It is difficult for me to get the grin off my face as I review The Silver Platter. Norene Gilletz has been a member of our family since we moved to Montreal. No bride in Montreal or Toronto could possibly marry without having a copy of Second Helpings, Please, which I believe was her first venture into the world of cookbooks. Toby’s chocolate cake, a recipe from Second Helpings, Please was a staple in our house for Shabbos each week. Even my young girls at the time were able to prepare it.
As I prepared for Shavuot this year I laughed as this new beautiful cookbook had arrived in our home. I was now blending recipes from The Silver Platter with onion soup from Second Helpings, Please; the pizza dough recipe from The Food Processor Cookbook, another cookbook staple that Norene has provided us with and the creamy dill dressing that I still make as well from The Food Processor Cookbook.
From The Silver Platter for Shavuot we enjoyed the Kale Salad with roasted sweet potatoes as well as the Hawaiian coleslaw. Some of our friends were impressed with the fact that I was using kale as supposedly it is new and trendy for the younger generation. True, it has to be washed carefully but it’s well worth the effort. I bought the washed bag from Trader Joe’s.
In this beautiful cookbook Daniella Silver, who has been mentored by Norene for many years, provides us with sumptuous recipes with easy steps to follow. Norene in her inimitable fashion offers her tips and suggestions of how to make what might look difficult to do really quite easy. The book itself is a photographic masterpiece. As I turned the pages I wanted to make each recipe instantly. That is the effect that the book has on you as you skim through. I am not interested in extremely complicated, time-consuming recipes. This cookbook can easily make one feel like a gourmand who embarrassingly will know that it really did not take that much effort as long as the easy directions were followed carefully. Congratulations Daniella on this great endeavor. We hope that you will soon have the honor of being a well-respected household name in the path of your teacher Norene.
The Silver Platter is available for purchase at The Judaica House on Cedar Lane.
By Nina Glick
