Joan Nathan's knowledge, enthusiasm, and experience have made her prize-winning books on Jewish cooking a staple in every Jewish kitchen. Now, drawing upon the recipes, stories, and secrets of a baker's dozen of bakers from around the world, she captures the art of Jewish baking. Here are fifty original recipes for the traditional baked goods associated with the major holidays -- challah for Shabbat, hamantashen for Purim, macaroons and matzah for Passover, jelly doughnuts for Chanukah -- as well as delicious and exotic alternatives from around the world: Yemenite kubbanah, Turkish boyos, German schnecken, Russian babka, Hungarian strudel, Parisian pletzel, Mexican banana cake, Syrian ka'ak. But why wait for the holidays? Along with challah, bialys, and bagels, you will want to bake and enjoy all of these cakes and breads with your family and friends throughout the year. The bakers who have perfected these recipes represent the breadth of Jewish history and geography: they come from America, Israel, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Syria, and Egypt. Their personal stories offer a fascinating window into the Jewish experience of this century. With step-by-step instructions on kneading, rising, braiding, rolling, and folding dough, as well as tips on how to make baking a rewarding and even relaxing part of the busiest lifestyle, The Jewish Holiday Baker will turn any novice into a baker, and give any expert a command of the sweetness and craft of Jewish baking.

Imagine orchestrating an elaborate sit-down dinner fgor twenty-five, serving an elegant, unforgettable, and genuinely healthy meal and enjoying the whole thing as much as your guests do. Now, in Entertaining Light, Martha Rose Shulman, award-winning author of Mediterranean Light, shows you how to make any get-together the kind of pleasurable, palate-pleasing experience you'll want to repeat again and again. With the know-how gleaned from years as a professional caterer and hostess, Ms. Schulman offers invaluable guidelines for composing a menu and getting organized - the two keys to easy and successful entertaining. And whether you prefer large cocktail parties, intimate dinners for two, festive holiday buffets, or last-minute unformal suppers, she provides more than three hundred low-fat, low-calorie recipes for dishes that are sumptuous, deeply satisfying, and always brimming with authentic flavor.