Category: Brunch

Triple Lotus No-Bake Cheesecake

Shavuot is one of those holidays that feels deeply tied to family for me. Beyond the cheesecakes and dairy meals, I always find myself wanting to make dishes that feel personal — something that surprises my kids and feels connected to the things they love most. Food has always been one of the ways I show love, and somehow these holiday recipes end up becoming little time capsules of each stage of our family.

Growing up, my mom’s lasagna was that extra hug for the holiday, and in our house, it’s cheesecake.

Years ago, before Lotus products flooded the kosher market from Israel, getting your hands on anything Biscoff-related was nearly impossible. The only kosher version I could find came from Amsterdam, so I had my cousin ship some to me. Some of my blogger friends and I tried making Biscoff desserts from scratch, and I made these cinnamon buns from the cookies, because the spread wasn’t available on the kosher market yet.

Now Lotus spread is my youngest daughter’s absolute favorite, so this year’s Shavuot cheesecake became hers. A creamy no-bake Lotus cheesecake with a buttery cookie crust and a crunchy caramelized topping that tastes like candy shards on top. I can’t wait to surprise her with it this holiday!

My orange creamsicle cheesecake from Millennial Kosher is my older son’s favorite and my Oreo version is my younger son’s pick. I can’t make them all, so they’re on rotation!

This cheesecake has everything I love in a Shavuot dessert: no baking, lots of texture, and that perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, caramelized, and slightly salty. It feels nostalgic and modern at the same time.

 

Triple Lotus No-Bake Cheesecake

For the crust
1 package Lotus Biscoff cookies
1 stick melted butter

For the filling
16 ounces whipped cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Lotus Biscoff spread

For the crunchy topping
2 1/2 cups cornflakes
3.5oz white chocolate
1/2 cup Lotus Biscoff spread
Pinch of salt
flaky salt, for finishing

To make the crust, crush the Biscoff cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor or blender and add the melted butter, pulsing until evenly combined. Press firmly into the bottom of a pie dish or springform pan and place in the fridge while preparing the filling.

For the cheesecake layer, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and Lotus spread until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Spread the filling evenly over the chilled crust and refrigerate for several hours or overnight until set.

For the topping, melt the white chocolate gently over a double boiler and stir in the Lotus spread until smooth. Fold in the cornflakes until fully coated and add a pinch of salt. Spread the mixture over the chilled cheesecake and top with flaky salt, if desired. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Related Recipes:

Lotus cinnamon buns

cookie butter pumpkin pie

Lotus puppy chow

 

Lotus pancakes

no-bake frozen cheesecake affogato

cottage cheese cheesecake

easy no-bake cheesecake

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Warm Halloumi Salad

There are certain restaurant dishes that completely take over your ordering habits, and for me, warm halloumi salad is one of them. The second I see it on a menu at an Israeli restaurant, I’m ordering it.

Over the years, I’ve had so many different versions — piled into crispy edible baskets, layered over greens, topped with sautéed vegetables, sometimes sweeter, sometimes saltier — but they all had the same irresistible combination of textures and flavors: warm salty cheese, savory vegetables, fresh greens, and that glossy teriyaki-style sauce that pulls everything together.

This version is inspired by all of those salads I couldn’t stop thinking about afterward. Peppery arugula gets topped with sautéed red peppers, onions, and mushrooms, then finished with sesame-crusted halloumi that’s crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the center. And then comes the sauce. Sweet, savory, sticky, and deeply umami, it coats the warm vegetables and halloumi in the best possible way.

I especially love serving it for Shavuot because it feels festive without trying too hard. Halloumi always gives a dish a little drama, and paired with the warm vegetables and teriyaki flavors, it totally steals the show.

Hearty, comforting, salty, fresh, and honestly craveable enough to build an entire meal around – the perfect holiday centerpiece!

