Bienenstich Bars – The Monday Morning Cooking Club shares a recipe for sweet Bienenstich Bars inspired by Lena Goldstein, a survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Last week, I received an advance copy of a cookbook called the Monday Morning Cooking Club. I’m often sent books by publishers in hopes of a mention/blurb on the site, though lately I haven’t had as much time to cover cookbooks as I’d like. I was about to add this book to my (very large) “to do” pile when something told me to flip through it. I vaguely remembered the story, conveyed in an email or website comment a few years back, about a group of Jewish women in Sydney, Australia. In 2006 they started a group, which they named the Monday Morning Cooking Club. Inspired by the strong connection between food and the Jewish people, their goal was to create a collection of recipes to represent the diversity of Jewish culture. Over the course of several months calls were made, emails were sent, and eventually a list of cooks was developed. These cooks were asked to contribute recipes for the dishes they were best known for – the ones that had been passed down through the generations by family and friends.
The group began their Monday morning meetings in Lisa Goldberg’s kitchen. They shared cups of tea, cooked together and discussed which recipes deserved to be in the pages of their book. After three years of testing, the chosen recipes were compiled and published in a book in Australia. An American version of the book is being released on September 17. As I looked at the recipes, I realized that the book was something special and worthy of sharing with you all. Each recipe includes a brief family history– where the recipe came from, how it evolved within the family, etc.– which makes it a fun (and often touching) read. A business card was attached to the book from Lisa Goldberg, asking to meet with me when she comes to Los Angeles in September. Sadly, I’ll be out of town shooting a new sci fi TV series that I co-wrote (yes, at the moment I write recipes and sci fi, which has proved to be quite a balancing act!). Since I won’t be able to meet with Lisa, I figured the least I could do was share one of the lovely recipes from Monday Morning Cooking Club with you all.
This Bienenstich recipe that appears in the book comes from Lena Goldstein, whose family grew up in Poland. Lena spent the majority of WWII in the Warsaw Ghetto before escaping to a hidden, overcrowded bunker. When the war ended, she believed she was the only member of her family left. While working for the Jewish Committee, a group that worked to reunite families, she received word that her sister and brother-in-law had also survived. Lena married in Poland and relocated to Australia with her husband in 1949. The recipe was given to her by a German friend who had moved to Sydney before the war, and it has since become a family favorite.
In German, bienenstich translates to “bee sting” (because of the honey used in the topping). More often bienenstich refers to a layered cake with caramelized almonds and vanilla custard. Here, the same concept is applied to simple dessert bars with the cream layer omitted. I thought it would be an appropriate recipe to share for Rosh Hashanah, given the honey element. It turned out delightful– crunchy, chewy, rich and caramelized.
One thing to note– this book, being Australian, has metric measurements. While some ingredients offer converted American ratios within the recipe, others do not, which means you’ll need to use the conversion index at the end of the book (or some simple math) to help you convert certain things. Of course, I’ve already converted this recipe for you. Overall I’d say it’s worth the extra effort, as the recipes are truly special.
All proceeds from the sale of this cookbook benefit charity, making this a very worthwhile project.
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Bienenstich Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup self-rising flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup almonds, chopped
- 4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 oz)
- 2 tablespoons honey
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make crust, combine butter, egg yolks, flours, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix and squeeze mixture together with your hands until a smooth dough is formed.
- Evenly spread the mixture into the bottom of a greased, 9x13 baking pan. Set aside.
- To make the topping, melt the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan.
- Once melted, add the chopped almonds and stir to combine.
- Pour topping mixture over the crust and spread evenly.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the baking dish before slicing with a sharp knife.
- Use a thin spatula to carefully pop the squares out of the baking dish. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
A friend of mine visited Australia and bought this wonderful book for me as a gift. As I too am from South Africa, I could relate especially to this book but it will be enjoyed by all who love God Jewish foods. I would highly recommend it if you can get hold of it.
Hi Tori, Mine are in the oven as we speak! SO easy!!! Definitely not for dieters, but perfect to take to parties! Thanks for all of the yummy recipes you share! I’ve made so many already, and because they’re always so much enjoyed, I’ve shared your blog with lots of friends and family! Thank you, thank you! Shana Tova!
