White Chocolate and Cranberry Biscuits

There is nothing like curling up with a good book, a glass of milk and a few biscuits. It makes me smile…

Bored with my favourite big chocolate chip chewy cookies (apparently sometimes there can be too much of a good thing), I decided to look for a new  recipe. I didn’t want anything too American (big, fat, crammed full of surprises) but I also didn’t want anything too English (dry, crumbly, subtlety flavoured but good with tea). I found the perfect recipe to try when flicking through my new Ottolenghi cookbook, which my friend Gila gave me for my birthday. I like the idea of a Londoner in Jerusalem (me) enjoying a cookbook written by London-based, Jerusalem-born chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I love the idea that these men, who grew up just a few kilometers away from each other but in two separate societies, have put together this book of wonderful recipes, many of which are steeped in the strong culinary influence of their birthplace.

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Frozen Peach Yoghurt

The shops and markets are full of summer fruits; succulent peaches, nectarines and apricots; firm green grapes;  fragrant cantaloupe melons and crisp, crunchy watermelons. This week I wanted to make a dairy dessert which was reasonably healthy and had a light and summery flavour. This recipe for Frozen Peach Yoghurt seemed simple and fun (and low-fat!)

Either fresh or canned peaches can be used to make this frozen yoghurt, and although I had planned to use fresh, the peaches Ninja  bought in the supermarket weren’t quite ripe enough. I was worried they wouldn’t have a strong enough flavour, so I used canned peaches instead, being careful to rinse off the overly-sweet syrup.

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Caramelized Onion, Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Tart

I am a big believer in will power. I think that if a person really wants to do something, they can, and that we all have extraordinary capabilities if we only put our minds to it. I always thought that with careful planning, there is no reason why one can’t both have their cake and eat it.

I knew that I was running the risk of taking on too much when I began a course to become an Aerobics Instructor a few months ago. In addition to my job, my master’s degree, family commitments and social life, it would be a crazy six months. An eyebrow was raised by certain loved ones, but I was determined. Like the Little Engine that Could, I decided to push up that hill and go for it. While I knew it would be hard to cope with everything, I decided that with good time management, hard work and a lot of drive, I could do it all.

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Spinach and Feta Squares

This week we celebrated Shavuot (yet another Jewish holiday which involves eating lots of delicious food, amongst other things). There is a tradition on Shavuot to eat dairy products, and so holiday foods usually include a variety of cheesecakes, blintzes and other rich dairy delights. In the supermarkets all hell breaks loose in the dairy aisles as representatives of each company try to push their brand of cottage cheese upon you.

 This year we spent the holiday with Ninja’s brother Rafi and his wife Avital, and their two yummy children. Rafi made a dazzling array of desserts including David Leovitz’s cheesecake on a chocolate base, cheesecake brownies, fruit cake, lemon meringue pie, chocolate tart, and banana cake. It was impossible not to taste everything, a few times, and everything was DELICIOUS. Their fridge is now full of left-over desserts from which I am relieved to have escaped. After this serious indulgence I am looking forward to what I hope will be a healthy week ahead.

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