Middle Eastern Sweets: Desserts, Pastries, Creams & Treats

by Salma Hage

Overview

New York Times and Food52 Best Cookbooks of 2021

'An engagingly personal mixture ... [with] a classical elegance and a bright modern sensibility.' - Nigella Lawson

The latest culinary treat from Salma Hage, one of the Middle East's most-loved home cooks - an authentic, indulgent collection of dessert recipes for all tastes and occasions

Whether you start your day with something sweet, finish it with something sweet, or make sure sweets are within reach all day long, you'll find serious inspiration in the pages of Salma Hage's latest cookbook for home cooks. The Middle East's wide range of cultures, ingredients, and influences informs the array of dishes she includes - spiced cookies, cream-filled pancakes, aromatic pastries, and delicious cakes - with recipes that are easy to follow and celebrate simple-to-source spices and taste combinations. With natural sweeteners such as dates and honey often used in place of refined sugar, and alternate protein sources including nuts and yogurt, and including recipes that are naturally gluten-free, vegan, nut-free and dairy-free, this is the ideal book for both everyday family or festive meals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838663384
Publisher:	Phaidon Press
Publication date:	08/18/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	637,539
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Salma Hage, from the Kadisha Valley in north Lebanon, has more than 50 years of experience of family cooking. She learned to cook from her mother, mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law, and spent many years working as a professional cook. This is her fourth book, after The Lebanese Kitchen, the James Beard Award-winning The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook, and The Mezze Cookbook.

Editorial Reviews

07/05/2021

Lebanese-born, London-based chef Hage follows her James Beard Award–winning The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook with another authentic and accessible collection, this one offering more than 100 recipes for sweets including rosewater-scented cookies, tahini-rich cakes, and beyond. Her extensive knowledge of Middle Eastern baking traditions is evidenced in her informative commentary on the area’s history, culinary traditions, and distinctive ingredients. Many may not know, for example, that Iran exports 92% of the world’s saffron, or that the “pillowy” stuffed Arabic pancake qatayef dates all the way back to a 10th-century Arabic cookbook. Among the many standout recipes are Lebanese stuffed cookies (ma’moul), enriched with dates, nuts, rose water, and mahleb, an aromatic cherry seed spice; Moroccan snake cake (m’hanncha), an eye-catching confection made with ropes of filo stuffed with a cinnamon and cardamom-scented filling; and a decadent vegan date cake made from apples and medjool dates. Though she includes a helpful ingredients glossary and encourages cooks to stick with the real thing, Hage does provide room for substitutes, such as switching to almond extract in place of mahleb. For bakers inspired by international cuisines, this excellent compilation provides no shortage of delectable ideas. (Jul.)

Publishers Weekly

'Beautifully photographed . . . the recipes are easy to follow and work beautifully.' - Margaux Laskey, The New York Times

'A Best Cookbook of 2021' - Food52

'Equal parts recipes, travelogue, and personal history.' - Food Network

'A rich and varied array of ingredients and cultural influences.' - Fine Dining Lovers

'A fine celebration of delights.' - Luxe Magazine

'Bake your way through the Middle East at home with a helping hand from award-winning author Salma Hage.' - Time Out

'Authentic and accessible collection.' - Publishers Weekly

'In my years of searching high and low for the best Middle Eastern recipes and cookbooks, I have yet to find one that makes me feel the way Middle Eastern Sweets does.' - Edouard Massih, chef, owner of Edy's Grocer on Food52

'This stunning, elegantly bound cookbook ... will satisfy even the most discerning sweet tooth.' - Shelf Awareness

'The ideal book for both everyday family or festive meals.' - City Book Review

'Elegant…enticing.' - Cooks Without Borders

'An abundance of flavours and aromas and, once made, will never be forgotten' - Good Housekeeping UK

'The grande dame of Lebanese cooking...packed with recipes for desserts, pastries, treats and drinks.' - Stylist 

From the Publisher