New recipes from Rachel Simon's book, Sesame, including a date-night worthy Tahini Caesar, a rhubarb tart and a mouthwatering giveaway from Seed + Mill.
When I was a kid in the 80s, and no one I knew had ever heard of halvah, my parents (who has honeymooned in Israel) used to seek it out and occasionally find it in the gourmet cheese case at a local grocery store. We didn't often have sweets in the house, but I would often get a small slice of halvah as an afternoon treat. It has been one of my favorite flavors ever since. When I can't find it, I just stir honey into my tahini and eat it with a spoon!
Honey + tahini as a sub when I'm out of halva is a revelation! I would miss the crispy texture of halva but I know this would lead to other good things. How lucky you were to develop a taste for healthier treats, instead of the many overly sweet goodies of the 80s.
Oh sesame, how I love you! I grew up eating sesame seeds and sesame oil in my mom’s Korean dishes but the first time I had halva was when I baked Ottolenghi’s tahini and halva brownies. My husband and boys were gone camping so my daughter and I savored those all weekend while binging Audrey Hepburn movies. Some dishes I defo want to try are that Radicchio Tahini Caesar (yum). Also her Fully Loaded Granola (need!) and Tahini-swirled Pavlova with Summer Fruit and Halva (OMG!). Definitely need this box of goodies - I’m intrigued by her gomasio. I keep furikake on hand but have never tried gomasio. Thanks Sarah for the opportunity to win this great giveaway! 🙌💞
Hi Betty! How incredible to grow up with your mom's Korean cooking! I envy the depth of those flavors on the nightly table. Oh, I forgot about Ottolenghi's tahini and halva brownies! Tahini and chocolate are such a beautiful combination. I'm with you, eyeing that Tahini Pavlova with Summer Fruit and Halva. It was so hard to pick just one recipe for this post!
I distinctly recall the first time I had halva. My mom and I were at the only proper delis in the East Bay Area, Saul's, and she bought me a chocolate swirled halva. The texture and flavor were unparalleled and I was totally floored. Obsessed with having it again in the way you are as a child who tries something for the first time. It is a Transformative Experience (see philosophical theory by L.A. Paul) and changes your wants, needs, values, etc. I had a similar experience when I first tried Thai Iced Tea, for context.
I put sesame on everything. This month I made a tahini, honey, coconut oil, seedy-ass granola. I will also make babaghanoush which i love to whip up for a fun dinner party. And I just saw your recipe for a tahini caesar dressing?!?! Done.
My mom needs this box. She is most definitely sesame aligned. It's like her "spirit seed" if that was a thing. We always joke that she eats sesame like a little bird. Anyways, she is certainly deserving of this -- she is a fantastic mother, person, friend, and current caregiver to my step dad. basically she's constantly caring for everyone else and this would be the perfect gift for her at the right time! <3
Cara there are so many wonderful nuggets to reply to here, but most of all, your mother sounds wonderful. And how lucky she is to have such a thoughtful daughter like you. (p.s. I'm a chocolate swirled halva girl for life!)
A few decades ago, I was in my early twenties and was touring around Israel. This was a trip of firsts--my first time out of the country, my first time seeing a vibrant, outdoor city market, and my first time seeing a camel. Hearing from others to be wary of the giant beasts because they may spit, I asked the man next to one if it was okay to touch it and whether it might spit on me. He replied, "My camel does not spit." I reached up, made contact, and was rewarded with a t-shirt covered in spue. I looked over at the man and he threw up his hands and replied, "This is not my camel!"
Clearly, he felt a bit bad, and laughing, offered me a square of halva.
I'd go through that experience a thousand times over to have just one more square of that food.
Yum!!! When I think of sesame, my first thought is an everything bagel or sesame oil in Asian foods. I've been eyeing your tahini-chocolate power cups for a while, and this new hummus recipe looks fantastic! I'm about to hit the grocery store so tahini is definitely now on the list! Thanks for the inspiration Sarah!
Oh my gosh, that cookbook looks amazing. My kids are all home this summer and we are definitely Sesame curious! It would be so fun to get that gift box and sample the goodies.
This looks like wonderful book, and the whole basket is a beautiful treat.
Why should we receive this basket? Because we would truly appreciate it, and can share the delicious meals made with this book and products with others, who will also be happy.
My 1st sesame memory is discovering halva as a student in NYC. The book looks beautiful and my favorite sesame uses are in dressings, bean dips, and with veggie “messes”:from whatever is coming out of the garden
I first became aware of tahini at my son's soccer tournament. We were in Rhode Island and between games, I took my daughter into the nearby town for lunch. I ordered chicken shawarma with a tahini sauce for the first time and loved it. I wanted to recreate it at home and ended up buying my first jar of tahini. Now it is a family favorite.
