Michael Solomonov

It took me a year of trial and error to create my own doughnut recipe based on the two doughnuts I had at FedNuts on a road trip through Philly. Now I find that they included their master doughnut recipe in this book. I was fairly close, but not as close as I thought. Mine are pretty darned good, that's for sure, and I'm proud to have made an original recipe. However, I think this book just gave me some inspiration for some new things, and the courage to go ahead with the little tweaks I was unsure of trying since I know I'm on the right track now.

All in all, it's a lighthearted book. I sure do wish I had the revenue for a doughnut machine though...… (mais)

. Zahav, which means gold, has certainly struck “gold” with this new book. It is a book of beautiful food, luscious photographs, recipes, and wonderful personal stories. His idea of Israeli food is a mixture of Bulgarian, North African, Ethiopian, Yemenite, and Georgian – all the cuisines that make up the country. Solomonov is not religious or kosher but he clearly has respect for tradition. Zahav doesn’t mix meat with milk and doesn’t cook pork or shellfish. His recipe for his “secret sauce” and its uses take up a full chapter of the cookbook. Other sections include recipes for pita, challah, vegetables, grilling meats and poultry, and desserts and of course his mom’s coffee-roasted brisket. What makes this book so special though are his heartfelt stories behind the recipes and the reflections on the journey that got him there. He is described as a “mensch” with a colorful tattoo of Israel’s seven species – wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates – running down his arm. Whether you enjoy cooking or not, you will still want to read this!… (mais)