If you’re a foodie or wine lover on the hunt for exquisite products, you’ll want to put Israeli wines, dairy products and cheeses at the top of your list. Even if you’re nowhere near the land of milk and honey, the best of these Israeli products aren’t difficult to find. Since Chanukah is right around the corner, we’ve started to think about how to tweak the traditional doughnut and dairy recipes by incorporating our favorite Israeli wines and dairy products into the mix. Combining those two foods, usually reserved for culinary experts, may sound daunting. Not sure how to pair them? No problem. We know quite a bit about both.
Whether you’re a hipster foodie or a scion of the sophisticated world—or you just like the taste of wine—we know you’ll enjoy serving these to guests. Start by choosing from a range of white wines, which always add a touch of lightness and sparkle to an evening.
Here are the top tips from the experts:
*If you’re looking for a light and sweet flavor that goes well with salty latkes, we suggest the Yarden Sauvignon Blanc. For a red wine, try the deep, rich Galil Mountain Alon.
*A Gamla Brut is a lovely bubbly wine made from our Chardonnay grapes picked from the Golan Heights. It’s got fruity touches of zesty lemon and lime, making it a tart and tangy companion to your cheese and dairy dishes.
*The Galil Mountain Viognier has an oilier texture and a bold taste. Spicy and fruity, it’ll complement latkes and doughnuts like Mr. and Mrs. Right.
*A classic sweet, crisp and light white wine can be found in the Mt. Hermon Moscato. A fan favorite, it’s bubbly, slightly fruity and always fun. An aromatic, fruity red Yarden Rom also hits the spot.
Now that you’ve got your wine guide, here’s our favorite Israeli holiday recipe, courtesy of Tnuva, the largest purveyor of kosher cheese and dairy products in the world.
Israeli Mini Sufganiyot
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
- 3 ½ cups of flour
- ¼ cup of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cup of 1% milk, lukewarm
- 2 tablespoons of Tnuva Butter
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- Oil for frying
- 8 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- In a small bowl, mix together yeast, milk and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, mix half a cup of flour with the sugar. Then add in the yeast mixture and blend together. Add in the remaining flour and continue stirring until the dough is elastic
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in volume.
- On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about ½ an inch think. Make circles using a medium-sized cookie cutter.
- Place the dough patties onto a well-floured baking tray and let them rise again until they have doubled in volume (about an hour).
- Heat up oil in a medium saucepan and fry the dough patties until they are golden on both sides.
- Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon and coat the sufganiyot with the mixture.
By Ken Stephens