I don't mind if Jewish cooks borrow ingredients or techniques from other culinary canons, trying to infuse some new flavors into Old Country Cuisine. However, I prefer that this integration is limited to geographic areas of historic influence. Chinese food, for example, is a huge part of contemporary American Jewish culture, particularly on the East Coast, but it is not a major influence on Jewish culture historically. Therefore, it would seem out of place in a book trying to maintain an earnest tie to the past. Cohen, happily, avoids these kinds of superficial associations. In general, she refrains from compiling a worldly potpourri of Jewish cuisine. Her recipes are unusually elegant, but they stay close to the familiar tastes of home and the flavors of the seasons. She writes, "I am not creating silly, culturally perverse combinations here, like ... jalapeņo-sundried tomato gefilte fish. ... Rather, my recipes are all integrated interpretations of food I think of as Jewish, and all are kosher." Her pairing of mostly Mediterranean flavors is right on: Apricot Blintzes With Toasted Pistachios and Yogurt Cream, Sorrel Onion Noodle Kugel. She does dabble in adjectival excess, the editorial equivalent of a striptease. But at least tiringly verbose titles like "Salmon Gefilte Fish Poached in Fennel-Wine Broth With Ginger-Beet Horseradish" reveal quite deliciously what the recipe holds in store.

Cohen's book is a testament to how integration -- a risky idea to historically ostracized people -- can have preservative value. Cohen is a wonderful cook, and she has used the fertile ground of classic Jewish cooking to make good food. For that reason, this book is a worthy tribute and contribution to a continually evolving cuisine.