Shawarma with tahini sauces is one of my favorites! we are deep in soccer tournament season, and I also try to get in one good meal when we travel for soccer as a treat for the drivers (me or my husband!) who are putting in all those miles. I love RI, and now you have me hoping our next tournament takes us there (instead of NJ!)
Growing up in Detroit, I didn’t appreciate the wonderful access I had to different types of delicious middle eastern foods. I remember being a young girl and snacking on halva with chai at our family parties. People were always bringing treats like that to our gatherings. I still miss having good halva and will have to try making it myself!
The Detroit stories are coming in strong and reigniting my love for this great city!! I am so jealous of your childhood halva and chai snack (I was eating cheese curds and drinking Tang,!)
haha makes sense! I’m still searching for baklava that tastes as good as what I remember having as a kid. fwiw I drank a lot of Tang too 😂 Detroit is a fun combo of multicultural foods and midwestern goodness.
This cookbook looks amazing! I plan on making some tahini overnight oats soon - one of my favorite summer breakfasts, plus this gorgeous salad with kale, and tahini stuffed dates with a little chocolate drizzle - one my favorite dessert-y snacks during my last trimester of pregnancy! :)
Tahini overnight oats, with plums or fresh blackberries. I'm riffing on your dreamy breakfast, it sounds so good! And 100% yes to those Tahini stuff dates with chocolate drizzle. (I've been keeping Medjool dates and Brazil nuts in my car in a little pouch for a quick snack on the go, and it always delivers).
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, sesame candies were one of my favorite sweet treats—the perfect blend of crunch and sweetness, with a brittle-like texture that made every bite delightful.
Now, as summer arrives, I’m embracing the season with my toddler and two preschoolers, keeping up our weekly staples: creamy homemade hummus, rich chocolate-tahini power cups, and flavorful tahini dressings for quick salads and wraps on busy days.
This box would be an incredible treat for us. Living in a rural area, we rarely come across goodies like these, making them all the more special! 😊
Thank you for your note, Eliana. I love that these comments are also giving me some great insight into who all of you are! Are the sesame candies from the DR similar to ones that became popular in the US in the late 80s and 90s? In a clear plastic wrap? You are now reminding me that they may have been my first taste of sesame love way back when.
Also, I am VERY impressed with these things on your menu with a toddler and two (!!) preschoolers at home! I feel like my cooking was very simplistic in those days of parenting. Bravo. And I am with you regarding the access to goodies! Every package that arrives in the mail with these kinds of treats is like a mini Christmas.
I think they are similar, if not the same! The ones I grew up with were a bit larger and sold as a street snack. Seems like both made with sugar and sesame… what’s not to love?! lol.
Thank you! Life with littles is wild, but cooking my one creative activity in this season of life. Nap time is when the kitchen magic happens. 💫
(I’m 72) but in third grade we were supposed to bring “foreign food” from other cultures to a party. I brought homemade halva. (W/rosewater that I had to get at a pharmacy) my little plate of delicious beautiful halva sat there amidst a whole lot of French fries! No one tried it.. but I went on in my life to bake, cater, have two cafes, and manufacture specialty foods!! But your article brought back the memory of my lonely little plate of yummy halva!
Oh my goodness, Cyndra, this story! First, I need to pause and just take it in. I'm wishing for a photo of you then and now. :) Do you recall where you were first exposed to halva? Was it a part of your family's food culture? I'm guessing this was around 1957/58 ish. You were WAY ahead of your time! Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.
No family history connection, but my father brought me back a jar of rose petal jam from Omar khayyams (in San Francisco) & I began to explore Armenian & Turkish food culture. I also got to connect with the Mardikian family (George was a legend)!
I think I was quite young when I first tried halvah, back in the 1960's probably. My dad had been introduced to it somewhere along the line and occasionally would buy some to snack on. It was love at first bite for me! I can still recall an Italian-style deli in the Lansing MI area in the 1980's that sold halvah by the pound from a huge wheel of it. It seemed to taste fresher than the prepackaged stuff one commonly sees. I haven't seen it being sold like that since and don't know if it's still available that way anywhere
I just finished my first batch of your granola with tahini. So good! Am definitely going to make some more!
Thank you for this note, Aimee! I'm so happy my tahini granola was a win for you. I just shopped to make another batch this week. I might even sprinkle in a little halva for a treat.
I am amazed that halva was so accessible, even in the Midwest in the 60s and beyond. My family missed the memo. We weren't the most adventurous, veering outside American, Italian, and occasionally Chinese cooking. I think that is part of what drew me to NYC straight after college, an open door to any and every type of cuisine.
When I was a kid in the 80s, and no one I knew had ever heard of halvah, my parents (who has honeymooned in Israel) used to seek it out and occasionally find it in the gourmet cheese case at a local grocery store. We didn't often have sweets in the house, but I would often get a small slice of halvah as an afternoon treat. It has been one of my favorite flavors ever since. When I can't find it, I just stir honey into my tahini and eat it with a spoon!
