Triangular Treats for Purim

This year from the evening of Wednesday, March 20 until nightfall on March 21 Jews all over the world will celebrate the festival of Purim. The story of this holiday is found in the Old Testament Book of Esther. As with any Jewish holiday, special foods are consumed as part of the celebration. Continue reading

Add Some Spice to Your (Cooking) Life

20160925_135636Earlier this week at the KOH Library and Cultural Center in Sacramento I presented a program on herbs and spices in Jewish cuisine. It was a very enjoyable evening, during which I shared the lectern with Heather Wong, an enterprising and knowledgeable young woman who recently opened The Allspicery, a store in downtown Sacramento devoted entirely to selling herbs and spices. I spoke about the trade routes and the Silk Road and how spices were brought to communities across the known world. Continue reading

Sour Cream-Blueberry Crumb Cake

In our recent travels in Maine and Canada’s Maritime Provinces we were greeted by larger-than-life reminders of one of their common popular products.

IMG_6306  IMG_5342

It’s blueberry season here, too, and what is in the markets is not only very tasty but often quite reasonably priced. We have them frequently in a first-course fruit salad and at least a few times during the summer in a terrific sour cream cake.

IMG_4095This recipe, adapted from Tish Boyle’s THE CAKE BOOK, was recommended by a member of my Bay Area Bakers Dozen group and has been a favorite in our house from the first time I made it. Continue reading