This Passover, Paula Shoyer, THE kosher expert, best-selling author and frequent TV guest, is sharing creative, tasty and modern recipes that celebrate culinary freedom. THE NEW PASSOVER MENU (Sterling/January 2014; Hardcover; $35.00) takes a fresh look at a holiday known for heavy, tasteless food by combining the nostalgic pleasures of family favorites with contemporary creations. Paula has organized recipes by menus to make holiday cooking super easy, along with equipment lists and tips for advance prep for the busy chef. The stunning book includes beautiful table settings that provide hosts with creative ideas to make their table as inviting as the food.

The New Passover Menu is a modern recipe book with dishes you might see at the hip restaurant down the street, but with others that traditional cooks would embrace. There are enough familiar recipes to remind people of their childhoods, but here they are updated, lighter and more flavorful, without being overly complicated.

Paula’s 65 recipes cover the two Seders, elegant Shabbat and Yom Tov as well as four diverse menus for the weekdays during the long eight-day holiday. Her innovative recipes redefine Passover with delicacies such as:

And let’s not forget desserts, Paula’s specialty. For Passover Paula has created 15 delicious desserts (many Gluten-Free) that will put a flourish to the meal such as:

As with all of Paula’s cookbooks, recipes are beautifully photographed and include helpful tips and techniques. Home cooks can follow Paula’s menus as they are or mix and match, making Passover menu planning easy, not to mention delicious.

THE NEW PASSOVER MENU is the must-have cookbook for Passover and the first resource you will turn to create delicious, elegant and inspired holiday meals this year and every year.

Paula Shoyer, known as "the Kosher Baker" is the leading authority on Jewish baking. This busy mother of four believes that a healthy diet can include desserts . . . if they are homemade. A former attorney, she graduated from the Ritz Escoffier pastry program in Paris, and now teaches French and Jewish baking classes across the country and around the world. Paula is the author of the best-selling The Kosher Baker: Over 160 Dairy-Free Recipes from Traditional to Trendy, The Holiday Kosher Baker, and The New Passover Menu. Her books are carried in such major US retailers as Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble and Costco. She is a contributing editor to several kosher websites such as kosherscoop.com and jewishfoodexperience.com, magazines such as Joy of Kosher, Whisk, and Hadassah, and the Washington Post. Her recipes have been featured in major publications all over the world. Paula has appeared on television over 20 times, before every major Jewish holiday. She has competed on Food Network’s Sweet Genius, and done segments on Hallmark’s Home & Family, Fox News New York, San Diego Living, WUSA9 Washington, NBC Baltimore, Daytime, Newschannel8 Washington, among others. She has even performed songs about her last two cookbooks before live audiences., She has edited the popular cookbooks Kosher by Design Entertains and Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen (both Mesorah). Paula also serves as a consultant for kosher bakeries and companies. Paula lives in Chevy Chase, MD. She was recently honored as one of "Ten Women to Watch" by Jewish Women International.

To learn more about Paula Shoyer, visit her website, www.thekosherbaker.com.

This Passover try these healthy, delicious and innovative recipes from THE NEW PASSOVER MENU:

SERVES 6–8

PREP TIME 20 minutes ADVANCE PREP May be made 1 day in advance

EQUIPMENT Cutting board • Knives • Cookie sheet • Measuring cups and spoons • Small bowl • Whisk

1 pound (450g) Brussels sprouts (preferably larger-size ones), ends trimmed, 2 outer layers of leaves removed

3/4 cup (115g) whole almonds, toasted (see box, page 34)

1/2 small red onion, chopped into small pieces (about 1/4 cup/40g)

3 tablespoons (45ml) fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

CUT the Brussels sprouts in half the long way, from the stem end to the top, and thinly slice. Place the sliced sprouts in a bowl. Roughly chop the toasted almonds and add to the bowl, along with the chopped onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, honey, salt, and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.

Serves 4–6

Prep time 10 minutes Cook time 6–8 minutes Advance prep May be made 1 day in advance

Equipment Measuring cups and spoons • Cutting board • Knives • Large frying pan • Silicone spatula

4 tuna steaks (6 ounces/170g each)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Black pepper

3 tablespoons (45ml) extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped red onion, cut into

1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces

4 cloves garlic, chopped into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces

3 tablespoons capers, drained, or green olives, cut into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces

1/3 cup (45g) green or black olives (or a combination), cut into long slivers

1/2 teaspoon sugar

SPRINKLE both sides of the tuna steaks with the basil, thyme, and pepper to taste. Heat a large frying pan over high heat (do not add any oil). When the pan is hot, add the tuna steaks and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side, just long enough to sear the outside. Leave the center raw, unless you prefer tuna cooked all the way through.

REMOVE the tuna steaks to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add the oil. Add the red onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the capers, olives, sugar, and pepper to taste and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

PLACE the tuna steaks on a cutting board and slice into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick (8- to 12-mm) slices.Place the slices on a platter and sprinkle the caper and olive mixture on top, or serve it alongside in a small bowl.

Sterling / January 2014

www.TheKosherBaker.com