Once upon a time, there was a wonderful cantor in the Jewish community of Cologne, Shimon Ben Zeev. And he had an equally remarkable wife, Hedva. She was the embodiment of what one might imagine an English lady to be—always impeccably groomed, with an ideally kept home, beautiful napkins, delicious tea, and mouthwatering cakes.

sweets

Kartoshka (“Potato” chocolate sponge cake)

I can't call myself a fan of Soviet cuisine, nor do I feel any nostalgia for it—there's no Olivier salad, meat jello (kholodets), or herring "shuba" in our home. But some Soviet pastries?

View the recipe

drinks

Tzvi Mirkin’s coffee

Coffee is the smell of childhood. And, in a way, envy. Parents brewing coffee on weekend mornings (and on weekdays too, but everyone had breakfast at different times). And a burning desire to try it, despite being told that it was too early for kids, bad for the heart, and so on.