There is a tasty play between sweet and the mix of spices in these peras reyenados, stuffed pears, as well as the textures of the baked, softened pear with the crunchy nuts. It’s an easy, yet elegant dessert for Shabbat and holidays. Honey and dates are traditional foods for the Sephardic Rosh Hashanah seder, and this dessert also works well for Sukkot as stuffed foods symbolize an abundant harvest. Naturally sweet Bosc pears hold their shape well, so are a good choice for baking, although...

Take advantage the bounty of beautiful tomatoes that are at their most juicy deliciousness during summer with salmorejo. Simpler and less ingredients than gazpacho, salmorejo is a chilled soup perfect for warm days and nights including made ahead for Shabbat. It is also one of those recipes that is a great way to use up old bread, like bread salad from Italy and fattoush salad from Lebanon. Salmorejo was first created in the 16th century when conquistadores brought tomato plants and seed...

Turkish Haroset In all honesty, I have never met a haroset I didn’t like, and there are probably nearly as many different haroset as there are Jews! I always have three or four at my Seder and sometimes a guest brings their own favorite. Haroset is that mixture at Passover Seders that is evocative of the mortar and bricks the Israelite slaves made and used to erect Pharoah’s warehouses and other buildings (although probably not the pyramids, but that’s another story). The word "haroset"...