I was so excited when Trina Kaye sent a copy of The New Kosher Menu by Paula Shoyer. Paula’s baking books are so beautifully done that I was looking forward to seeing what she did with the daunting cooking issue that is Passover; and she doesn’t disappoint.
The New Passover Menu covers everything-and with beautiful photographs. There are Ashkenazi and International Seder Menus-all updated to reflect today’s new ingredients. Paula covers Shabbat, Yom Tov and even Vegetarian menus with a flare. What other Passover cookbook do you know of that has a special section on French dairy menus and a BBQ Dinner Menu to say nothing of Breakfast and Dessert. We know Dessert is Paula’s specialty, so we should not be surprised that she has developed a list of desserts that sound so good that you would think they’d be impossible to make for Passover: Triple- Chocolate Biscotti, Pear Frangipane Tart and Cheesecake with Roasted Cashew and Chocolate Crust to name just a few.
The word New in the title of the New Passover Menu hints that the recipes in this book depart from the traditional. Of course there is Chicken Soup but with chicken meat balls or matzah balls with many flavor variations. There is Tzimmes but also Crunchy Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries. Last, but definitely not least, I love the list of substitutions including ones for corn syrup, confectioners sugar and cream of tartar.
Paula Shoyer has written a Passover cookbook that reflects the kosher public’s desire for new international flavors and new ingredients available to us in 2015. A woman after my own heart, she limits the use of matzah products in her recipes and only uses them when absolutely necessary. The New Passover Menu will allow you to cook for Passover and not feel that you are missing anything. You might even make some of these recipes all year long.
