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The Jewish Princess Cookbook

You don’t have to be Jewish to be a Jewish Princess. It’s either a philosophy or a life skill, depending on your... er, well, philosophy! I have known Jewish Jewish Princesses, non-Jewish Jewish Princesses and even a non-Jewish Jewish Prince. They all have several common denominators and they are: love of life, generosity of spirit and passion for fine things like food.

The authors, Georgie Tarn and Tracey Fine, embody all of those aforementioned qualities, characterised by their willingness to share their recipes and their sense of fun with the population at large. Yes, this is a cookbook but it’s also about family and friends and nurturing. The ladies admit to having three husbands between them and that must indicate a sense of humour!

You might be the sort of person who buys The Jewish Princess Cookbook for the recipes (you’ll miss out if you don’t read all those pages between, though) and the food is gorgeous. There is everything here from Chicken Soup (Jewish Penicillin) to Cheesecake and lots of other dishes that might not seem typically Jewish, like Baked Alaska (there must be Jewish folks in Alaska). This isn’t, after all, a Jewish cookbook but a collection of recipes worthy of Princesses of any denomination.

I do have a few (well, quite a few to be honest) favourite recipes from this book. Cholent is a meat stew with beans and potatoes. The beef used is a cheaper cut and the pulses are a great filler so it’s an ideal meal for a crowd. It takes a while to cook so it’s a candidate for that Slow Cooker that you got as a wedding present from your aunt Winnie.

Choca-challah Pudding is a delicious and much improved version of Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding. It’s made with Challah, a rich, sweet bread but if you can’t find that then use a good brioche. The success of this pud lies in the sauce of cream, eggs and 70% dark chocolate (don’t be tempted to cut corners and use white sliced and a melted bar of Cadbury’s). Although it sounds like a pound-applying dessert every Jewish Princess knows that cakes have no calories if you take a bite from somebody else’s plate, only eat from the top or only eat from the bottom!

The Jewish Princess Cookbook is delightful. It will make you laugh out loud. It will tempt you with marvellous dishes none of which are time-consuming (the Cholent cooks for 7 hours but you don’t have to keep it company, do you!) or difficult. I am glad I have a copy and I’ll be buying a few more for gifts.

The Jewish Princess Cookbook
Authors: Georgie Tarn and Tracey Fine
Published by: Quadrille Publishing
Price: £8.99
ISBN 978-1-84400-506-2