I learned to love halva at an early age, at first with nibbles of the standard wrapped bar, sometimes chocolate-coated. Later, while I was in art school, my friends and I would walk down to a little falafel stand called Layla—which was quite exotic at the time—on Spruce Street in Philadelphia. Sitting on the counter under a cake cover was a giant block of pistachio halva. I would buy a chunk and savor it. I had never tasted anything so ambrosial, and the flaky, crumbly texture—which contrasted beautifully with the generous amount of whole pistachios—had me at hello. It was a small luxury for a college student, and I ate it whenever I could. This was the “real thing.”
Seed + Mill in Chelsea Market in NYC has not only pistachio halva (still my favorite) but many more creative flavors sitting on their counter, where you can also get their justifiably famous tahini soft serve and all of their varieties of tahini (the best!).
My friend Rachel Simons, the owner of Seed + Mill, has just written a terrific book called Sesame: Global Recipes & Stories of an Ancient Seed that’s crammed with lots of appealing recipes that employ sesame in one way or another, and as the title implies, come from a variety of cultures and influences.
I got a sneak peek of an early version of the book when it was still a PDF so I could write a glowing and heartfelt endorsement, which you’ll find inside the front cover. Today we are sharing a delicious recipe from the book, Sesame & Miso Peach Crumble.
I visited Rachel this past Friday morning, and we cooked this recipe together in her sunny kitchen and had a little chat while we waited for the crumble to bake. I know it’s asking a lot to watch a 30-minute video, but think of it as a podcast or a sitcom! I think you’ll enjoy it, and you can fast-forward whenever you want. We talked about the book, how we first met (spoiler alert: it was during a workshop I co-hosted with Yossy Arefi in 2018), and about baking with tahini, of course!
One of the things that stood out to me during this conversation is how much we bond over food. Rachel reminded me of how much fun that workshop was and how many lasting friendships she made, including ours.
Rachel highlights her community by including some of their recipes in Sesame. A variety of fellow cooks have contributed to this book, including Ayesha Nurdjaja, David Lebovitz, Molly Yeh, and many more. This is typical of Rachel, who says “we” more than she says “I” when referring to her company and her wonderful book. Including the recipes of these talented folks just adds to the variety you’ll find in these pages.
I really love Rachel and her products, and I think you will too!
We’re giving away a copy of the book, along with a very special Sesame Celebration Box that’s full of delicious products:
Tahini Caramel Popcorn, a unique collaboration between The Ardent Homesteader & BjornQorn. The recipe is in the book, if you like it as much as we did!
Artisanal Gomasio by Curio Spice Co.: This beloved versatile Japanese sesame seasoning adds depth and complexity to any dish.
The Perfect Tahini Kitchen Tool: A mini whisk from Material Kitchen, designed specifically for creating the silky-smooth classic tahini.
Essential Starter Ingredients: Seed + Mill's best selling Organic Tahini and Sesame Halva, the building blocks to get you started using the book at home.
Edible Inspiration: A special greeting card featuring the Sweet & Salty Challah recipe, beautifully hand-painted by artist Nancy Pappas.
A Personal Connection: The MOIO SEED bracelet, handcrafted in Zimbabwe by a dear friend Danielle and her daughter Gemma, representing the threads that connect us across continents and generations.
As usual, let me know in the comments why you want this book (and gift set!) and I will pick a winner at random on Monday, June 2nd. I’ll notify you by DM in the Substack app and also by email, so keep an eye on your inbox! You must be a paid subscriber and a U.S. resident age 18 or over to enter. See the bottom of this post for the giveaway fine print1 and click the button below to leave your comment.
