Hello Gingis!

This week, we are writing to you from the Berkshires, where we are heading into our second workshop weekend at Trybal Gatherings, an incredible adult sleepaway camp! Last weekend, we taught five workshops on challah, rugelach, and Moroccan ma’amoul cookies. It was an absolute blast.

On Friday night, after our challah and rugelach workshops, I always bake enough challah for the entire camp to have at the Shabbat dinner. There is nothing I love more than spending an entire day in the kitchen baking. It is truly SO much fun to have unlimited access to a massive commercial kitchen, and since this is our third year teaching, we have made good friends with the kitchen staff and were welcomed with big embraces. We are so grateful that these guys let us into their kitchen every year (they definitely don’t have to) and love that we have friends to come back to annually.

On Saturday night, every year Zikki and I build a grand gazoz bar for the “End of Camp” party! Today, we are sharing our gazoz bar secrets with you. Scroll to the bottom for a step by step guide.

Now, as we head into our second workshop weekend, we wanted to dedicate this week’s YASSSletter to some of our recipes from the past weekend! Yalla!

So, without further ado: It’s all about CAMP!

1. Beehive Challah Recipe

2. Classic Challah Recipe

3. Rogelach Cake Recipe

4. How to Build the Ultimate Gazoz Bar

Beehive Challah 

This Beehive Challah is topped with Swedish pearl sugar and then drizzled with a gorgeous milk & honey glaze! Delish.

Classic Challah

A Classic Challah - grand, golden, and perfect for any occasion!

Rogelach Cake

Yo! My absolute favorite treat. Did you know that when you make these Rogelach - you laminate the dough with a butter, cocoa powder, brown sugar? This lamination is what creates those expert level layers you dream about!

How to Build the Ultimate Gazoz Bar

Planning to host friends this Labor Day weekend? Amazing. We’ve got the perfect beverage for your “pool” party! It’s the ultimate summer mocktail, but if you want to take it up a notch, we recommend adding 3 oz gin per two drinks (directly into the shaker).

This drink is made up of four components: the overnight sugar-soaked fruit, sparkling water, ice, and the garnishes.

So, what do I need, Ben & Zikki, to create my own gazoz bar? (Based on 15-20 cocktails)

• 10 kiwis

• 3 oranges

• 2 packs of strawberries

• 8 peaches

• 8 plums

• 1 pineapple

• 2 bags of ice

• 1 case of sparkling water

• 15-20 glasses

• Garnishes: pineapple leaves, freshly picked mint, edible flowers

• Cocktail shaker

• 15-20 teaspoons

The Method:

1. Prepping the fruit: Wash, peel, and cut up all your fruit into lovely shapes so they are as tasty as they are beautiful. For example, cut the strawberries in half and keep the green leaves on.

2. Sugar coating: Separate your fruits into containers that can be covered. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each fruit-filled container and toss the fruit together with the sugar for 1 minute. Cover and set aside overnight. The fruit will release a syrup that will give life to the gazoz!

3. Setting up the bar: An hour before your friends come over, set up the gazoz bar. Place all your fruit containers next to each other. Additionally, organize your ice, spoons, cups, sparkling water, shaker, and garnishes.

4. Making a gazoz: Once your guests arrive, it’s time to make your first (two) gazozes. (Each shaker makes 2 four-ounce mocktails)

   • Prep your glass with 2 orange slices, 1 pineapple leaf, 1 scoop of ice, and a spoon.

   • Into a shaker, add a spoon of each fruit and a spoon of syrup (from each fruit).

   • Optional step: Add the gin.

   • Fill to the top with sparkling water.

   • Shake.

   • Pour the liquid into the prepped glasses (3/4 of the way), then open the shaker, add the fruit from the bottom to the top of the gazoz, and serve!