DISCOVER NAVA'S KITCHEN

Just love my weekends, the weekdays are so busy with work and I’m an extrovert who enjoys other people’s company. So when the weekend comes around I love to spend time with my family, friends and socialising. Throw in a celebration and I’m in heaven. My nephew’s Bar mitzvah was last weekend and we started the celebrations on Friday night with a beautiful meal and music and of course a celebratory cake to complete the meal. What would a Jewish celebration be without speeches?

My sister Anat texted my family WhatsApp group to ask if anyone knew a really good carrot cake recipe. It’s her friend's birthday and carrot is her favourite cake, so Anat wanted to make one. With my usual restraint, I immediately texted back that I have the BESTEST carrot cake recipe EVER! Anat then called and said, ‘Thanks for the recipe, just send it to me and I’ll make it. I know what your thinking, but I don’t want you to make it!' To which I replied, 'But I already have

It’s been such a challenging summer, so much heartache and devastation but at the same time so much kindness, generosity, compassion and love have been shared that it warmed my heart and at times made me cry. It showed that even though we are divided in our opinions every one agreed on one thing, we ALL needed to help, so many people donated their time and money which only re-enforces my belief that human beings are innately good! And to celebrate this human trait and the r

I made this pavlova for my book club end-of-year celebration, hosted by my friend Ivy Puterflam who put on a fantastic spread for us and our partners. I chose the famous pav because it’s light and fluffy and topped with fruit it's the perfect summer dessert. I have been wanting to make this one for a loooooooong time but haven’t attempted it because, basically, pavlovas are a delicate dessert that is sensitive to EVERYTHING. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I mean s

I wanted to say happy Friday everyone, but I can’t pretend, the devastating fires that are burning day and night aren't heartbreaking and I never thought I would want it to pour on a summer’s day. My heart goes out to all the people affected by the fire and to all the amazing firefighters/heroes I salute you, you are doing an amazing job. On a happier note next week I will be going on holidays to Cambodia and Vietnam, for my stepson’s wedding. Johannes (in my opinion) will

Everyone thinks I am being modest when I say I am not a natural baker. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. I do LOVE to bake, however, and it’s only through perseverance and practice over YEARS that I got any good at it, and this story will set the record straight. This is the very first cake I ever learnt to make. My cake guru Erica Katlav taught me how to make it, and many more. She is an AMAZING baker. Apparently every woman in Israel knows how to make this

What sort of cake do make your big sister? The sister you have always looked up to because she truly is the kindest person you’ll ever meet with a heart the size of mount EVERest.. Its a big ask, but I thought I'd give it a try. So I made this cake with lots of beautiful flowers because Sara is famously beautiful more beautiful than any cake could be. But flowers is all I have and of course the cake is sweet and if there is one thing that exceeds how beautiful Sara is, it's t

I don’t know how many of you remember ‘Gelato Bar’ on Campbell Parade. You have to say ‘Gelato Bar’ with a yiddish accent, actually the whole story should be told with a yiddish accent. I remember when it first opened there was a pilgrimage; all the Jewish families, young and old, made their way to the new establishment with it’s spanking new mustard-coloured leather seats. Best of all was what they were to become famous for, the dazzling collection of Eastern European cakes

Pilates and cake I was lucky enough to have the very talented and fantastic Pilates instructor, Shira Yellinek, from On the Move Pilates Studio come and give a talk on Pilates and its benefits at my daycare. Shira was going to give a talk after dinner time and I thought, What do I make for this evening to accompany the talk? And I decided upon sweet spice-infused chai tea served with a most delicious, moist, melt-in-your-mouth rhubarb and hazelnut cake. But I was wondering,

I LOVE RICH CAKES, they are definitely my weakness… I love this cake so much that when I was pregnant with my fourth son, I was entertaining and I made tiramisu for dessert. I remember having contraction pains and going into labour as I was preparing to serve it. I had to stop and breathe as I was handing out the plates. My friends packed my bag as I was pouring the coffee to go with the cake. I refused to go to hospital without having a slice. My friends thought I was nuts b

When I thought about what cake to make Natalia, the song “Close to You” by the Carpenters came to mind: “Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near, just like me they long to be, close to you,” and that’s when I knew what cake I was going to make Natalia, (yes I know, I hear voices in my head, and now songs). A rich, smooth velvety, mousse wrapped in a Savoiardi biscuit embrace, delicately decorated with strawberries, cream, pretty flowers and edible rose petals (I

We celebrated the Jewish New Year last week, we went to my big sister’s house (we always do) and everyone in my family worked out who is making what (We are a BIG FAMILY and there is lots of cooking to be done). And while it is a time to celebrate and welcome the Jewish New Year, it is also considered to be an important and solemn occasion It is a time when, according to the traditions of our ancestors, I will be judged for my actions over the previous year, and I will either

I have finally gotten around to post a much requested recipe! A super, duper, easy, yummy chocolate cake recipe. If I were to be completely honest I would have to say I don’t get the obsession with chocolate cake. I mean yeah, it has sugar - which I sadly LOVE but I can’t say it would be my first choice of cakes to bake. I do get a lot of people asking me for easy chocolate recipes and over the years I have honestly tried a million different kinds, and I have yet to find on

Yesterday we celebrated my good friend Avi Sharabi's birthday and I was going to make a mouth-shaped birthday cake, because if anyone can talk as much as me (and that’s saying something) it’s my dear friend Avi. He is a soccer fan and is very much a bloke but then again he is also very much a girlfriend and he loves to sit and chew the fat. I can sit and talk to Avi (if he lets me) about anything, just like I would with my girlfriends, and he can even give some pretty good ad

Ingredients Bottom of cake 1 large granny smith apple 1-2 tablespoon brown sugar 1-2 teaspoons water ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder Cake 3 eggs ½ cup oil ¼ cup good quality honey ½ cup brown sugar 2 cups plain flour 2&1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 sachet vanilla sugar ½ cup hot water ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder ½ cup crushed walnuts (I used ¾ cup), you can replace nuts with which ever nuts you like (I sometimes use pecans). 3 granny smith apples peeled and diced into small pieces