Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce & Graham Cracker Streusel

Strawberry rhubarb sauce and graham cracker streusel are a match made in dessert heaven! Whether you’re elevating your breakfast yogurt or topping your ice cream – this combo delivers! Perfect for the upcoming summer months and especially for the Shavuot holiday.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

5 stalks rhubarb (1 lb.)
1 container strawberries (1 lb.)
1 cup sugar
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of nutmeg

Method:

Hull and clean strawberries and cut into quarters. Remove leaves from rhubarb, clean and dice. Add fruit to a pot with juice, sugar and nutmeg. Cover and bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the fruit softens. Use a masher or fork to mash the fruit to desired consistency (I like it a bit chunky). Cool, trasnfer to jars and refrigerate until ready to serve (it will thicken as it cools).

Graham Cracker Streusel

1 sleeve graham crackers (about 9), crushed
5 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Method:

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ingredients directly on the sheet tray until incorporated. Spread it out evenly and bake for 8-10 minutes, olden golden and crisp. Transfer to an airtight container.

Related Recipes:

Strawberry Rhubarb Soup
Rosewater Cheesecake Mousse Parfaits

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Upside Down Beet & Goat Cheese Tart

This tart flips the script (literally!) on traditional tarts. By baking it upside down, the beets caramelize against the pan, creating a glossy, jewel-toned top once flipped. Paired with creamy goat cheese, fresh arugula, crunchy pomegranate seeds and rasberry balsamic reduction? You’ve got yourself a dish that’s as visually stunning as it is delicious. Low on effort. Big on impact. Just how I like it!

Upside Down Beet & Goat Cheese Tart

3 medium pre-cooked beets, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Tuscanini raspberry balsamic glaze, plus more for finishing
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
5 oz goat cheese, crumbled
arugula, for topping
pomegranate seeds, for topping

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic glaze in the center of the parchment paper. Top with 5 rows of overlapping beets, a bit smaller than than the size of the puff pastry sheet. Top with half of the goat cheese and cover with the sheet of puff pastry (lighty roll out to smooth the folds if folded). Brush with eggwash and transfer to the oven. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the tart onto a serving tray. Remove the parchment and set aside to cool.

Once cooled, topped with the remaining half of the goat cheese, arugula, pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of the balsamic glaze.

NOTE: If you can’t find Tuscanini’s raspberry balsamic, you can use the classic one.
If you don’t like goat cheese, you can use feta instead.

Related Recipes:

beet “ravioli” with whipped feta
beet kale and goat cheese shakshuka

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Feta Stuffed Dates with Crispy Kataifi

Shavuot is almost here, and you’ve already planned the cheesecake, the blintzes and the quiche… but what about that first bite? You know—the one that says, “Buckle up, this dairy party’s about to get real.”

Let’s skip the usual cheese board routine and go bold with these Kataifi-Wrapped Feta-Stuffed Dates. They’re crispy, salty-sweet little bites of heaven that look fancy, taste amazing, and give you a genius way to use up that leftover kataifi pastry that’s been taking up freezer space since you made Dubai chocolate!

Warm, gooey feta tucked into a sweet Medjool date, wrapped up like a golden haystack of crispy kataifi strands. It’s rich and tangy with a hint of sweet, and it disappears in two bites. (Or one, if you’re hungry!)

Perfect for your dairy table, your snack table, or your “I just need a little something while the cheesecake chills” table.

 

Feta Stuffed Dates with Crispy Kataifi

18 Medjool dates, pitted
4oz Tnuva sheeps milk feta
1/2 package Kataifi pastry (thawed if frozen)
3oz. Tnuva butter, melted
hot honey, for topping
chopped salted, roasted pistachios, for topping

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

Cut the feta cheese into bite-sized pieces, large enough to fit in between the split dates. Stuff the dates with the feta cheese and set aside.

Cut the kataifi dough in half widthwise and using a small handful of pastry at a time, wrap each stuffed date with the pastry. Transfer to the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the pastry with butter and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.

