On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate God’s creation of the world, and we eat sweet foods to symbolize hopes for a sweet New Year. In our home, I like to honor my husbands Ashkenazi Jewish food traditions as well as my own Japanese American food traditions. Sometimes that means creating something entirely new like this baked apple and miso honey sundae!
Read MoreYears ago, I found my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and to this day, these are still the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. Since then, I’ve made a giant version of these cookies every year for Bryan’s birthday and for countless other life events for friends. As if these cookies couldn’t get any better, I’ve sprinkled matcha salt on them. Enjoy!
Read MoreTo symbolize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one, Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Fried foods can often taste really heavy, so I like to swap out all purpose flour with mochi flour (Japanese glutenous rice flour)…
Read MoreThe most famous dish of all on Rosh Hashanah is perhaps the simplest; apples dipped in honey, an edible prayer for a sweet year. Here's my updated take on a classic apple and honey cake for dessert: Light and airy Japanese sponge cake with whipped cream, spiced apples and honey rolled in. The end result is an unexpected take on a classic with a beautiful presentation and just a touch of sweetness to last all year.
Read MoreLast year, when my husband Bryan and I visited Israel for the first time, I was naturally very excited about the food. I had heard about how amazing the hummus is there (it is), but what I was really blown away by was the labneh- a tangy Middle Eastern strained yogurt that’s both impossibly smooth and luxuriously creamy. It’s like a way better version of cream cheese! While it’s usually served as a savory side dish, I thought it would make an excellent base for a light summer dessert.
Read MoreButter mochi, a staple at Japanese-Hawaiian potlucks, is said to be a combination of Japanese mochi and Filipino bibingka, a sweet coconut rice flour cake. This butter mochi has another layer of complexity- the addition of tahini, one of my favorite Middle-Eastern ingredients.
Read MoreShavuot (Feast of Weeks) is coming up, during which dairy is a symbolic ingredient. Japanese-style cheesecake, also known as baked cheesecake or cotton (for it's light and airy consistency) cheesecake can be incredibly labor-intensive and time-consuming to make. This recipe yields similar results, minus the many hours of prep!
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