Wonderful cookbook that will help support the Chai Cancer Center through book sales. The author, Michael Leventhal, starts his cookbook with a brief chocolate history followed up with numerous delish chocolate recipes. The cookbook author is British but his cookbook does include recipes using American cooking measurements.

Some of the recipes you'll find include:

'Triple Threat'" Chocolate Brownies
Divine Chocolate Raspberry Caramel Slices
Tahnini Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
'No Bake' Chocolate, Tahina and Nut Truffles

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

I grew up in an area with lots of Jewish delis and bakeries and have so many delicious memories. Sadly, where I live now, we just don’t have that flavor here and while I can make a mean pastrami and a crusty loaf of rye, I haven’t tried to make a babka or rugelach…but that’s about to change!

The author shares not only recipes with chocolate from around the world, but also shares some stories and cultural background with each one. I love cooking and eating, but I also love the background. This book is more than I was expecting and I am quite thrilled to have come across it. From truffles to cakes to hot cocoa to babka, rugelach, and more, this book has something to make for every occasion! I can’t to get my bake on and try my hand at some old memories!

What a fascinating book! I enjoyed not only the recipes, but the fascinating stories behind them and the story of chocolate in the Jewish culture including the true story behind the Sachertorte.

There are many recipes I am looking forward to trying. Some include unexpected ingredients such as tahini; many are gluten free. In addition to the sweet chocolate recipes, there are also savoury ones too!

The book was created to support Chai Cancer Care. The recipes are gathered from many different chefs around the world. Their love of cooking and fondness for their recipes really shine through. It's far more than a compilation of recipes.

This is definitely a book I'll return to many times.

I absolutely loved this book! I tried the rugelach and the Babka and both were fantastic! So many of my family members even asked for the recipes! I am so ready to try some more. I liked that they had a bit of history about judaism and chocolate which I never really knew about! I'd definitely recommend this cookbook and will definitely be coming back to try more recipes!

Babka, Boulou & Blintzes is a well written guide (with recipes) on the confluence of chocolate and the Jewish diaspora and how they've interacted throughout history. Due out 30th Aug 2021 from Pen & Sword on their Green Bean Books imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that profits from the sale of the book will benefit Chai Cancer Care (delicious chocolate, interesting history, and tasty recipes for a good cause, win-win).

In his explanation of the recipe curation process, and what makes a recipe Jewish, the author had several criteria: some of them, such as babka and rugelach are quintessentially tied to Jewish culture, some utilise ingredients such as tahini and mahlab which lend a Middle Eastern/Jewish(ish) flavour, and some of the recipes were collected from Jewish cooks and chefs.The result is a well rounded and appealing range of recipes from simple to decadent.

The author's introduction includes some interesting history from the Mayans and Aztecs through the Spanish exploration of the New World, down history through the ascendance of chocolate as an ingredient in European cooking, and to the modern era. The intro is full of interesting photos and commentary as well as being informative. I hadn't really thought about Cadbury and Sacher in context before, and seeing actual photos of them (and others) was enlightening.

The recipes are arranged thematically: cookies bars & and brownies, cakes loaves & tarts, savoury dishes & drinks, hot & cold desserts, and bonbons bites & after-dinner delights. Each recipe is credited with the contributor's name and a short introduction. Recipe ingredients are listed bullet-style in a sidebar list. Measurements are given in standard (metric) measures along with American measurements. Cooking temps and oven settings are given in C/F/gas mark (yay!). The step by step instructions are numbered sequentially, clearly written, and are easy to understand. Nutritional information is not included.

The photography throughout is superb and the serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate and there is so. much. chocolate! Nearly all of the recipes are accompanied by one or more color photos. The book also includes a handy glossary of UK/US terms which is useful enough to be printed out and taped to the inside of handy cabinet door.

This is a decadent collection and would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, cookbook collectors, and chocolate lovers. The early review copy I received did not list an index, but the table of contents is comprehensive enough that the lack of an index might not present a problem for most readers. The appeal of a shared cultural heritage adds a lot of value to this book along with benefiting a wonderful charity.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I’m not crying, you are! Actually, yes, I am. . There were tears of joy, and longing, and nostalgia pouring down my face as I perused this gorgeous cookbook. At first glance, I thought, “this is Bubbie’s recipe box transferred to paper!” Then I reminisced, “Mommy’s Sisterhood group used to do a fundraiser each year where the members would each submit a recipe and then they’d copy all the submissions, put a cover on it, staple it together and sell it in the Judaica shop at the temple!” Then, I flashed to moments with my niece, when she was little, and we would sit at the kitchen table making Mandelbrot or rugelach, or hamentaschen - depending on the holiday or occasion.
Not only does this cookbook capture magnificent moments of my life, but also a shared heritage which is not often celebrated and promoted.
I appreciated the history in the introduction at the beginning, but felt it could have been edited a bit - for me, it’s too long in a cookbook and could be a stand alone supplement or storybook.
The recipes run from simple to intricate, and most have a special twist that save the book from just being everyone’s mother’s recipe collection. The photos are fantastic and really make me want to try out each recipe in its turn. Ingredients are mostly things available anywhere (I live in Asia and often have trouble finding items needed in cookbooks I love, but I was able to easily source just about everything here). I LOVE the fact that the book endeavors to be super inclusive by including metric and imperial measurements as well as temperature guidelines for varying types of ovens.
The fact that all proceeds will go to Chai Cancer Care gives extra incentive to buy a copy for each person in my life. Early Chanukah shopping - done!
Thank you to NetGalley and Green Bean Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

A beautiful set of recipes celebrating Jewish culture and the connection of Jews throughout history being involved in the spread of chocolate through the world. Gives both important historical information and delightful treats!

Most of the books I am reading fail to move my husband. This beautiful cook book was an exception.

Stunning pictures of mouth-watering recipes, most of them vegan, gluten- and sugar-free, with a bit of introduction to the history and the role of chocolate in the Jewish cuisine. Being a Hungarian myself (though not Jewish), I was surprised to learn that it includes a Hungarian recipe I had not heard of before!

And if this all is not enough reason for you to grab a copy of this book, all sales goes to Chai Cancer Care.

I am grateful for NetGalley, Pen & Sword and Green Bean Books for this Advance Reading Copy.

Written by a children’s book author, this book is a fairly light and simple read. With proceeds going to a charity, it seems this is more of a compilation of recipes from other sources rather than a proper cookbook. Nice resource if you are craving something chocolate, though!

I love this book. It has all my favourite cook's recipes in it. Every recipe is mouth watering and know that I will work through the whole book - loving each and every morsel.

Chocolate (‘nuff said)

I enjoyed this book. I do not bake, so why did I request a recipe book? Two reasons: 1) Jewish history and food from around the world and 2) chocolate. I love chocolate. The recipes sound delicious and the photos are amazing. I saw a lot of options in the recipe collection: vegan, gluten-free, kosher for Passover, parve (neither dairy nor meat). I have a background in laboratory work and I think that lab work and baking have a certain amount of overlap. Because of this, I feel that the taster’s tips and cook’s tips in the book would be very useful, as I would have appreciated something like this in the lab. On the other hand, my background in microbiology made me question the very few recipes that had raw egg in the final product. I think that this book would make a great gift. Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword/Green Bean Books for the advance reader copy.