “it comes out so light it just melts in your mouth”
Mujabbanāt (Flatbread and Cheese Layer Cake)
The recipe details a seven-layer pastry made of oven-dried or lightly fried flatbreads separated by a cheese filling flavored with mint and coriander seeds.
Knafeh Filled With Walnuts and Spices
Lebanese-born confectioner and baker Farah Raslan created this recipe for knafeh that’s layered with walnuts and spices and prepared with homemade kataifi.
Mawi (Wheat and Semolina Pan Cake)
With its spongy texture, mawi recalls Yemenite lachuch and Ethiopian injera, and is part of a family of skillet flatbreads common in the Middle East.
Ethiopian Honey Tart (Mare)
Inspired by a visit to his father’s village, chef and artist Elazar Tamano created this recipe for an Ethiopian honey tart.
Cheese Blintzes
The pastry is a welcome addition to weekend brunch spreads and Shavuot tables alike.
Mákos Nudli (Sweet Hungarian Poppy Seed Pasta)
Julia Silverberg Nemeth’s mother mother never shared with her that she was Jewish — and a Holocaust survivor. Her recipes, like this one, left clues.
Fánk (Donuts with Apricot Jam)
Charoset recipes vary both by region and from house to house. This Persian version is made with bananas, apples, pears, dates, and nuts.
Qatayef Asafiri
Qatayef Asafiri, which translates to little bird qatayef, originated in Syria and Lebanon. They’re filled with a soft cheese for Ramadan.
Qatayef (Sweet Stuffed Pancakes for Ramadan)
These sweet, stuffed pancakes fried in butter and doused with simple syrup, are perhaps the food most closely associated with Ramadan.
Black Coffee Bavarian Cream
“Our dessert is a classic Bavarian cream paired with a chocolate and black coffee sauce instead of the classic chocolate sauce”
Almond Bavarian Cream with Blood Orange Sauce
Chef Anat Neta-Kepten’s take on Bavarian cream is less sweet than traditional ones and lighter. She serves it with blood oranges and praline.
Bavarian Cream With Caramel & Meringue
Chef Gal Dotan of B12 restaurant in Tel Aviv adds caramel sauce for richness and meringue for crunch to his take on Bavarian cream.
Spiced Bavarian Cream With Almond Crumble
Ranam Barhom, the chef at Reshta Restaurant, adds cardamom and anise to this Bavarian cream recipe and swaps chocolate sauce for carob.
Honey & Citrus Bavarian Cream
Broitman’s interpretation of Bavarian cream includes local honey from Porat Farm in Ein Yahav and Pini Gorelik’s citron liqueur.
Lemon Geranium Bavarian Cream
Chef Ido Feiner and pastry chef Dana Malkes of Roberta Vinci add flavors from the restaurant’s backyard to this Bavarian cream recipe.
Pan d’Espanya (Orange Sponge Cake)
In a Sephardic community in Zimbabwe, this orange cake is served alongside other sweets at “mesas d’alegria” or tables of happiness.
Hadji Bada (Iraqi Coconut Cookies)
These simple three-ingredient cookies take less than an hour to make from start to finish. Pair them with tea.
Boulukunio (Almond and Sesame Brittle)
This version of almond and sesame seed brittle is an ancient recipe that dates back generations from the home cooks of medieval Spain
Menenas (Shortbread Cookies With Dates and Walnuts)
Dates and walnuts are tucked into these shortbread cookies which are decorated by hand or made with elaborate wooden molds.
Basic Dough for Iraqi Purim Pastries
This dough can be used to make three pastries for an Iraqi Purim celebration: cheese sambusak, date-filled cookies and ka’akat.
B’ab’e B’Tamer (Iraqi Date-Filled Cookies)
These date-filled cookies are part of an annual Purim party in Ayelet Izraeli’s family, a tradition that came with her grandmother.
Marzipan (Masapan)
This recipe has notes of pine that come from a tree resin called mastic, which can be found online and in select grocery stores.
Yeasted Hamantaschen With Poppy Seed Filling
This Purim recipe for yeasted hamantaschen filled with poppy seed paste was nearly lost to the Soviet era.
Hamantaschen With Date Filling
These golden and flaky hamantaschen from New York’s Orient Country Store are filled with a homemade date jam that’s infused with vanilla.
Za’atar and Strawberry Crumble
Muzna Bishara adds fresh hyssop or za’atar and olive oil to her strawberry crumble, for a dessert that’s sweet but earthy.
Olive Oil, Chocolate, and Date Tart
Inspired by Palestinian ka’ak, this olive oil tart is made with a shortcrust and filled with fills dates and chocolate ganache.
Sfinj With Rosewater Pastry Cream
Nir Messika pairs these sfinj with pastry cream flavored with rosewater, making these Moroccan doughnuts even more festive.
Zalabia With Honey and Orange Blossom Syrup
Nir Mesika’s grandmother Rubi learned to make these small doughnuts from her Muslim neighbors in Egypt. Nir finishes them with honey.
Fenugreek Siniyeh (Semolina Cake)
Sweet fenugreek siniyeh is a rich semolina cake seasoned with fenugreek, nigella seeds, and citrus blossom water.
Al Mabroushy (Palestinian Bakewell Tart)
This is a fresh take on the Bakewell tart with a Levantine twist from Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley’s “Falastin: A Cookbook.”
Dried Fig Malabi (Milk Pudding)
In the traditional local kitchen figs were used not only for their flavor, but also as a thickener. This recipe is a good example.
Duvshaniot (Honey Cookies)
The late first lady of Israel Nehama Rivlin used to served these cookies on the end of Yom Kippur Fast to her loved ones.
Rice pudding
Having been a rare ingredient, Mastic has been substituted with cornstarch. However, it adds a unique aroma and so is worth tracking down and sourcing for this recipe.
Nuts & Kodoo (Pumpkin Jam) Tart
Festive Rosh Hashana (jewish new year) dessert, made with kodoo (pumpkin jam) and nut cream.
Filo Triangles Stuffed with Kashta and Grapes
Kashta, the filling for these savory triangles, is a homemade version of ricotta cheese commonly used in pastries and desserts in Palestinian and other regional kitchens.
Ma’amoul, Date-Filled Cookies
During the Muslim holiday called Eid al-Adha is it custom to serve meat, but Ma’amul cookies are also a typical holiday food.
Orange Bundt Cake
Inexpensive ingredients and easy access to oranges made simple one-bowl citrus cake recipes like this one popular locally before the founding of the State of Israel and in the country’s early years
Orange and Coriander Seed Fruit Leather
This is a versatile ingredient that can be used as a bitter-citrus seasoning for appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and even for cocktails
Nechama Rivlin’s Towering Cheesecake
Written down over decades, Nechama Rivlin’s collection of recipes has over 50 cheesecake recipes. This one’s best made a day before serving.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie, with its finely balanced sweet-sour flavor and creamy custard filling, was one of Nechama Rivlin’s favorite desserts.
Michal’s Poppyseed Cake
This cake is exceptionally moist courtesy of the apples in the batter and an orange syrup that’s drizzled on top.
Plum and Prune Crumble
Seasonal fruit baked with a crunchy crumb topping is the perfect dessert — particularly for new bakers and those short on time.
Sponge Cake (Zucker-Leikach)
Zucker-Leikach is a light sponge cake, traditionally leavened with beaten egg whites. Despite its simplicity, it requires skill to perfect.
Nechama’s Orange Jam
This jam is quick and easier to make than most orange jams since it includes some of the peel and a little sugar