Last Hurrah Shabbat Summer Picnic

Hello from my end-of-summer travel whirlwind!

On Sunday we picked Max up at summer camp—taller, tanner, and a bit loopy from a midnight bedtime after an epic, all-camp havdalah dance party. After loading his overstuffed duffle into the car, we drove straight north to Montreal arriving much too late to our Airbnb and immediately all collapsed.

The next day, we scooted just a bit further north to the mountains for KlezKanada, our favorite week-long klezmer and Yiddish culture festival. Yoshie and I are both teaching again this summer, and I’m thrilled to get to debut The Dessert Table: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets through four dessert-focused cooking classes.

Speaking of, have you pre-ordered your copy of The Dessert Table yet? It’s out in two weeks and fall Jewish baking season is coming, so now’s the perfect time! Also, have you checked out if I’m coming to your city during my book tour? I can’t wait to celebrate with you in person.

I have a whole host of brand-spanking new high holiday recipes in the works and coming your way soon. Keep an eye out over the next several weeks for:

• Chicken and Eggplant Tagine—a schmaltzy and seductively spiced chicken stew.

• Couscous Pilaf with Figs and Almond—Silky caramelized onions, jammy dried figs, and toasted almonds tossed with nubby pearled couscous. Unmistakable Rosh Hashanah vibes.

• Sweet and Sour Cabbage and Fennel—An old-new classic for your holiday table.

• A sneak peek of the Sweet Cheese Bougatsa from The Dessert Table—a sure-to-be-hit at your Yom Kippur break fast

These recipes will be exclusively shared with paid newsletter subscribers. Don’t miss out on any of the high holiday deliciousness—upgrade to paid today.

We are moments away from switching over to autumn coziness and contemplative high holiday mode. But you still have time (and warm, sunny days) left to savor a last hurrah Shabbat, or anytime, picnic.

The best picnic foods must be easy to pack up and tote along, and taste great at room temperature. And this time of year, it is imperative to make the most of the late summer/early fall produce abundance—eggplants, tomatoes, plums, zucchini, grapes etc.

Check out this collection of picnic-worthy recipes from The Jewish Table archive and invite a few friends to join you in summer’s lingering joy.

Challah + Dips: Six Strand Challah (or store-bought!) with Veggie and Magic Dip and/or Eggplant Caviar

Salad-y Things: Roasted Plum and Farro Salad, Roasted Tomato Halves, and/or Lentil Salad with Roasted Artichokes

Mains: Wild Greens Pie, Zucchini Pashtida, and/or Majestic Boureka Pie

Desserts: Zucchini Honey Cake and/or Grape and Almond Cake