Loved this cookbook! I am always looking for new recipes to try so this was a special treat. Thank you to publisher and author.

I love this cookbook filled with modern inspired by both Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jewish recipes. I’m using the Everything seasoning on EVERYTHING! There’s familiar favorites in here but lots of updated twists and I love the Persian influences. A tasty cookbook clearly written with love and a deeply personal perspective.

This book does not disappoint. The printing is outstanding and the photos are beautiful. The recipes are delightful! Definitely will try every single recipe from this book.

Absolutely fantastic! A must have for all homes. So many new recipes to try! Loved this cookbook! 5 delicious stars

When I told my husband about this book he said I needed to just buy a hard copy version because I’ll end up using it a lot. And after going through the book he was absolutely right. As a never practiced, but know it’s my heritage Jewish girl I connect to my ancestors with food and this book will be a fabulous tool on my arsenal.

It's always fun to look through a cookbook featuring recipes from other cultures. Growing up in a small town in the midwest, these are definitely not foods I was raised with. I really enjoyed this take on traditional Jewish foods.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this cookbook and every single recipe. Jake is a talented food writer and chef and really does know how to write recipes that are fun and easy to do.

"A brilliantly modern take on Jewish culinary traditions for a new generation of readers, from a bright new star in the culinary world."

A fabulous collection of guided recipes into a unique style of cooking that took me out of my comfort zone and into a delicious kitchen - in my own home!

What a great book with lovely stories to accompany the recipes as well.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please excuse my tardiness in posting my review as my TBR list continuously grows and I keep finding so many book with so little time!

So much gratitude for this copy shared with me, always xo

I really enjoyed this cookbook and exploring all the new recipes. There weren’t as many photographs which can make rare authentic recipes difficult if the reader doesn’t know what the recipe is supposed to turn out like.

Jake Cohen has plenty of experience in the food world, and his skills are very evident in his cookbook, Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch. This is not your standard Jewish cookbook; rather it has innovative recipes and twists on traditional Jewish cooking. Cohen even uses non-kosher ingredients in some of his dishes (one being his Challah Croque Monsieur which calls for ham in which he says, “I’m sorry”). There are several recipes with Persian nuances, as well as other Middle Eastern dishes, and traditional Jewish dishes, such as brisket and cholent with mouthwatering adaptations.

The photographs in this cookbook are excellent, especially where Cohen shows step-by-step instructions on braiding challah and shaping babka. He also adds several different fillings for babka from savory to sweet. The babka recipe is fabulously light and buttery (I adapted it to my automatic bread machine). The recipes are easy to follow and the instructions are written in a simple and concise manner. Anyone, from beginner to advanced can make these dishes and they will turn out picture-perfect. The cookbook includes everything: appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, and even desserts. The recipes are such that regular people will want to make them and will be able to, since the ingredients are easy to find and the recipes will appeal to almost everyone.

The prose in this cookbook is fun to read and very well done. This is not just a Jewish cookbook; it is stories, vignettes, and great food. The cookbook is even quite entertaining. My queue for preparing dishes from this book grows every time I pick it up. This cookbook will make a nice addition to any cookbook collection.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

A fantastic/ revolutionary new take on traditional Jewish recipes. I loved his modern take on traditional Jewish recipes!

Thanks Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, #netgalley. and Jake Cohen for the e-ARC of Jew - Ish; A Cookbook.

Jew-ish by Nate Cohen is a bright, fun, mouth-watering cookbook that is exactly what it claims to be in the subtitle: “reinvented recipes from a modern mensch”. During a dark time in our culture, with the emboldening of violent antisemitism in so much of the world, it was really a pleasure to read a light happy cookbook that so completely reveled in what it can mean to be Jewish, and the many ways that identity can be expressed. That embraces dishes and culinary traditions from all over the Jewish diaspora, while reimagining them in ways that work for a smart, trendy gay New Yorker and his probably impossibly stylish circle. When I read about his Sabbath dinners, I drool with envy, knowing that I would not be remotely cool enough, but would be so happy stuffing my face with all the decadent dishes he describes that I wouldn’t care too much about being awkward.

The dishes really do sound delicious. That is at least partially due to how incredibly rich they are. Schmaltz, rendered chicken fat with onions, is a delicious traditional ingredient in European Jewish cuisine, and figures heavily in Nate’s recipes, along with eggs and dairy, sugar and meat. Many of the recipes are completely unsuitable for my dietary needs, as well as often above my level of culinary skill (or interest in learning), and featuring sometimes obscure and/ or expensive ingredients (pomegranate molasses. sumac. SAFFRON!$), so I won’t be buying a copy of the book for myself. But it was so much fun reading the recipes and anecdotes, learning more about Jewish diaspora food and culture and community and drooling over the brilliant food photography throughout. Some themes, ingredients, and flavors recurred throughout many of the recipes, especially everything bagel with or without lox, as well as ingredients like tahini. But they all sounded delicious, so I didn’t mind the repetition. I also appreciated how some dishes were offered with a base recipe, and then 2-4 variations on the theme, often two sweet and two savory, as with rugelach (pastry) or kugel (noodle side dish), and there were several two page spreads demonstrating the anatomy of a “perfect bagel” or cheese board or menus for specific holiday events, like Yom Kippur breakfast or Passover or Hanukkah festivities.

