Reba’s Mother’s
Honey Teiglach
When I met Reba, she was learning to play a card game with a few of her friends—all of whom are featured in this very cookbook. Initially, she didn’t think she had a recipe to share. But as our conversation went on, she suddenly lit up, raising a finger in revelation.
She exclaimed, “My mother’s teiglach!”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s the best dessert in the world!” came the reply.
Teiglach is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish treat made of tiny knotted pastries in a honeyed syrup. Sweet, rich, and indulgent, it is usually served during holidays like Rosh Hashanah.
“My mother had to ration it out,” Reba recalled. “Two for me, two for my brother, and one for my father.”
Just one. Oh, parental sacrifices; how great and difficult they can be!
Teiglach was a dish only Reba’ mother was able to make—Reba was never one to cook herself, and her daughters failed disastrously in their one and only attempt at replicating this storied family dessert.
But in spite of her self-proclaimed lack of affinity for the culinary arts, Reba described the memories she associated with this dish with great vivacity and clarity: how, for instance, she and her sibling had to leave the house when their mother made teiglach, for the cooking process was made dangerous by the boiling hot syrup.
Towards the end of our chat, Reba said, “It’s funny how the memories come back.”
Barbara, who was teaching them all the rules of the card game, smiled.
And she replied, “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The memories?”
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
About 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
½ cup honey
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts
Shredded coconut, for serving
let’s cook!
Mix eggs, oil, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, and flour together to make a soft dough, kneading with fingers until smooth and easily handled.
Pinch off small dough pieces and roll each out on lightly floured board or countertop until ½ inch thick.
Cut into ½ inch pieces.
Arrange on well-greased baking sheet
Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees until light brown (about 20 minutes), shaking the pan once or twice.
Using a spatula, remove from baking sheet
Meanwhile, combine honey, ¼ cup sugar, and ginger. Bring to a boil.
When rapidly boiling, drop pieces of baked dough into syrup one at a time, then add nuts. Please exercise caution at this point in the recipe!
Remove from fire and stir to distribute evenly.
Spoon into a shallow, greased baking pan and place again in oven with heat reduced to 350 until honey has absorbed (about 20 minutes).
Remove from oven, turn out onto a moistened board and pat down with a knife or your fingers. Very hot. If using fingers, dip hands in cold water beforehand.
Cut into 2-inch-high pieces.
Sprinkle coconut over top and serve.
Makes 36.