Honey + tahini as a sub when I'm out of halva is a revelation! I would miss the crispy texture of halva but I know this would lead to other good things. How lucky you were to develop a taste for healthier treats, instead of the many overly sweet goodies of the 80s.
Love Rachel’s book so much!
It's so good! I'm diving into the sweets section next.
Oh sesame, how I love you! I grew up eating sesame seeds and sesame oil in my mom’s Korean dishes but the first time I had halva was when I baked Ottolenghi’s tahini and halva brownies. My husband and boys were gone camping so my daughter and I savored those all weekend while binging Audrey Hepburn movies. Some dishes I defo want to try are that Radicchio Tahini Caesar (yum). Also her Fully Loaded Granola (need!) and Tahini-swirled Pavlova with Summer Fruit and Halva (OMG!). Definitely need this box of goodies - I’m intrigued by her gomasio. I keep furikake on hand but have never tried gomasio. Thanks Sarah for the opportunity to win this great giveaway! 🙌💞
Hi Betty! How incredible to grow up with your mom's Korean cooking! I envy the depth of those flavors on the nightly table. Oh, I forgot about Ottolenghi's tahini and halva brownies! Tahini and chocolate are such a beautiful combination. I'm with you, eyeing that Tahini Pavlova with Summer Fruit and Halva. It was so hard to pick just one recipe for this post!
I distinctly recall the first time I had halva. My mom and I were at the only proper delis in the East Bay Area, Saul's, and she bought me a chocolate swirled halva. The texture and flavor were unparalleled and I was totally floored. Obsessed with having it again in the way you are as a child who tries something for the first time. It is a Transformative Experience (see philosophical theory by L.A. Paul) and changes your wants, needs, values, etc. I had a similar experience when I first tried Thai Iced Tea, for context.
I put sesame on everything. This month I made a tahini, honey, coconut oil, seedy-ass granola. I will also make babaghanoush which i love to whip up for a fun dinner party. And I just saw your recipe for a tahini caesar dressing?!?! Done.
My mom needs this box. She is most definitely sesame aligned. It's like her "spirit seed" if that was a thing. We always joke that she eats sesame like a little bird. Anyways, she is certainly deserving of this -- she is a fantastic mother, person, friend, and current caregiver to my step dad. basically she's constantly caring for everyone else and this would be the perfect gift for her at the right time! <3
Cara there are so many wonderful nuggets to reply to here, but most of all, your mother sounds wonderful. And how lucky she is to have such a thoughtful daughter like you. (p.s. I'm a chocolate swirled halva girl for life!)
A few decades ago, I was in my early twenties and was touring around Israel. This was a trip of firsts--my first time out of the country, my first time seeing a vibrant, outdoor city market, and my first time seeing a camel. Hearing from others to be wary of the giant beasts because they may spit, I asked the man next to one if it was okay to touch it and whether it might spit on me. He replied, "My camel does not spit." I reached up, made contact, and was rewarded with a t-shirt covered in spue. I looked over at the man and he threw up his hands and replied, "This is not my camel!"
Clearly, he felt a bit bad, and laughing, offered me a square of halva.
I'd go through that experience a thousand times over to have just one more square of that food.
This is possibly the best story I've heard all year!!!
Yum!!! When I think of sesame, my first thought is an everything bagel or sesame oil in Asian foods. I've been eyeing your tahini-chocolate power cups for a while, and this new hummus recipe looks fantastic! I'm about to hit the grocery store so tahini is definitely now on the list! Thanks for the inspiration Sarah!
I'm so happy to hear you've been making the chocolate tahini power cups, KM! Thanks for the note, you're entered!
Oh my gosh, that cookbook looks amazing. My kids are all home this summer and we are definitely Sesame curious! It would be so fun to get that gift box and sample the goodies.
Hooray for kids at home this summer! I wish I could send out 50 of these boxes!
This looks like wonderful book, and the whole basket is a beautiful treat.
Why should we receive this basket? Because we would truly appreciate it, and can share the delicious meals made with this book and products with others, who will also be happy.
What a sincere note. I agree Cytheria, that would make lots of people happy. 🤍
My 1st sesame memory is discovering halva as a student in NYC. The book looks beautiful and my favorite sesame uses are in dressings, bean dips, and with veggie “messes”:from whatever is coming out of the garden
Thank you for the note, Sally! Entering your name in the hat!
I first became aware of tahini at my son's soccer tournament. We were in Rhode Island and between games, I took my daughter into the nearby town for lunch. I ordered chicken shawarma with a tahini sauce for the first time and loved it. I wanted to recreate it at home and ended up buying my first jar of tahini. Now it is a family favorite.
