There are few things I love more than to flip through the pages of a beautiful new cookbook. Even those who don't spend much time in the kitchen can appreciate gorgeous photos and interesting ideas. And for your friends and family who love to cook, Hanukka is the perfect time to give them an addition to their collection. From baking aficionados to devotees of Middle Eastern cuisine or admirers of Ashkenazi classics, there's a book here for every cook. A modern savta Just about every baking aficionado in Israel knows the name Carine Goren. And if they didn't know it already, her turn as a judge on the show Bake-Off Israel earlier this year launched her into TV stardom. And now, the baker, cookbook author and TV personality has had her first work translated and published in English: Traditional Jewish Baking. The original Hebrew title translated into “If Grandma had a mixer,” and Goren notes in the introduction that “this book is your chance to succumb to nostalgia.” Goren is known for her bubbly, colorful personality, and that comes through in the book, with kitschy titles, photographs that pop and chatty introductions. The book is divided thematically into categories, including “Who Stole the Cookies From the Cookie Jar” and “I Want Candy.” But make no mistake: Despite the sweetness and lightness, this book is for serious bakers. The majority of the recipes are multi-step, complicated affairs; no beginner is looking to serve puff pastry swans at their dinner table. Pros will be glad that Goren includes grams and milliliters as well as cups, and the step-by-step photographs of some of the more complicated offerings sprinkled throughout are a welcome addition. The series of her and husband rolling out Viennese apple strudel together is particularly sweet. From chocolate marble lekach to old-fashioned plum cake, date roulades and apricot bow ties, Goren digs deep into her grandmother's recipe box, though I'm not sure how traditional a layered tea biscuit and pudding cake with strawberry Jell-O topping is. There are six different takes on yeast cake, seven varieties of cheesecake and recipes for sfinj, mufleta and other Sephardi sweet treats. There are also instructions for homemade marzipan, halva and Turkish delight. Any fan of Goren – and lover of baking – will be thrilled to get a copy of this book. Traditional Jewish Baking By Carine Goren Page Street Publishing 240 pages; $24.99 A united cuisine? It's said that food is the great uniter – and also the great divider. Everyone needs sustenance to live, and in the Middle East, the flavors and techniques mingle among cultures. But so do the clashes and claims to origin, of appropriation, of usurping. In walks David Haliva's ambitious book Divine Food: Israeli and Palestinian Food Culture and Recipes. The book is divided into four chapters: The North, The South, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Each section has an introduction to the region, discussion of its local cuisine and food scene, and a dozen or so related recipes. As a travel and sociology book, Divine Food hits it out of the park. The travel photos are gorgeous, the spotlights intriguing and the overall knowledge on point, though at times oversimplified (to be expected). The recipes have a nice, clean layout, and there are little notes sprinkled throughout on specific ingredients or techniques, such as sabra, zaatar, sesame seeds and the taboun oven. But as a cookbook, there are some flaws. For the North region, there are recipes including manakeesh flatbread with toppings; lahm bi ajin; lubiya with lamb; and fig and mascarpone tart. Tel Aviv gets sashimi with red grapefruit; pickled herring with bruschetta; and steamed shrimp dumplings. In Jerusalem, you're urged to try your hand at halla; lamb shwarma with tehina; onions stuffed with meat and rice; and rosewater malabi custard. It's in the South where the recipe matchings seem like the most of a stretch: falafel; shakshuka with eggplant; kebab skewers; and marzipan-stuffed dates. Is there something specifically southern about falafel? There is also not a single recipe for hummus in the book, but there are for vegetable stock and a sourdough starter, hardly region-specific needs. Also, while the book references the popularity of kubbeh soup, it offers instead a beetroot soup with meatballs. The recipe for Jerusalem kugel skips entirely the step of caramelization, leaving me questioning the authenticity of others throughout. Divine Food is a beautiful, intriguing look at the region's food, but there may be better cookbooks to bring into the kitchen. Divine Food By David Haliva Gestalten 304 pages; $35 Bountiful babka Uri Scheft wasn't satisfied with having one of the most popular and acclaimed bakeries in Tel Aviv, Lehamim. So he opened up a satellite of sorts in New York City, Breads Bakery, which quickly became known as the No. 1 spot for babka. And now Scheft has penned his very first cookbook, sharing the secrets behind his halla, laffa, rogelach