As soon as you remove the pastries from the oven, drizzle with hot honey and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

NOTES:

These taste amazing warm but hold up at room temp too.
You can also stuff the dates with goat cheese or brie.

Related Recipes

silan baked apples with pistachio kataifi
brie stuffed dates
greek salad with feta croutons

 

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Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms with Tomato Jam

Shavuot is coming, and that means one thing: dairy is having its main character moment. But this year, let’s take your appetizer game up a notch with these cheesy stuffed mushrooms stuffed with Tuscanini’s incredible sweet & savory tomato jam plus a cube of mozzarella! They’re bite-sized, flavor-packed, and totally irresistible. So pop them on a platter and watch them vanish!

Make-ahead friendly. Stuff ’em in the morning, bake ’em before guests arrive!

 

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms with Tomato Jam

20 medium cremini or white button mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of red pepper flakes
kosher salt, to taste
1/4 cup Tuscanini tomato jam plus more for serving
4oz block of mozzarella cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method:

Prep the mushrooms: Clean your mushrooms gently with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems and finely chop them.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened and add the chopped stems, continue to saute for about 4-5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and the stems have softened.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the panko crumbs, parmesan and spices and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon a small dollop of tomato jam into the mushroom cavity and fill with a cube of mozzarella. Top generously with the filling.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked through, the cheese is melted and the crumbs are golden brown.

To serve, sprinkle with more parmesan and parsley and serve with additional tomato jam for dipping.

Make ahead: Prep and stuff the mushrooms earlier in the day, store in the fridge, and bake fresh before serving.

Related Recipes:

spinach stuffed mushrooms
unstuffed mushrooms

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Chaim’s Fluffy Pita

Some friends are handier than others. And then there’s Chaim — a former pastry chef turned lighting consultant and handyman with a toolkit as refined as his pastry skills, and a heart just as generous. Since Chaim is Israeli and he has worked in the food industry, we often discuss recipes I’m working on, and I ask him my baking questions because pastry is not my strong suit.

We hadn’t planned on cooking – he was out in my backyard assembling an egg swing I had ordered on Amazon and we were both starving. It was Yom Ha’atzmaut so I suggested making an Israeli spread for lunch, when Chaim offered to make homemade pita! Breadmaking always intimidates me, so I was happy to learn from a pro, and before I knew it, Chaim had already rolled up his sleeves and started weighing out the flour (you know he’s a former pastry chef when he starts to do that!).

I had some soft boiled eggs in the fridge, a jar of roasted eggplant, and plenty of veg in the frige, so we started working on some salads to make sabich sandwiches. An hour later, we had prepared an elaborate spread that rivaled some of the best Israeli hummusiya’s! And the pita? Oh. Em. Gee. the pita. It was the stuff of dreams!!

What should I have Chaim teach me next?

Chaim’s Fluffy Pita
(you know it’s a pastry chef’s recipe when he measures everything out in grams! Apologies!)

500 grams bread flour
10 grams sugar
10 grams salt
10 grams active dry yeast
300 grams warm water (or more, if needed)
10 grams extra virgin olive oil

Method:

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Pour the water and olive oil into a measuring cup and slowly add it to the flour, incorporating it with your hands until it comes together into a dough, adding a bit more water, if needed.

Turn the dough onto a floured counter and knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into equal balls, about 80-100 grams each (50 grams for mini pitas). Keep the balls covered with a kitchen towel as you start to roll them out.

Using a rolling pin, flatten out the balls of dough into a circle about ¼ inch thick and 6–7 inches wide. Let them rest in a kitchen towel for 10 minutes.

Heat a dry cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add one pita at a time, cooking for about 1 minutes per side, flipping 3 times until it puffs up into a pocket. Set aside and wrap in a towel to keep warm.

NOTES:

Don’t roll the dough too thin or it may not puff.
If your pitas aren’t puffing, your oven/skillet might not be hot enough.
Store leftovers in an airtight bag for up to 3 days or freeze for later.

Related Recipes

arayes pita pockets
smash shawarma pita
pita chips

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