96 | April 2019
FOOD HOLIDAYS
PHOTO: (PORTRAIT) MICHAEL MARQUAND
JAKE
COHEN
For Jake, the editorial
and test kitchen
director of
thefeedfeed.com (a
social-driven cooking
site), Passover is an
occasion to blend his
Eastern European-
Jewish heritage with
his husband’s Persian
and Iraqi-Jewish
roots through food.
Jake adds halva (a
Middle Eastern candy
made from sesame)
to chewy macaroons
and layers tahini
in cakey cookies.
Because using
leaveners is forbidden
during Passover,
bakers have to get
creative. “It’s all about
meringue,” says
Jake, who uses whipped
egg whites to lift
his dessert recipes.
COCONUT-
HALVA
MACAROONS
As the halva melts, it
forms a crackly edge
around the cookie
base. Some Jewish
sects avoid grains and
seeds, including
sesame seeds and
derivatives, during
Passover. Skip the
halva and use
coconut milk to make
these dairy- and
seed-free. ■
COCONUT-HALVA
MACAROONS
TAHINI RAINBOW
COOKIES
Jake uses matcha
powder and ground
hibiscus to subtly
color the layers.