Halloumi Salad

10oz. halloumi (may also use feta or fresh mozzarella)
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sesame seeds
canola oil, for frying
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into strips
16oz. mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup silan
1 clove garlic, grated on a micrplane
2 tbsp harissa
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
5 oz. arugula

Method:

First, fry the halloumi: cut the halloumi into cubes. In a large Ziploc bag, mix flour with salt and pepper, add halloumi and shake to coat. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs with salt and pepper, stir the halloumi in the eggs to fully coat. Add the sesame seeds to a large Ziploc bag and add halloumi, shaking off the excess eggs as you add to the bag, shake to coat.

Heat canola oil in a skillet and add the halloumi, fry until golden brown on both sides, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

In a bowl or glass measuring cup, add the soy sauce, silan, garlic, harissa, orange juice, water and cornstarch, whisk to combine.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions, peppers and mushrooms and saute until softened and starting to caramelize around the edges. Add the sauce and stir until the sauce thickened and vegetables are glazed.

Spread arugula out on a platter, top with halloumi and the sauteed vegetables, taking care to coat the halloumi cubes in the sauce.

Serve warm.

NOTES:

For a shortcut, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce instead of making the sauce.

Since this salad is served warm with fried halloumi, it’s best to prepare the day of serving, but if you’d like to prepare in advance, you can prepare the sauteed vegetables ahead of time and warm them before serving. You can grill or saute the halloumi without breading and add it to the sauteed mixture (breading will get soggy if made in advance).

Related Recipes:

halloumi fries
halloumi cheese waffles
camemebert en croute salad
Greek salad with feta croutons
pizza salad with cheese croutons

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Italian Ricotta Cherry Pie

There are desserts that become popular because they are beautiful, and then there are desserts that survive because history forced them to. Crostata di ricotta e visciole — the iconic Roman Jewish sour cherry and ricotta tart — is both.

I first tried the famous pie when I visited the Jewish ghetto in Rome in 2021, and quickly learned that the ricotta cherry pie is a traditional Roman pastry available in every kosher restaurant! The texture of the ricotta is a lot firmer than what we get in states, more similar to farmer cheese.

ricotta cherry pies in the window of Boccione

Legend has it that during centuries of papal rule, Roman Jews lived under brutal restrictions, confined to the ghetto and limited in what they could own, sell, and eat. According to the story most commonly attached to this tart, Jews were forbidden by the Pope from openly selling dairy products. Bakers began hiding the sweetened ricotta beneath a layer of dough so the tart appeared to be a simple pie from the outside. What began as necessity became one of the great pastries of Rome.

Boccione’s famous ricotta cherry pie

Today, the most famous version is still associated with the tiny Roman bakery Boccione, the nearly 200-year-old bakery known as the “burnt cakes factory” tucked into the Jewish Ghetto, known for its dark, almost burnt-looking pastries and ricotta pies with blistered tops (because of the old ovens that have a very high temperature) and jam peeking through cracks in the crust. It is rustic, imperfect, deeply Roman, and unforgettable.

I wanted something inspired by that pie but slightly freer and more rustic — somewhere between a traditional crostata and a galette. I started with authentic pasta frolla, the classic Italian sweet pastry dough that is softer and more cookie-like than American pie crust. Then came the ricotta filling, the sour cherry preserves, and eventually the realization that my American ricotta was far too loose for a freeform galette. So the dessert evolved back into what it probably always should have been: a proper Italian ricotta tart.

The result was one of those desserts that tastes old-world in the best way. Buttery crust. Bright cherry jam. Creamy ricotta. Not cheesecake exactly. Not pie exactly. Something more rustic and soulful, and just perfect for Shavuot.


ricotta cherry pie at Casalino in the Jewish Ghetto
 

Crostata di ricotta e visciole
Ricotta Cherry Pie

Pasta Frolla Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
Zest of ½ orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, for eggwash

Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with small pea-sized bits of butter remaining. Add the egg, egg yolk, orange zest, and vanilla and pulse just until the dough begins forming large clumps. Turn the dough onto the counter and gently press together into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Ricotta Filling

NOTE: for a more authentic ricotta texture, strain 2 cups of ricotta overnight and omit the cornstarch.

