A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking

Rating:
Summary: So good, I've purchased several for gifts!
Review: After several months of using this cookbook over and over and over, I decided to buy it for friends. It is extremely user-friendly, because many of the recipes use basic ingredients and are uncomplicated to make. The directions are well-written, and the final product turns out exactly as I visualize from the recipe, even when baking unfamiliar treats.

I keep reaching for it, because there are so many wonderful cakes, that I can always find something different or unusual, without worrying because I've never tried the recipe before. Variations are often included, as well as cooking times for different pan types and sizes.

It's one of those cookbooks where you can flip through it and consistently find something appropriate, without requiring a trip to the store for some odd ingredient. The honey cake is fantastic, but the double fudge cake on pg. 110 "wows" everybody every time. Bring that one to your next family get-together (I use a bundt pan and skip the glaze, or drizzle on a quick confectioner's sugar glaze after it's cooled), and they will think you stopped at a bakery (I'm not kidding).

The only minor issue, is that on recipes where a range of flour is given (e.g. soufganiot), I sometimes need to add even more flour. This was the same with another (hamantaschen), where it was obvious that the dough was too sticky to shape. So while some experience is helpful, common sense can tell you if more flour is needed. This has never been an issue with any of the cake recipes, only those which are naturally more flexible on the ingredients.

Good Shabbos!

Rating:
Summary: So good, I've purchased several for gifts!
Review: I checked this book out from the library several times before buying it. The Passover Chocolate Torte was a raving success at our family's seder. The honey cake is to die for. And the pareve cocoa cake is delicious! I've served all of these to non-Jewish friends, and they've loved them all. None of these recipes taste like they've been "kosherized". They're wonderful to start with!

Rating:
Summary: What would I do without Marcy Goldman
Review: I purchased Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking
a year or so ago and have been using the book ever since I got it. I have tried many, many recipes and each and everyone turned
out great. If I had a question, I would email Marcy and she
would get back to me. I cannot say enough about this cookbook
or about Marcy. Every Jewish kitchen and non-Jewish kitchen
should have this book. Thanks Marcy for all the wonderful
recipes and for all of your help.

Debbie

Rating:
Summary: What would I do without Marcy Goldman
Review: I purchased Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking
a year or so ago and have been using the book ever since I got it. I have tried many, many recipes and each and everyone turned
out great. If I had a question, I would email Marcy and she
would get back to me. I cannot say enough about this cookbook
or about Marcy. Every Jewish kitchen and non-Jewish kitchen
should have this book. Thanks Marcy for all the wonderful
recipes and for all of your help.

Debbie

Rating:
Summary: contains a recipie for the best honey cake
Review: If you're looking for the consummate book of Jewish baking this is it. I've only begun to explore the wonders it holds within. The number of apple recipes alone will keep me delightfully occupied. Once you leaf through it, you'll be scouring your kitchen for the needed ingredients to get started on one of the wonderful challahs or cakes or cookies. Opening this book is like opening the door to the Jewish bakeries of yore. What makes it even more appealing is the haimish (homey) way Marcy addresses each recipe. Her hints are a valuable asset. Get this one! You won't be sorry! Excellent for the seasoned baker or the more hesitant novice.

Rating:
Summary: An important book for the Jewish Cookbook shelf
Review: Marcy Goldman has proven herself worthy of ranking with Joan Nathan when it comes to "doyenne of Jewish Baking". This "Treasury" really is a treasure - easy reading, a very approachable and funny style from the author, and good, good recipes. I do wish her "information sheets" on the various holidays were a little more thorough, but that is the only criticism I could make about this wonderful volume. The section on what makes Montreal bagels delicious will have you booking a flight tomorrow or at least trying the recipe immediately (warning: do not read this book during the hot summer - it is too much of a temptation).

Rating:
Summary: An important book for the Jewish Cookbook shelf
Review: Marcy Goldman has proven herself worthy of ranking with Joan Nathan when it comes to "doyenne of Jewish Baking". This "Treasury" really is a treasure - easy reading, a very approachable and funny style from the author, and good, good recipes. I do wish her "information sheets" on the various holidays were a little more thorough, but that is the only criticism I could make about this wonderful volume. The section on what makes Montreal bagels delicious will have you booking a flight tomorrow or at least trying the recipe immediately (warning: do not read this book during the hot summer - it is too much of a temptation).

Rating:
Summary: Not just for the holidays
Review: Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking is a good addition to any cookbook library regardless of religion or ethnic background. Her introductory notes contain a wealth of information that proved useful to me, although I would consider myself a seasoned baker. I also enjoyed her anecdotes about her family and their holidays and baking experiences. The information she includes about where to purchase specialty or hard to find ingredients and baking items finally pointed me in the direction of a certain honey dish I have been searching for for years.

The book is organized according by holiday according to the Jewish calendar including a brief description of each holiday as an introduction. Every section includes both recipes for the novice as well as more difficult and complicated ones. Some of her directions may prove too ambiguous for a novice baker (just how sticky is a sticky batter meant to be?) and I found I had to add more flour than was called for in her Mandelbroit recipe; but overall this is a very good general baking book.

Rating:
Summary: Not just for the holidays
Review: Marcy Goldman's A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking is a good addition to any cookbook library regardless of religion or ethnic background. Her introductory notes contain a wealth of information that proved useful to me, although I would consider myself a seasoned baker. I also enjoyed her anecdotes about her family and their holidays and baking experiences. The information she includes about where to purchase specialty or hard to find ingredients and baking items finally pointed me in the direction of a certain honey dish I have been searching for for years.

The book is organized according by holiday according to the Jewish calendar including a brief description of each holiday as an introduction. Every section includes both recipes for the novice as well as more difficult and complicated ones. Some of her directions may prove too ambiguous for a novice baker (just how sticky is a sticky batter meant to be?) and I found I had to add more flour than was called for in her Mandelbroit recipe; but overall this is a very good general baking book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent cookbook
Review: Some Jewish cookbooks are haimish, some are personal, some give historical/religious/cultural background, some are long on good recipes for the experienced cook but short on practical advice for the neophyte: If your shelf is packed with all of the above, and you know your onions (or your onion bagels), you need Marcy's book. And if you are only going to buy one book on Jewish baking, this is the one to buy. I have been a flour-flinging semi-pro baker and sometimes food writer for more than twenty years, and from experience, I know that Marcy Goldman's recipes are the best. Before this book came out, I already had tried--with one-hundred-percent success--many of her recipes that were published in The Washington Post as well as in The Baking Sheet, a must-read-newsletter-for-bakers-of-all-persuasions-and-ethnic-backgrounds that is published by King Arthur Flour of Norwich, Vt. (disclaimer: I've also written for The Baking Sheet, but have never met Marcy and she is not bribing me to pen a rave of her book). With her warmth, technical expertise, and clear directions, she has something to offer bakers of all levels of experience. I especially appreciated her section on challah, a weekly Sabbath staple of my household (and of many of my friends, who just seem to know when to drop by). Many recipes by other authors concentrate on fancy braiding and presentation, which challah neophytes have confessed to me that they find intimidating, if not off-putting. Marcy focuses on the makings and bakings of wonderful challah; the bells and whistles can come later. I'd rather sink my teeth into an endearingly lumpily hand-fashioned, great-textured, great-tasting loaf than a gummy eye-pleaser. Marcy will not let you down. I could go on and on, but my copy is already gritty with flour. What better recommendation can I give--I own hundreds of cookbooks--than that?