Because of the decadence of the recipes, they aren’t particularly appropriate for restricted diets. Heavy in saturated fats and sugars and starches, they are meant for maximum flavor for young and healthy guests. And due to Nate’s expression of Judaism, a surprising number of the recipes aren’t even necessarily kosher. However, I was pleasantly surprised how many of the dessert recipes were gluten free or adaptable, due to being Passover friendly recipes. Like the majority of these recipes, they are rich and decadent. But they can be gluten free as well as delicious. Perhaps I will try a few of those recipes, as well as a few of the very few recipes in here that suit my dietary restrictions, like spicy herb roasted mushrooms, za’atar-roasted eggplant with tahini, pickle juice-braised cabbage, date roasted brussels sprouts, roasted eggplant and tomato dip, or tomato cucumber salad. I am sure that I won’t be disappointed.

Absolutely beautiful book, not just in the gorgeous, fresh, and crisp images on every other page, but also for the scope of recipes themselves, and their origins and history and culture, especially as it pertains to the author and his family (including his husband's side). Some of the recipes require one to be a real fearless cook to attempt them, none less for the spices and other specifically Jewish ingredients which might be completely foreign for some people (like it was the case for me!). But you gotta love the heart Jake Cohen puts into his recipes, especially in all the words he chooses for them, the little something special, the nifty trick, like he really wants to be there for you, especially you inexperienced in Jewish cuisine cook, to help you out. He can't be there physically, but he uses his heartfelt words and instructions to figuratively hold your hand and guide you over your shoulder as you're making his dishes.
My only peeve - and this is just me - is that I wished the recipes were a bit more vegetarian-friendly, but let's not forget this was not the scope of this book, so can't fault Jake Cohen that

I love this cookbook! I've made the black and white chocolate chip cookies, matzo ball chicken soup, and Iraqi salmon with tomato and lemon. I absolutely loved the recipes and can't wait to try more!

A joyous celebration of Jewish (or Jew-ish) cuisine and culture. Cohen adapts the food of his people into modern recipes like pastrami biscuits and gravy, challah croque monsieurs, schmaltzy chex mix, and so much more. You'll want to have people over for your own Shabbat. Just the right touch of whimsy, mixed with a love story, and sprinkled with history. The pictures make everything look delicious.

Jew-ish. Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch is Jake Cohen first cookbook, published early this month. A collection of various recipes - some from his Askenazi family home, some adapted, some inspired by the Persian-Iraqi heritage of his husband. Not all of them for the strictly kosher-kitchen, but they can be easily adapted easily.

Addressed to a millenial audience, the book is based on recipes mostly tested during the various Shabbat evenings the couple hosted. As in the case of many millenials, they explore their identity through food and various culinary practices. ´This book has helped me define the pride I have for the rich culture of traditions and dishes I´ve inherited. It´s a love story. It´s a family tree. It´s me at my core. It´s Jewish´.

Not all the recipes are traditionally Jewish, but can be easily integrated into Jewish menus tasted on different occasions. For instance, the Baharat smashed potatoes sound so delicious that it´s a pity not to have it on a Shabbat meal, eventually in the company of some heimische schnitzel. Shaksuka alla vodka may taste better than the penne alla vodka. The savory Babka and rugelach are already classical pastries offered in the hip bakeries of Brooklyn of Williamsburg in NYC. I am a very courageous person, but I have to really think four times before writing ´cardamom-spiced pear noodle kugel´...Can you repeat after me?

The recipes are well writen, with a lot of details that may help even the less experimented cook - me included - to prepare it right and understand the directions. As someone with a big heart for spices, I can only appreciate the diversity used for various recipes, including the less-known - and a real Kabbalistic challenge for the Askenazim - such as Baharat, Amba or Urfa Biber. I may have some observations regarding some of the recipes introduced in the book, but only if I completely take them out of the author´s identity story. Therefore, more than a general food story, Jew-ish is relevant for the generational and unique identity-in-the making Jewish story, one of the many built out of the classical framework but still relevant for its strive for identity.

JEW-ISH: A COOKBOOK by Jake Cohen received a starred review from Library Journal although I am guessing that the humorous take would likely not be to my personal taste. I had difficulty opening the preview copy of this cookbook and am there for giving it a neutral rating of 3.

SUCH a fun cookbook!! I appreciated both the recipes and the humor. My Jewish mother-in-law approves!

Jake Cohen’s Jew”ish” cookbook is his identity in the form of a book of recipes, and I love it. I found the introduction to be inspiring, relatable, and enlightening. I find myself wanting to host Shabbat every Friday just to cook all of these recipes. The food photography is bright, vivid, and colorful. I want to dig into this book and make most of the recipes which is not something I can say for every cookbook. Jake Cohen is a proven chef/recipe-creator and I’m very excited for this book to be published.

Jewish cuisine with a twist!
Beautiful photography and inciting recipes with unexpected ingredient pairings that I CANNOT wait to try.