1½ cups whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
16oz. sour cherry jam, such as D’arbo

In a bowl, whisk together the ricotta, sugar, egg, vanilla, salt, and cornstarch until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut the chill dough in half and roll out into 2 discs. Place one half into a tart pan or pie dish. Chill again for 15 minutes. Fill with the cherry jam and ricotta mixture and top with the second sheet of dough. If you have any scraps of dough, you can decorate the pie with it!

Brush the crust with egg wash and bake for 50–65 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is mostly set with a slight wobble in the center.

Cool completely before slicing. The ricotta texture is best when served cold.

 

Related Recipes:

cherry yogurt popsicles

halva and ricotta stuffed figs

pumpkin ricotta pancakes with cranberry syrup

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Tu B’Shvat Tahdig

I’ve been wanting to nail tahdig for the longest time. That crispy-crusted rice studded with dried fruit and nuts…. it’s everything I want in a dish – crispy, fragrant, comforting…. the perfect show stopper! When I thought about what to make for Tu B’shvat to incorporate the Sheva Minim (the seven species from the Land of Israel), it came down to THIS! How else to celebrate the fruit of the tree than with a beautiful mound of fruit-studded golden rice, amiright??

So we got 5 out of 7 minim: olives (oil+olives!), figs, dates (silan), grapes (raisins), and pomegranate! And if you want to incorporate all 7, you can make this recipe with a mix of wheat berries and barley and serve as a pilaf instead of a tahdig!

Happy Tu B’shvat

Tu B’shvat Tahdig

1/3 cup olive
1 large onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced dried figs
1/2 cups sliced olives (I used Castelveltrano)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 cups rinsed basmati rice
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tsp kosher salt
3 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp silan
For garnish: chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, toasted sliced almonds

Method:

In a nonstick skillet (this is important!!), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until golden. Add the turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon and stir until fragrant. Add the figs, olives and raisins and stir to incorporate. Add in rice, orange zest and juice, salt, water and silan and mix until combined. Cook the rice, uncovered, until the rice is level with the water. reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes and then flip onto a serving platter. Garnish with parsley, pomegranate and almonds.

Related Recipes:

pecan pie date bark
turkey wrapped beef stuffed dates
feta stuffed dates with crispy kataifi
honey roasted zaatar chicken
dried fruit brie bites
Tu Bshvat truffles

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Roasted Cabbage Salad

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be in Israel along with a delegation with the mayor of NYC, Mayor Adams. There is NOTHING quite like an Israeli hotel breakfast, but the dish that got my attention was a roasted cabbage salad on the salad buffet that changed the way I looked at cabbage salad forever! Roast before you dress? oh YES YES YES!! I met the chef and I had to ask him about my favorite dish, and he graciously shared with me how to make it!

Roasted Cabbage Salad

1 head green cabbage, chopped into large chunks
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chopped dill

Tahini Dressing:

½ cup tahini paste, stir if separated
1 clove garlic, grated
juice of ½ lemon
1/3-1/2 cup ice water
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread the cabbage out on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until tender and caramelized around the edges, tossing occasionally, about 25 minutes.

While the cabbage is roasting, spread the almonds on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss with a bit of olive oil. Transfer to the oven with the cabbage and roast for a few minute until lightly toasted, taking care it does not burn. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt.

For the tahini dressing, whisk the ingredients until creamy.

When the cabbage is done, toss with some of the tahini dressing until coated. Add most of the dill and sliced almonds. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with additional dill and toasted almonds.

Related Recipes

bone marrow cabbage boil
hot honey roasted cabbage
sweet and sour braised cabbage
roasted cabbage pizza

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