Shawarma with tahini sauces is one of my favorites! we are deep in soccer tournament season, and I also try to get in one good meal when we travel for soccer as a treat for the drivers (me or my husband!) who are putting in all those miles. I love RI, and now you have me hoping our next tournament takes us there (instead of NJ!)
Growing up in Detroit, I didn’t appreciate the wonderful access I had to different types of delicious middle eastern foods. I remember being a young girl and snacking on halva with chai at our family parties. People were always bringing treats like that to our gatherings. I still miss having good halva and will have to try making it myself!
The Detroit stories are coming in strong and reigniting my love for this great city!! I am so jealous of your childhood halva and chai snack (I was eating cheese curds and drinking Tang,!)
haha makes sense! I’m still searching for baklava that tastes as good as what I remember having as a kid. fwiw I drank a lot of Tang too 😂 Detroit is a fun combo of multicultural foods and midwestern goodness.
there is only one item i know how to cook with sesame is garlic toast and sesame-love to win for more ideas
Entered! And now I want sesame-garlic toast!
This cookbook looks amazing! I plan on making some tahini overnight oats soon - one of my favorite summer breakfasts, plus this gorgeous salad with kale, and tahini stuffed dates with a little chocolate drizzle - one my favorite dessert-y snacks during my last trimester of pregnancy! :)
Tahini overnight oats, with plums or fresh blackberries. I'm riffing on your dreamy breakfast, it sounds so good! And 100% yes to those Tahini stuff dates with chocolate drizzle. (I've been keeping Medjool dates and Brazil nuts in my car in a little pouch for a quick snack on the go, and it always delivers).
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, sesame candies were one of my favorite sweet treats—the perfect blend of crunch and sweetness, with a brittle-like texture that made every bite delightful.
Now, as summer arrives, I’m embracing the season with my toddler and two preschoolers, keeping up our weekly staples: creamy homemade hummus, rich chocolate-tahini power cups, and flavorful tahini dressings for quick salads and wraps on busy days.
This box would be an incredible treat for us. Living in a rural area, we rarely come across goodies like these, making them all the more special! 😊
Thank you for your note, Eliana. I love that these comments are also giving me some great insight into who all of you are! Are the sesame candies from the DR similar to ones that became popular in the US in the late 80s and 90s? In a clear plastic wrap? You are now reminding me that they may have been my first taste of sesame love way back when.
Also, I am VERY impressed with these things on your menu with a toddler and two (!!) preschoolers at home! I feel like my cooking was very simplistic in those days of parenting. Bravo. And I am with you regarding the access to goodies! Every package that arrives in the mail with these kinds of treats is like a mini Christmas.
I think they are similar, if not the same! The ones I grew up with were a bit larger and sold as a street snack. Seems like both made with sugar and sesame… what’s not to love?! lol.
Thank you! Life with littles is wild, but cooking my one creative activity in this season of life. Nap time is when the kitchen magic happens. 💫
(I’m 72) but in third grade we were supposed to bring “foreign food” from other cultures to a party. I brought homemade halva. (W/rosewater that I had to get at a pharmacy) my little plate of delicious beautiful halva sat there amidst a whole lot of French fries! No one tried it.. but I went on in my life to bake, cater, have two cafes, and manufacture specialty foods!! But your article brought back the memory of my lonely little plate of yummy halva!
Oh my goodness, Cyndra, this story! First, I need to pause and just take it in. I'm wishing for a photo of you then and now. :) Do you recall where you were first exposed to halva? Was it a part of your family's food culture? I'm guessing this was around 1957/58 ish. You were WAY ahead of your time! Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.
No family history connection, but my father brought me back a jar of rose petal jam from Omar khayyams (in San Francisco) & I began to explore Armenian & Turkish food culture. I also got to connect with the Mardikian family (George was a legend)!
I think I was quite young when I first tried halvah, back in the 1960's probably. My dad had been introduced to it somewhere along the line and occasionally would buy some to snack on. It was love at first bite for me! I can still recall an Italian-style deli in the Lansing MI area in the 1980's that sold halvah by the pound from a huge wheel of it. It seemed to taste fresher than the prepackaged stuff one commonly sees. I haven't seen it being sold like that since and don't know if it's still available that way anywhere
I just finished my first batch of your granola with tahini. So good! Am definitely going to make some more!
Thank you for this note, Aimee! I'm so happy my tahini granola was a win for you. I just shopped to make another batch this week. I might even sprinkle in a little halva for a treat.
I am amazed that halva was so accessible, even in the Midwest in the 60s and beyond. My family missed the memo. We weren't the most adventurous, veering outside American, Italian, and occasionally Chinese cooking. I think that is part of what drew me to NYC straight after college, an open door to any and every type of cuisine.