and of course babka. Scheft draws occasionally on his Danish heritage and French training, but the book is otherwise chock-full of Jewish and Middle Eastern delicacies and flavors. Halla and babka each get their own chapters, and melawah, jahnun and mufleta show up as well. Plus there are both sweet and savory hamentashen (including stuffed with haroset!), date mamoul and arak and sesame sticks. Scheft even finishes the book with a chapter on dips for all the many bread recipes, from hummus to tehina, s'hug, matbuha and labaneh. But what stands out most of all is the incredible attention to detail throughout the book. The recipe instructions are precise and comprehensive, with painstakingly detailed instructions on kneading, shaping and proofing that will put even the most nervous baker at ease. There are 17 step-by-step photos of rogelach making and 15 for creating and braiding halla. There are tips on scaling recipes up and down, even pointing out how you may need to scrape the bowl down more frequently with a smaller recipe. So once you wipe the drool off the images of a sticky cinnamon pull-apart halla braid and a layered pyramid of dill bread, you won't be able to wait to get in the kitchen. Breaking Breads By Uri Scheft Artisan 352 pages; $35 Chinese and Jewish on a farm Avid food bloggers are likely familiar with Molly Yeh, one of the freshest, most unique voices in the online food world. Yeh, who started her blog back in 2009, incorporates her personal, chatty storytelling with unique recipes from her mix of backgrounds. Half-Jewish, half-Chinese, she grew up in suburban Chicago, then moved to New York before settling down on a farm on the North Dakota- Minnesota border. Now, with her cookbook Molly on the Range, Yeh is putting herself on a plate, with one-of-a-kind dishes heavily influenced by her travels, particularly her three trips to Israel. Indeed, the back cover of the book showcases her take on an Israeli breakfast: chopped salad, a pita, hummus, labaneh and a fried egg. Inside, Jewish and Middle Eastern flavors are dominant: burekas with eggs, scallions and cheese; matza brei; shakshuka couscous; spinach and feta rogelach; falafel fattoush salad; cauliflower shwarma tacos; scallion pancake halla and much more. That's not to say the cookbook is kosher. You'll also find smoky bacon mac and cheese and butter and salami pizza. Along the way you'll learn, well, basically everything about Yeh's life, from childhood road trips with her parents and sister, to meeting her husband, then meeting him again, summers in a Jewish camp where they'd throw naughty words into the Grace After Meals and an all-nighter during college when she consumed 14 doughnuts. If you pull out all of Yeh's stories and tales, you'd have more than enough for an amusing and disjointed biography. The photos are beautiful, though not every dish has one; the notes, tips and occasional drawings complete the feeling that this is a collection of recipes from a friend or family member. There are flow charts and diagrams and anecdotes and recollections that marry the 27-year-old's exuberance and innovation with her appreciation for tradition and history. Millennials and adventurous grandmothers alike will find much to love in this debut. Molly on the Range By Molly Yeh Rodale Books 304 pages; $32.50 Herring in Paris When you think Parisian fare, you might not think Yiddish cuisine. But Florence Kahn, the owner of a small cafe in the heart of the French capital's Jewish district, has penned an ode to the food of her forebears, which she keeps alive every day. “I like the idea of rediscovering our roots through taste and smell – these things can remind us of the history of our ancestors, be it painful or pleasant,” wrote the author. So I was a bit surprised when the first recipe in the book was for hummus – not exactly Yiddish cuisine! That is followed up by taramasalata, then tsatsiki, both quite far from Ashkenazi tradition. This was a fitting opening for a book somewhat muddled along the way. Sure, Kahn gets around to pierogi, pickled herring and borscht. She has stuffed cabbage, chicken and kreplach broth and five recipes for cheesecake. She paints herself as a traditionalist and remains so; but without attention to detail and a clear voice, the book feels lacking. The photos are beautiful and full-page, but the printing is matte, which removes a bit of the luster. The layout of the ingredients and instructions also has room for improvement. The book, translated from French, reads that way, with phrases like “bring to the boil” and the two-word sentence suggesting: “Serve caramelized.” Some ingredients aren't clear or may be hard to be sourced. A layered Russian dish “herring in a fur coat” is a remarkable sight, and I'd give just about anything for a fresh, warm onion pletzel. But these high notes are lost along the way in this cookbook. Yiddish Cuisine By Florence Kahn h.f.ullmann publishing 144 pages; $19.99
(photo credit: CON POULOS)