Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking
Two Generations of Jewish Women
Share Traditional and Contemporary Recipes

By Evelyn Rose and Judi Rose

Preserving the rich legacy of Jewish food traditions while expanding the common repertoire and updating dishes to suit modern diets and tastes are the goals lovingly pursued by Evelyn Rose and Judi Rose in Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking: Two Generations of Jewish Women Share Traditional and Contemporary Recipes

Evelyn, the matriarch of the ambitious mother and daughter team, provides readers a passport to the delicious dishes of our mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers, tailored to today's health concerns. Her daughter, Judi, creates dishes with international influences and contemporary ingredients. Together, they serve up the best of Jewish food past and present.

Their selection of soups reflects the range and creativity of the book's offerings. Best of Both Worlds Chicken Soup (usually served with Grandma Rose's Matzah Balls) can be the basis for a wonderful Oriental Chicken Soup with Crispy Crescents; traditional Heimishe Winter Soup with Lentils, Barley, and Beans provides the inspiration for Tuscan Bean Soup with a Parsley Pesto, and Hearty Hungarian Goulash Soup has spawned Spanish Slim-Line Red Pepper Soup.

The book's chapter on starters includes several renditions of ever popular chopped liver, including Lower-Fat Chopped Liver, Chicken Liver Pâté with Pears and a Citrus and Red Currant Sauce, and even Zucchini Pâté (vegetarian "chopped liver"). Other appealing appetizers include Alsace Herbed Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Tarte (an updated version of the classic savory cheesecake) and Sephardi Cheese Puffs.

The Roses' international sampling of dairy and egg dishes ranges from Tunisian Baked Omelet with Tomatoes and Eggplant to a golden Onion Tarte from Alsace to Israeli Cream Cheese Pancakes. of course, Light Cheese Blintzes to grace the Shavuot table are featured as well. Pasta offerings span the gamut from such traditional favorites as Grandma's Lokshen Kugel (here made without the traditional chicken crackling to spare the concentrated dose of saturated fat) and Auntie Mary's Savory Noodles to such contemporary renditions as Noodles in Sesame Sauce, Hong Kong Style and Bow Tie Pasta with Mascarpone and Walnuts.

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking's main course offerings include such fish dishes as Normandy-Style Fish with Cider and Apples, British-Style Chopped Fried Fish (a favorite Anglo-Jewish way of cooking gefilte fish mix), and a Fisherman's Casserole that features fish fillets and winter vegetables poached in a light cream sauce. Evelyn's Fresh Salmon Strudel Perfumed with Dill is a dish in the tradition of making a little expensive filling stretch to feed a large family, while Judi's Delices of Salmon Under a Sun-Dried Tomato Crust with a Basil Cream Sauce showcases salmon in a much more modern context.

The Jewish love affair with chicken is amply represented, including such old-fashioned dishes as Succulent Roast Chicken with a Lemon and Herb Stuffing and Hungarian Chicken Casserole, as well as such up-to-the-minute birds as Oven-Fried Sesame Chicken with a Tarragon Sauce and Grilled Chicken in a Lime and Chili Marinade with a Pineapple and Cilantro Salsa. South African Curried Beef Gratin, Greek-Jewish Red Wine Beef Casserole, and Florentine Meatballs with Renaissance Spices are among the meat recipes.

That the potato has always been the mainstay of the Jewish vegetable basket is evident, represented by such choices as Layered Potato Bake with Garlic and Black Pepper and Baby Potatoes Roasted in Herbed Olive Oil. Butternut Squash and Spiced Apple Purée, Baby Spinach with Nuts and Raisins, and Israeli-Style Zucchini are among other vegetables. Salads range from Perfect Potato Salad (adding the vinaigrette to the warm potatoes, and the mayonnaise just before serving are the tricks) to Orange and Endive Salad with Chrysanthemum Petals. Golden Persian Rice, Roasted Buckwheat with Noodles, and Quinoa Pilaf with Raisins round out the side dishes.

Evelyn Rose and Judi Rose's dessert board is laden with dozens of delectables, from Caramel Glazed Upside-Down Pear Tarte and Perfumed Peaches with Muscatel and Blossoms, to Armenian Apricot Mousse with Pistachios and Queen of Sheba Flourless Chocolate Gateau with a Brandy Frosting, to Great-Grandma's Feather-Light Lemon Cookies and Auntie Annie's Cinnamon Balls.

Complete with festival menus and a glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew terms, Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking spans generations of Jewish cooking seamlessly and is the perfect gift at holiday times, as well as a cookbook that will be used night after night.

About the Authors

Evelyn Rose is a world authority on Jewish food and the food editor of the national Jewish Chronicle. Her classic The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook, in print since 1976, has been called Joy of Cooking for Anglo-Jewish homes. She broadcasts on the BBC, writes on food and wine for magazines, lectures widely on the history and customs of Jewish food, and teaches master cooking classes. Evelyn lives in Manchester, England.

Judi Rose, Evelyn's only daughter, has demonstrated, cooked, and styled food for BBC Television, where she was a writer and producer. She is currently preparing a series on Thai cookery for British television. Judi lives in New York.

Buy the Book!

Mother and Daughter Jewish Cooking
Two Generations of Jewish Women Share
Traditional and Contemporary Recipes
By Evelyn Rose and Judi Rose
William Morrow, March 2000
Hardcover, $25.00
ISBN: 0-688-16451-X
Information provided by the publisher.