Candied Pomelo Rind

The following recipe came from my maternal grandmother, who was raised in the Sephardic Jewish community of Izmir. The making of jams, confitures and sweets was an important part of every household, and the guests were greeted with an assortment of small plates of these delicacies, along with coffee.

Meyer Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is one of my favorite fruit spreads. It is wonderful when served with pastries, pancakes, cakes or cookies (check HERE for pairing with Cardamom Friands). I also use it often, as a filling for tarts or cakes, or to prepare a quick mousse, by mixing it with whipped cream.

Caramelized Almonds with Aromatic Spices and Sea Salt

Fragrant, crunchy, sweet and lightly salted caramelized nuts, are no doubt the ultimate nibble. They are perfect for serving with drinks, as a part of a cheese board, or even as a tasty topping for salads. Alas, most of the store-bought ones are usually quite disappointing, so the best way to enjoy them fully is to make them at home.

Pecan and Strawberry Jam Mini Bars

During strawberry season, I prepared a few batches of strawberry jam. As with any jam that is prepared with a fairly small amount of sugar, it doesn’t keep as well as the sugar loaded jams. So, instead of waiting for it to spoil, I’ve decided to use some of it to prepare the following tasty mini bars.

Watermelon Rind Preserves

While they are perfectly edible, watermelon rinds usually end up in the garbage. However, once the green layer is peeled, they can be used in numerous ways: they can be eaten fresh, as a crunchy snack, or added to salads; they can be cooked in stews and curries; they can also be pickled or cooked into tasty preserves, as in the recipe I have here.

Meringue Kisses

Who can resist these beautiful little crispy, yet melting in the mouth, cookies? Not many, I think, and maybe that is why they were named “kisses”. The kisses are great served on their own, sandwiched with various creams or lemon curd, or used as a wonderful decoration for cakes. In short, they are a must in every kitchen.

Lemon, Cherries and Pistachios Cookies

These tasty cookies are buttery, lemony, fruity and crunchy – all at the same time. They are the perfect indulgence with a cup of hot tea, or cold lemonade. Try them and enjoy!

Chocolate Crackles Cookies

As I’m off on a three weeks’ vacation, ; I’ve decided to use the opportunity to re-post a few of the very first posts in this blog, that didn’t get much attention back then.
I hope you’ll enjoy these posts and please accept my apologies for not commenting on your posts as often and not answering your comments promptly.

Tasty Eats

I hope that whoever invented Chocolate Crackles cookies (also known as Chocolate Crinkles) received some kind of reward or recognition, for creating these beautiful and tasty cookies. There are many variations for these great tasting cookies, but I especially like the one here, for its’ fairly short list of ingredients and ease of preparation.
The result is chewy and chocolaty cookies on the inside, while the outer snowy-white cracked layer is crunchy and sweet. No wonder they are always a hit with guests of any age.

Makes: about 40 medium size cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Baking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
10.5 oz (300 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 Tbs oil
¾ cup sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
For rolling the cookies:
About 2 cups powdered sugar

1. Melt the…

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Candied Quince with Honey and Rosemary

The Jewish New Year is celebrated today, and this brings back memories of traditional foods, even to an agnostic such as me. One of the culinary traditions for this event, is to dip a slice of apple in honey, and eat it as a symbol for a sweet New Year. Plenty other sweet dishes are added to the table as well, in order to emphasize this hope for a sweet New Year.  Candied quince is one of these dishes in the Sephardic table, and it is so tasty, it is well worth preparing, regardless of any religious practices.

Homemade Marzipan

Marzipan is one of the most ancient candies we know. It started as a simple mix of almond meal and honey, and once sugar was introduced, it eventually became the refined sweet we know today.
France, Spain and Germany are all claiming to be the place where the cooked version, which is the supreme form of Marzipan, was created, but it most likely have happened simultaneously.
The version I bring here is the Sephardic one (see this post for information about Sephardim and Ladino), therefore with origins in Spain. For Sephardic families, Marzipan is the ultimate candy and is served in every family or social gathering for hundreds of years.

Quince Squares Sweets

As promised, here is another quince recipe.This time it is in the form of sweet and fragrant small bites, made of cooked and slightly dried quince paste.