You’re welcome Michele! Thank you for helping to spread the word with friends and family. Shana tova 🙂
I made this recipe yesterday. I had all the ingredients on hand except for self-rising flour. So I used the DIY Smitten Kitchen version you had mentioned in the comments. This recipe is extremely easy to make and the bars are truly delicious. I won’t make these too often because they’re hard for me to resist but I’ll definitely make these for special occasions and/or company. Thanks, Tori, for another great recipe and interesting story.
Hi Ilana! Agreed, it is super tempting. Should come with a warning label! 🙂
I like your website
thanks
Ruthy
MMMM I wish there was a GF alternative, and a non dairy alternative. I’m wondering about oatmeal flour for the crust …..
If you experiment with it Mickey please let us know your results, my other GF readers would be happy to hear about it. 🙂
1 of my all time faves
Yum!
Thank you so much for recommending this book. I don’t know why I find Jewish cuisine so fascinating but I do, and it’s such a niche here in Australia.
So I’ll be so glad to read this 🙂
You’ll really enjoy it Mitchell!
Just received it from the library, and it’s bursting with great recipes, that I’ve already began to prepare for 😛
So beautifully photographed, thank you again for recommending 🙂
They look oh so yummy
BARS LOOK YUMMY. CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THEM…….
Koestlich, Bienenstich!! Muss ich auch bald mal wieder backen.
Happy Rosh Hashanah Tori!
Ach! I am plotzing, my grandmother used to make this.
Tori thanks for your delicious proyects. Shanah Tova
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this book and recipe with us, Tori. As a cookbook collector for a very long time, I find the recipe books garnished with stories and personal experiences to be the best ones to cuddle up with and enjoy. I’ll be watching out for this one.
I give you a lot of credit for the amount of research and effort you put into your blog. I always enjoy stopping by to visit. I’m somewhat amused at your two “adventures” however, I’m confident you can somehow manage all the hats you wear!
Thank you so much for sharing…
Ha! Yes, Louise, it is all pretty funny. Recipes and sci fi? Quite a combination. The more “hats” that appear, the more I just smile and thank the universe for the many opportunities that come my way. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the blog, and please do check out the book when you have a chance, it’s wonderful. 🙂
Hello Shiksa!
I’m a German shiksa, living in America now, avid follower of your blog, and I couldn’t help but to get excited when I saw your Bienenstich recipe. It’s my absolute favorite treat from back home! I’m wondering though, if the recipe is already dairy (using butter) why omit the beautiful vanilla cream layer? My grandma used to mix honey and equal parts of whipped cream and vanilla pudding, of which the latter can be made from a gelatine alternative like agar. For me, the cream is what makes this cake perfect and so refreshing on a hot summer’s day, right out of the fridge, as it was usually served in my childhood home. I’d definitely recommend trying it this way as well!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Hi Isabel– I can’t say why the cream is omitted here, since this is not my recipe, but Lena Goldstein’s. It’s simply a variation of the cake version, I suppose– and perhaps easier to make than the cake? At any rate, it was lovely without the cream, too. 🙂
Isabel – can you share the recipe you have that uses the vanilla cream layer? I think that would be a great addition and would like to try that out this week! Thank you!
I think Isabel’s recipe is the Bienenstich cake. I found a recipe here: http://www.askchefdennis.com/2012/11/bee-sting-cake-by-a-feast-for-the-eyes/ It looks delicious – I’m a sucker for anything for anything with custard – but a lot more work than the bars.
should the almonds be raw or roasted? and can i use slivered to save time? 🙂
Hi Dori– I used raw, but I think roasted would also work if you prefer that flavor. I kind of liked the texture of the skin-on almonds (plus I think it looks prettier), but slivered would probably work too. The chopping doesn’t really take very long. Enjoy!
thanks!
ok, but what is “self-rising flour”? Is that like pastry flour? I only have AP flour.
Hi Victoria- self rising flour already has the rising agents in it, so you don’t need to add baking powder or baking soda. It is sold in the same section as the AP flour. To make your own version of self rising flour at home, here is a simple recipe: add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for each 1 cup regular AP flour. Got this tip courtesy of Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen. 🙂
Looks good
Can you share some of your favorite rose hashanah recipes you´d serve for lunch??