Many people probably used Passover as an opportunity to diet, cut out the carbs and sweets for a week, eat more salad. I concocted two different types of flourless brownies and made ice cream sundaes with them every night.

There aren’t many recipes that send me excitedly running to the kitchen these days, but this one? The moment I saw it, it was on. And I knew it would be delicious, I just knew, because the cardboard taste of matzo just doesn’t stand a chance against an aggressive coating of melted butter, maple syrup, [...]

These rugelach would’ve been a lot better if only I’d remembered how much I dislike orange marmalade and used another jam instead, like apricot. Or strawberry, even. Marmalade is so bitter! Is it just me? Also, the recipe made two to three times more filling than was needed, which I realized early on, and yet [...]

About a month ago we had dinner with our friends Ruthie and Forrest, and Ruthie made this kale tart. While we were eating it she totally talked it down, saying how it wasn’t as good as it normally was and she had to leave out the cranberries, etc., but I loved it. So much so [...]

It’s been an unusually busy week, what with jetting off to Massachusetts to see a new baby and other relatives in from out of town, getting back late and working all the next day, then going straight to a seder, then working all day, going straight to another seder, working all day again, going straight [...]

Well, it seems I’ve met my match: a dessert so ridiculously rich I can barely stomach it. I’ve only been able to eat this cake in the thinnest possible slivers, and only then with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream to temper the intensity of the chocolate. I’ve gone back for a second sliver [...]

Well, this recipe almost made it up in time for Purim. I did St. Patrick’s Day, okay? What more do you want from me? I can’t do everything! Deep breath. Purim is really the most fleeting of the Jewish holidays. Every other year it comes and passes without my noticing, a shame since I love [...]

No one wants to look at cookies right now, I know I know I know. It’s officially diet and exercise season. But I suspect that some peoples’ resolutions for the new year included being more organized, planning ahead, and procrastinating less, and so this is how I’ll spin the macaroons: it’s never too early to [...]

In a bout of confidence, I decided to just wing it with these sweet potato latkes, and I must say I, we, were quite pleased with the results. Latkes are a bit of a tricky business. You need to make sure they hold together and aren’t too liquidy and that you’re frying them in the [...]

Baklava. Perfect for Rosh Hashanah and yet I’ve never seen it made. I can speculate as to why. It’s a pain in the arse and, not to generalize, most of the Jewish women I’m acquainted with do not concentrate their efforts on desserts. Their energy instead goes into more worthy causes: chicken soup, brisket, stuffed cabbage, [...]

I say it every year and I’m going to say it again this year, probably way more times than anyone wants to hear it: Passover desserts need not be repulsive. The trick, in my opinion, to a good Passover dessert is keep it simple. Truffles. Macaroons. Ice cream. Candied nuts. Flourless chocolate cake. All of [...]

This is really embarrassing to admit: I started a fire in my oven while making this. Like an actual fire with flames in the bottom of my oven that my husband had to put out by pouring water on it, and it sizzled really loud, and it was scary. We’ve reached a new low over here…or [...]