Most cookbooks written for kids have predictable recipes. The usual suspects are Jell-O molds in the shape of animals, “pizza” on a bagel, and some simple form of mac ’n’ cheese. They assume that even the brightest children become dunces in the kitchen.
“The Cherry on Top, A Kosher Junior Cookbook” by Chaya Feigy Grossman has creative “real food” recipes that respect a child’s intelligence and encourage them to try their hand at cooking and baking.
Colorful and whimsically illustrated, the book begins with a welcoming letter from the author to cooks and cooks- to-be, promising them a positive and enjoyable experience by developing their own creations to share with others. Clear instructions, safety precautions and a sensible definition of culinary terms make this book special, as kids are able to put together their own creations from delicious desserts to satisfying salads.
Unlike most cookbooks, this one starts with sweets and ends with savories. How clever Grossman was to seduce the novice by beginning with desserts. Most of the recipes are sophisticated enough for any type of simcha, and all of them sound terrific — so good, in fact, that while kids will love them, adults will find them tasty, as well.
Stained Glass Cookies
Makes about 18
1⁄2 cup softened margarine
1⁄4 cup sugar
11⁄2 cups flour
1-2 Tbs. coffee whitener
Fruit-flavored hard candies, broken up
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine margarine and sugar and beat until thick and creamy. Add flour and coffee whitener. Keep mixing to form a soft ball of dough.
Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1⁄4-inch thickness and then cut into shapes with cookie cutter(s). Place shapes onto a cookie sheet. Cut hole in center of each shape and put broken pieces of candy in hole. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. When the melted candies harden, remove the cookies from the cookie sheet.
Refreshing Fruit Salad
Serves 6-8
1 medium honeydew
1 mango
1 orange
2 apples
1 lb. red grapes
1 lb. green grapes
Remove peel from honeydew, mango and orange. Cut all fruit into uniform, cube-like shapes. Layer the melon and fruit pieces in a glass bowl. Refrigerate 3-4 hours before serving to combine flavors.
Cucumber Salad
Serves 6-8
5 Kirby cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
2⁄3 cup water
6 Tbs. sugar
In a large bowl combine cucumbers and onion. In a small bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over cucumber mixture. Cover bowl and place in refrigerator overnight. Serve chilled.
Pancakes
Makes about 12
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups milk
21⁄2 Tbs. oil
oil for frying
Place the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and mix them together.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork. Add the milk and oil to eggs and mix again. Add the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until batter is lumpy.
Lightly oil a frying pan. Place the pan on the stove. Turn on medium flame and heat the oil. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the frying pan. Fry until bubbles appear on the top. Then flip the pancakes over with a spatula and fry it on the other side. Lift out of the frying pan with a spatula.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Gabi Moskowitz. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].