Baked Camembert Cheese with Cherry-Kumquat, Ginger and Brandy Jam

Baked white rind cheese, such as Camembert or Brie, is one of the easiest, yet most festive dishes for a relaxed entertainment. Baking the cheese turns it even creamier, enhances its flavor, and keeps it at the perfect texture for serving with tasty additions, such as crackers and fruits. The pairing of delicately salty cheese and sweetish/aromatic additions is hard to resist.

Savory Shrimp, Kimchi, and Rice Noodles Pancakes

Kimchi, a Korean fermented and pickled cabbage condiment, is one of my favorite condiments. I’m always on the look for new brands of it, and new ways to use it with. This time, my plan was to make kimchi-shrimp pancakes.

Sephardic Eggplant and Tomato Relish

The following tasty eggplant-tomato relish, or side dish – called “alburnia” in Ladino – comes from the Sephardic cuisine, which I’ve mentioned here quite a few times.

Crusted Halibut Baked in White Wine

One of my favorite ways of preparing fish fillets, is to coat them with a tasty buttery crust, and bake them in white wine. The butter in the crust melts over the fish while baking, and not only adds wonderful flavor to it, but also keeps it nice and moist. The rest of the ingredients in the crust add their unique flavors and textures, while the white wine adds another layer of fragrance and flavor to the fish.

Glazed Ribs

There are many ways of preparing ribs, and most of them require lengthy cooking or grilling time. This time, I was looking for a shorter way to prepare them, and decided to check the pressure cooker method, as it cuts the cooking time substantially.

Inari Pockets with Rice and Shrimp

The following appetizer has all the components of the more known sushi rolls, but it is much easier to prepare. The secret lies in the use of Inari tofu skin pockets as the shell, rather than the more elaborate and time consuming use of Nori seaweed sheet, which require a sushi rolling mat and expertise.

Turkey Patties with Mushrooms, Parsley and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Although I rarely use store ground meat, I’ve had good experience with a local farm product of ground dark turkey meat, and decided to use it once more. This time again, I wanted to add some bold flavors to the somewhat bland meat, and at the same time, add more interesting texture to the patties.

Turkey, Mushroom Duxelles and Chestnut Meatloaf

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and I was set on making a turkey meatloaf that can be served instead, or along with, the traditional roasted whole turkey.

Pickled Mini Eggplants with Celery and Herbs

Finding these beautiful mini eggplants at the market, my first thought was to prepare my dish of mini eggplants stuffed with lamb (click HERE for the recipe). However, on second thought, I decided to go with a lighter direction, and use them to make quick pickles with fresh herbs.

Vietnamese Sandwich with Braised Pork Belly

Bánh mì (“bread” in Vietnamese”) sandwich is fusion at its best, as it combines Vietnamese-Asian flavors with French ones. It became a popular street food in Saigon around the 50’s, and from there its popularity spread around the world.

Beef Kebabs with Zhoug and Harissa Raw Onion Relish

Zhoug is an aromatic Yemenite hot pepper and cilantro paste, which is known all over the Middle East and parts of the Mediterranean, especially in Israel. It is mostly used as a condiment, but it is also added to soups and other dishes. In the dish here, I’ve decided to use it to flavor a raw onion relish, along with sweet Harrisa, a spicy North African hot peppers paste, which was served with broiled beef kebabs.