Zabar's Blog

Recipe for Classic and Best Lemon Tart

from Plat du Jour by Susan Hermann Loomis (The Countryman Press)

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

I got lost in the recipes in this beautiful book. Try the avocado, cherry, and chive salad, with pistachios; some fromage blanc; and the fig and hazelnut bread for a light lunch. For dinner, a fish soup from Flanders with the adorable name of Waterzooi; garlicky red peppers, roasted and pureed, served with cod; lamb chops with rosemary and orange syrup; beef and onion stew; or some pissaldier, the famous tomato, olive, and anchovy tart, served with happy toasts. For dessert, there are all kinds of sweets: this lemon tart, or an apple version; plum clafoutis; and a chocolate mousse. Heaven.

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Recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

I love my toaster oven. This cookbook is overflowing with great dishes to make without heating up the kitchen. The brussels sprouts recipe is perfect for a side for a Passover dinner. Try the variation with pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Then, use the book for easy meals year-round. Next on my list: the rum-glazed roasted pineapple for a sweet spring dessert.

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Recipe excerpted with permission from Toaster Oven Perfection by America’s Test Kitchen

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Recipe for Matzo Ball Soup

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

You need a classic matzoh ball in chicken soup recipe. Here is one is that is easy, and a perfect starter for a Passover lunch. This wonderful cookbook will guide you through tons of recipes. When you are planning another chicken dinner and want something different, you can expand your repertoire by trying Cock-a-Leekie soup, spicy chicken arrabbiata (angry chicken), arroz con pollo, or plain, baked pieces. Then, move on to some stews, such as burgoo or gumbo, and souvlaki skewers.

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Recipe excerpted with permission from The Chicken Bible by America's Test Kitchen

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Recipe for Chewy Iraqi Almond Cookies

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

Get ready for Passover! Send a copy of this wonderful book, and some macaroon brownies, or these cookies, to your friends. The rest of the year, use your own copy to make some brisket, a kugel, shakshuka, or some salted honey chopped liver. What could be bad?

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Excerpted from JEW-ISH: A COOKBOOK: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch © 2021 by Jake Cohen. Photography © 2021 by Matt Taylor-Gross. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

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Recipe for Anchovy Spaghetti with Pine Nut Picada

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

This lovely book has wonderful recipes: there is lamb from Spain, Sicilian caponata, and a Greek breakfast board you could put on the table any time of the day. Today's recipe has you melting the anchovies in olive oil, and throwing in a little of this and a lot of that for a marvelous pasta dish. On my to try next list: spicy cauliflower steaks and lots of fish dishes. There is even an octopus recipe for you brave cooks!

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Recipe excerpted with permission from Rustica: Delicious Recipes for Village-Style Mediterranean Food by Theo Michaels, photography by Mowie Kay, published by Ryland Peters & Small

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Recipe for Ricotta and Green Herb Torta

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

This beautiful book features savory and sweet pies galore. I love the adorably named Piggy Pies with quail eggs, the mud pie, and individual apples baked in a crust-topped ramekin. This torta can be made with any combination of greens and is a simple, one dish meal. Next on my list: Greek spinach pie.

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Recipe excerpted with permission from Pies, Glorious Pies: Brilliant Recipes for Mouth-Wateringly Tasty Pies by Maxine Clark, Ryland Peters & Small, photography by Steve Painter © Ryland Peters & Small, 2012

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Recipe for Pizza Margherita

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

This adorable book is filled with stories and recipes of pizza around the globe. Here’s a simple recipe to make on a chilly day. Start your dough the night before, and have a simple, yummy lunch, easy as pie!

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Recipe excerpted with permission from Pizza by Thom Elliot and James Elliot photos by Dave Brown (Hardie Grant)

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Recipe for Caramel Popcorn

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

One kid plus one adult, needed for this recipe. First, you make the popcorn. Then, the caramel sauce. Pour it on the popcorn, with some peanuts, and bake. A couple of stirs of the hot mixture, and Voila! A crunchy treat is born. The Complete DIY Cookbook for Young Chefs is filled with great recipes to make with your kids. Pita chips, smoothies, muffins, and even pesto. The companion book, Kitchen Explorers! has puzzles, games, and experiments sprinkled in with even more recipes. These books are perfect gifts for a budding young chef.

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Recipe excerpted with permission from The Complete DIY Cookbook for Young Chefs by America's Test Kitchen.

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Recipe for Raspberry and Rose Party Hearts

from Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent, photography by Matt Russell

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

Make these lovely biscuits (cookies) for your sweetie. Then master the techniques for scones, jellies, and curds. There are recipes here for new takes on traditional British tea fare: deviled egg mayonnaise sandwiches with micro herbs, and cucumber sandwiches with yuzu and chive butter. Next on my list: pbj cookie sandwiches, sour cherry cake, and Veronica’s gingerbreads.

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Recipe for Tomato Sambal

from Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee

Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar

This wonderful book is an armchair cook’s trip into an Indonesian kitchen. The sambal featured here is a versatile relish that you can make as spicy as you please. I am exploring this book’s interesting dishes, made with lemongrass, pandan leaves, and palm sugar. Next on my list: Peanut sauce, crispy fish, and bakso meatball soup.

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Recipe excerpted with permission from Coconut & Sambal by Lara Lee, photographs by Louise Hagger and Laura Lee (Bloomsbury)

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