An engaging reference guide to Jewish holiday cooking and celebrations features more than two hundred tempting recipes for the eight major Jewish holidays--Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, and Shavuot--including both classic dishes and innovative variations, along with personal reminiscences and Jewish historical notes. Part cookbook, part memoir and part how-to, "Jewish Holiday Cooking" could be the one go-to guide for all the Jewish holidays. Jayne Cohen gives the "why" behind their traditions and foods. Her Passover chapter is particularly detailed, tracing the development of the seder over the centuries, defining what "kosher for Passover" means, and giving ideas for planning the seder menu—including a vegetarian seder. Recipes for Passover include braised brisket with 36 garlic cloves and a chicken soup with fennel matzo balls, asparagus and shiitake mushrooms. Cohen is a graceful, informative writer who easily shares her enthusiasm for Jewish holiday cooking with readers. But there's a note of urgency as well. "Jewish cooking is above all bubbe (grandmother) cuisine, and through the meals that we share with our children, it is also our link to the future," she writes. "But unless you continue to update the recipes and create new food traditions, grandmother cuisine will die out when the grandmothers die, when no younger generations are eager to learn to prepare these foods." Sobering words, but this book offers delicious ways to honor traditions old and new.-- Bill Daley, Chicago Tribune Cohen ( The Gefilte Variations ) celebrates both the variety and spirit of Jewish holidays and the variety of Jewish cooking in this appealing book. Each major holiday throughout the year, from Rosh Hashanah in the fall to Shavuot in early summer, has its own section of recipes, as does the weekly Sabbath; strictly observant Jews as well as those who are not entirely familiar with the religious significance of all the events will appreciate Cohen's detailed comments on their history and meaning at the beginning of each section. Those with less experience in planning big feasts will also be grateful for the variety of menu suggestions that accompany each holiday: Passover seders, a Hanukkah latke party with superb traditional and nontraditional latkes, a vegetarian dinner for Sukkot. Cohen draws on Jewish cuisine from every tradition: Leek Croquettes from Rhodes, stuffed chicken soup from Iran and a pineapple-coconut milk kugel from Bombay are just a few of the pleasantly exotic yet authentic offerings; she also puts new twists on old standards, as with Moroccan-flavored brisket and "deconstructed" kasha varnishkes that feature portobello mushrooms and eggplant in lieu of quantities of fat. Each recipe is helpfully coded to indicate whether it is meat, dairy or pareve, though she often provides variations to accommodate all needs in this book that's enjoyable to read and inspiring to cook from. (Mar.) ( Publishers Weekly , December 17, 2007) "Food is truly magical. Through the simple act of eating, Jews partake of a mystical but very real communion with their families, their traditions,and the world itself." ?Jayne Cohen Jewish holidays are times for worship, family, and, of course, food. Favorite dishes handed down through generations of bubbes are often mainstays on the menu. But whether you need help re-creating a fondly remembered family dish or you're looking for ways to put your own stamp on holiday celebrations, you're new to the traditions or you simply want to reconnect with your roots, this book offers you a world of intriguing possibilities. From traditional Ashkenazi fare and tempting Sephardi choices to inspired contemporary variations, Jewish food maven Jayne Cohen has collected more than 200 soul-satisfying kosher recipes for the holidays?dishes that are guaranteed to create indelible memories and become new family favorites. You'll find superb renditions of venerable Eastern European Jewish dishes here: kugels, latkes, rugelach, briskets, blintzes, matzoh balls, and more. Cohen also brings you mouthwatering dishes from Jewish communities throughout the diaspora, including Classic Hummus with Toasted Sesame-Cumin Matzohs, Moroccan Fish with Chickpeas and Saffron-LimeAioli, Fesenjan (Duck with Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce), Syrian Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato-Apricot Sauce, and Iranian Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sumac. To give you even more choices, Cohen reinterprets dozens of traditional Jewish dishes for today's palates, offering recipes such as Smoked Whitefish Gefilte Fish with Lemon Horseradish Sauce, New Mexican Sweet Potato Latkes with Lime?Sour Cream Sauce, Braised Brisket with Thirty-Six Cloves of Garlic, and Upside-Down Caramel Cranberry Pecan Noodle Kugel, to name just a few. Her recipes emphasize fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and use them in creative new ways: mint tea becomes the base of a chilled cucumber soup and meltingly tender eggplant