{"id":35637,"date":"2014-04-09T17:02:16","date_gmt":"2014-04-09T22:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=35637"},"modified":"2017-04-18T09:44:22","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T14:44:22","slug":"review-taste-pesach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/arts-media\/review-taste-pesach\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: A Taste of Pesach"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"taste_of_pesach_sm\"I have a somewhat distracted approach to cooking and baking–especially for chagim or other events \u201cshehazman grama<\/em>\u201d \u2013 with severe time limitations.<\/p>\n

Put simply, I have an irresistible desire to patchke<\/em> with the \u201cwant to\u2019s\u201d (those delectable desserts I love to make) rather than the \u201chave to\u2019s\u201d (those dreaded but necessary main and side dishes).<\/p>\n

On Thanksgiving, for example, for me it\u2019s all about pecan pie and perfect pareve corn bread \u2013who cares about turkey? Similarly, on Pesach I cannot help but bake the meringue layer cake along with four types of mousse before preparing a main or side dish.<\/p>\n

You can now understand why I\u2019d appreciate a precise, well-organized array of tasty recipes ready to prepare with even the most basic Passover staples. A Taste of Pesach<\/a><\/strong><\/em> \u2014A Project of Yeshiva Me\u2019On Hatorah (Roosevelt)\u2014is just that. This beautifully designed book was clearly put together with me in mind.<\/p>\n

Succinctly written and well-organized, with simple and concise recipes, the book even offers a separate collection of gebrokts<\/em> favorites in the back. Elegant photographs accompany each and every recipe \u2013 a real treat for the aesthetic cook. Each recipe is clearly designated meat or pareve and clearly lists its anticipated yield\/servings, making this a perfect book for the advance menu (and shopping list) writer.<\/p>\n

\"TofP_salad\"But more than anything else \u2013 the greatest compliment I can give this book is that I\u2019m not sure if I will pack it up with my Pesach boxes. The book is chock full of simple yet creative recipes for Pesach and year round. In 230+ pages there are only a few dishes that require \u201cPesach specific\u201d ingredients. And even those recipes can be easily adjusted to suit any non-Pesach menu.<\/p>\n

The book offers a diverse assortment of hearty and delicious soups \u2013 only one of which uses potato starch as a thickener, Asparagus Soup with Veal Mini-Meatballs. This easy to make, refined and distinctive soup would be a welcome alternative to my (albeit tasty) weekly chicken soup on any of the remaining 51 weeks of the year.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, while A Taste of Pesach<\/a><\/em> offers a nice variety of meat and pareve dishes, it\u2019s noticeably lacking in milchig<\/em> (dairy) options. This is a plus in my carnivorous household, but a conspicuous deficiency for a kosher, family cookbook \u2013 matza pizza can carry a household only so far.<\/p>\n

Despite this minor flaw, the \u201cwant to\u201d cook in me has only praise for the simple and tasty recipes offered to flesh out the meal before I break out my mousse, pavlova and meringue cookie varietals. From gefilte fish from scratch to heimish<\/em> staples like potato kugel with flanken and chremslach \u2013 those fabulous, crispy hash brown-like treats made from leftover Seder potatoes for which both my grandmother and mother in law never had an exact recipe \u2013 A Taste of Pesach<\/a><\/em> offers clear, intelligible instructions with just a few steps.<\/p>\n

One of the most overlooked demographics by the Pesach cook is the \u201cmanly man.\u201d These meat and potato aficionados should be the happiest during the eight-day meat\/carb-fest, but I think they miss the variety (and the mustard<\/a>) after the first couple of days — even the most creative cook runs out of unique potato dishes after day four. A Taste of Pesach<\/a><\/em>\u2019s Cabbage Beef Soup, adorable Hush Puppies, Balsamic French Roast and almost unbelievable Steak Stack are gastronomic wonders for the finickiest or grumpiest \u201ccustomer\u201d at any table–all made with unassuming and readily available ingredients.<\/p>\n

\"TofP_cake\"Ah, the desserts! From basic to elegant, none require too big a patchke<\/em>. Even the Meringue Layer Cake, Yodels and four-step Million Dollar Cake recipes can be handled by any cook with a mixer (hand or electric), some basic ingredients, a little vision, a lot of eggs and even more love.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got many cookbooks, Pesach and \u201cstam<\/em>,\u201d and anyone who knows me has heard me say \u201cI don\u2019t stress Pesach cooking. It\u2019s eight days and I\u2019ve got plenty of menu favorites that can be converted into a Pesach recipe with little or no changes.\u201d A Taste of Pesach<\/a><\/em> now holds \u201ctop-shelf\u201d position in my kitchen\u2013 if not for its fabulous content, it\u2019s to keep the book chametz-free so it can be used year round.<\/p>\n

Chag Kasher V\u2019sameach<\/em> and Happy Cooking!<\/p>\n

Some select recipes from A Taste of Pesach<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Sweet Potato\u00a0Crisps Salad (pareve)<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

8 Servings<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/span>:<\/h4>\n

Garnish<\/span>:<\/h4>\n