Christmas
Olive Oil Baklawa with Pistachios
Olive oil baklawa is a fabulous alternative to classic baklawa, or baklava — the Mediterranean pastry traditionally drenched in butter and flower water syrup. How exciting to have a vegan baklawa (vegan baklava) option that tastes so very good! I won’t say that olive oil baklawa tastes exactly the same as if you’ve made your…
Read MoreHummus with Olives, Pine Nuts and Olive Oil Crostini
Hummus with olives, pine nuts, and crostini make for a beautiful, holiday-worthy appetizer. Healthy and luscious and lovely, all in one! Get out the good china! Hummus is rightly an everyday or at least an every-week food. And sometimes the everyday gets (rightly) set aside for the special times, the feasts, the celebrations. But smooth…
Read MoreBlondie Bars with Caramel
This favorite recipe for blondie bars with caramel originates with Claire Ptak’s The Violet Bakery Cookbook. I’ve added orange blossom water, which is such a good friend of caramel, and tahini, a good friend of most everything! These bars will become your go-to for picnics, potlucks, and parties of any kind… Couple of months ago,…
Read MoreLebanese Sfouf Cake
Lebanese sfouf cake is a very simple, oil-based yellow cake, given its technicolor with turmeric–sfouf is beloved by the Lebanese, to enjoy with coffee or tea (not, at least according this dessert-eater, for dessert…). Sfouf cake includes a short list of ingredients and is egg-free. The most typical, classic of Lebanese cakes seem to include…
Read MoreChocolate Tahini Breakfast Rolls
Chocolate tahini breakfast rolls are like the rich, gorgeous cousin of a cinnamon roll. Butter enriches both the chocolately filling and the soft, pull-apartable dough. Yes, you can make these ahead and refrigerate the dough before the second rise, then bake them off like a champ morning of. It makes sense, I think, to rate…
Read MorePomegranate Glazed Leg of Lamb
Pomegranate glazed leg of lamb gets its tremendous flavor from a short marinade, then a glaze of sweet-tart pomegranate molasses toward the end of roasting. This lamb recipe is absolutely made for special occasions like Easter. The pomegranate glaze lends a glisten to the lamb, worthy of carving at the table for all to see.…
Read MoreAlmond Graybeh
Almond graybeh is a classic Lebanese butter cookie that is delicate, light, and pure white. Almond graybeh is baked especially for Easter and Christmas. The recipe makes so many cookies (4 dozen!) that it’s perfect for weddings, graduation parties, or anytime you want lots of incredibly delicious cookies to share. I’ve always been a huge…
Read MoreDate-filled Ka’ik
There are many versions of Lebanese ka’ik (or ka’ak), some biscuit-like and others bread-like. This spiced, glazed sweet bread version is filled with dates and pressed for a beautiful imprint on top. Find the molds at Maureen Abood Market. As I was noting recently, the scent of what’s cooking in the kitchen has a powerful…
Read MoreRaspberry Rose Marshmallows
Raspberry Rose Marshmallows are the thing homemade marshmallow dreams are made of…soft, gently sweet, beautiful to make and eat. These get layers of flavor with LorAnn Oils raspberry extract and freeze-dried raspberries, a flavor that pairs perfectly with rose water. It is not a secret over here that I was not a great eater when…
Read MoreZalabia, Glazed Lebanese Donuts
These traditional Lebanese zalabia donuts are made with a yeasted dough, spiced with anise and cinnamon and glazed with flower water syrup. Zalabia donuts are made by Christian Lebanese to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany in January, but we love them whenever we want homemade donuts. We also make zalabia with “leftover” dough on…
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