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Before I entered the world of pastry, I was an elementary ESL teacher. All of my students spoke multiple languages, some were born in the United States and some had just arrived, some came for opportunity and most came seeking refuge. They all ended up in my classroom, a place where I set out to teach them how to navigate the American school system, provide them with the language and literacy they needed to succeed, and give them a safe place, where they could be themselves and feel at home.

I had a book in my classroom called “Everybody Cooks Rice”. It was an old book, probably written in the 1970s or 80s, with faded illustrations and edges that were soft and bent from being passed down from classroom to classroom. It was the story of a little girl whose mother told her to go outside and find her brother because it was time for dinner. As she sets out on her quest, she visits her neighbors homes, all from different countries, every family is making dinner- each using rice. After we read the story, we would discuss how the cuisines from our cultures were different, what vegetables and spices were unique to our parts of the world, and how they were the same. My students lit up with the opportunity to talk about their foods, blurting out stories and snippets from their dinner tables, talking over each other, and practically falling out of their seats to be called on. Food gave us an opportunity to understand each other a little more. It humanizes us and crosses lines and divisions that we’ve created. Working with these kids, I started to see little by little, how food helps us get to know each other. 

About a year or so ago, I stumbled across some of Yasmin Khan’s work. A former humanitarian aid worker, Yasmin spent much of her life in places that are known for conflict and struggles. As a food writer, she now seeks to introduce readers to the parts of these countries we don’t see on the news. She tells stories of the people and the markets, she takes you into their homes and into the kitchen of their family-run restaurants, introducing you to their foods and customs, highlighting our shared humanity. Her work speaks to my global heart and I have learned from and thoroughly enjoyed everything I’ve read of hers.

Yasmin’s newest book, Zaiton, explores Palestinian cuisine and is a treasure chest of recipes, stories, and history of this somewhat lesser-known culture. At times, this cookbook reads like an informative interactive map, as Yasmin breaks down the different regions of Palestine. It is rife with beautiful images of not just the food, but the people and landscape, and you can get lost in its pages for hours. I spent the last few weeks just there, cooking and eating my through Palestine with Yasmin as my guide.

In in an effort to be completely honest, I have a very difficult time following specific recipes for savory foods. I often use many recipes as inspiration, not as a step-by-step manual. For the interest of this cookbook review and to keep in step with the theme of the blog, I stuck to pastry (bread) or dessert recipes. So let’s get started!

Spinach and Feta Parcels: These were super cute, similar to empanadas. I used a mix of kale and spinach because it’s what I had on hand. The flavors were delicious, but next time, I might use a food processor to make the filling so that everything is a little more combined and cohesive. The dough was easy to work with and flavorful, but it dried out quickly. I will add a bit more fat and/or water to the dough if I make these again.

Spiced Medjool Sticky Pudding: I was not originally planning to make this recipe, but I had a bunch of dates in my pantry and a big bag of walnuts in the freezer so I thought “what the heck” and went for it. There is not a picture of this recipe in the book and I think it’s because it’s not the prettiest of desserts (as you can see in my pictures), but it is delicious. The consistency is similar to a bread pudding and it’s filled with lots of warming spices. It’s easy to put together and ultra-cozy, making it perfect for the holiday season. I brought this cake to our community group and I brought none of it back home, so I would say it went over well.

Pomegranate Passion Cake: The picture of this cake was all over my social media when Zaitoun was first released and I knew then that I wanted to make it. It’s bright pink and what’s not to love about that. Because its mostly made with almond flour/meal, the cake itself is super moist and it keeps well for a few days in the fridge. It’s an easy cake to throw together and it’s show-stoppingly pretty making it perfect for parties or potlucks. I wanted a little more pomegranate flavor, which I will keep in mind for next time I make it.

Molten Chocolate, Coffee, and Cardamom Pots: When I was cooking through this book, I was also working on developing a molten chocolate cake recipe for the blog. I made these little pots and promptly stopped working on my own molten recipe, because if it’s not broken, why fix it. This recipe will be my go to for gooey-chocolate-desserts-served-in-small-ramekins. They are so quick and easy to put together and can hold in the fridge and be baked to order. If you gleaned nothing else from this entire cookbook review, please at least make these chocolate pots. I promise you won’t be mad that you did.

Molten Chocolate, Coffee, and Cardamom Pots

Recipe from Yasmin Khan, Zaitoun

Yield: 6 ramekins

Ingredients:

3 tbsp (50 g) unsalted butter, plus more for the ramekins

7 oz (200 g) dark chocolate

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (120 g) sugar

3 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup (50 g) all purpose flour

1/2 tsp instant coffee

1/4 tsp ground cardamom (or 3 cardamom pods, finely ground)

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F and lightly butter six ramekins.

2. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Set this bowl over a pan of simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

3. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the salt, cocoa powder, flour, and cardamom to the batter and mix. Combine the instant coffee with 1 tbsp just-boiled water until dissolved, and stir it into your batter. Finally, add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth.

4. Gently spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins. You can cover them and store them in the fridge if you aren’t baking them right away. Otherwise, bake in the preheated oven for 12-13 minutes, until they are just firm around the edges. Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.