{"id":7833,"date":"2020-10-06T14:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-06T19:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/delamourencocotte.com\/?p=7833"},"modified":"2026-09-05T23:12:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T04:12:53","slug":"falastin-tahini-and-sesame-brioches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/delamourencocotte.com\/en\/falastin-tahini-and-sesame-brioches\/","title":{"rendered":"Falastin & Tahini and Sesame Brioches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Falastin, by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More than a cookbook<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today I’m going to tell you about a beautiful book that I had the chance to discover. We are talking about food, of course, but not only: Falastin is an invitation to travel to Palestine, a culinary and historical discovery through recipes, anecdotes and life stories. In charge of it is Sami Tamimi, renowned chef and Y. Ottolenghi’s henchman, and Tara Wigley, a member of the Ottolenghi team, who has swapped the publishing world for the kitchen atmosphere. You have already heard both names before, I am sure, from their collaborations in Y. Ottolenghi’s restaurants and published books.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Falastin:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

You already know my interest in Oriental cuisine, so this book was bound to appeal to me. But I found there much more than what I was expecting from a classic cookbook, thanks to the stories told by Tara’s beautiful pen. Stories of women, men, families, and villages. Touching stories, sometimes sad but also full of hope. It is impossible to despise the conflict in which these people live, but we must not forget their daily lives, sometimes as simple as ours: families, friends, work [etc.] and, of course, meals. I even discovered that I share my increasing freezing practice with Palestinian families!
As soon as I opened the book, I felt transported. The beautiful, colourful and tempting photos [don’t tell me you don’t want to dip a piece of pita in these dips! ], and the recipes with the most tempting titles, one better than the other, can only enthrall and board you into the falastinian universe. Palestine, we talk a lot about it, but we know very little about it. I am definitely conquered by this book and delighted to travel to this universe, at least in my mind and dishes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Dips (Falastin, KO \u00c9ditions)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The recipes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The book is divided into nine categories [breakfasts, snacks\/dips\/sauces, vegetables & salads, soups, veggie dishes, fish, meat, bread & pastries and desserts], representing a mixture of traditional recipes and the ones revisited by the chef. Every recipe starts with a short presentation, a personal anecdote from the authors, tips to facilitate the preparation organization [really appreciated by the busy mom, thank you] and some options for variations. Then comes the recipe itself. I was expecting complex recipes\u2026 and no! The recipes are overall simple. Well-detailed with clear instructions, and they are easy to follow. Surprise, the ingredients are pretty common and easily found in our grocery stores. Reading through the book, we discover the existence of ingredients with more exotic names, and the authors had no choice except to exclude them. The exclusivity to their regions would not allow us to find them here, and no local equivalent could replace them. Of course, you will need to have a good supply of spices, especially the famous Zaatar, and have a serious stock of tahini [sesame paste], but this was expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel you are starting to tremble with eagerness; maybe it is time to discover a nice recipe from this book. Sure, I know you are just waiting for this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Honestly, I had difficulty deciding which recipe I would try first. So, I decided to involve my husband, but it was also complicated. We finally decided to select two recipes. My love for bakery and brioches inevitably took me down the path of tahini and sesame brioches. And his pronounced taste for beets took us to the Beet, Feta, Zaatar and Honey Rustic Pie [and my curiosity for this combination\u2026 let’s admit it is intriguing].<\/p>\n\n\n

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Beet, Feta, Zaatar and Honey Rustic Pie (Falastin, KO \u00c9ditions)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Today, the little brioches will be opening the menu, but you know what: tomorrow, I have another free day, so the pie is planned [the dough is already resting in the refrigerator].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Tahini and Sesame Brioches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Well, it’s a classic brioche recipe. We can easily comprehend why everybody appreciates them, especially the children [mine loved it, “it’s very, very good” according to the words from the kids]\u2026 The cinnamon digs memories out by reminding us of our cinnamon rolls, but the tahini\/sesame takes us elsewhere. A mixture of ‘d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu’ and exoticism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no complexity in this recipe; the resting time is always very long when preparing brioches. I needed to take this book to make me buy instant yeast [I’m on the baker’s fresh yeast team]; I must admit that it saves time. I am still thinking if I would redo this recipe using my usual yeast, increasing the rising time or even making them with my sourdough; I’m already drooling\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Brioches<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tahini and Sesame Brioches<\/h2>\n
Small brioches that remind us our cinnamon rolls but with a touch of exoticism given by the tahini and the sesame. <\/span><\/div>\n
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