Sesame by Rachel Simons made the top sixteen on the Epicurious’ list of the best cookbooks of Spring 2025. I finally got it from the library!
About the book:
A clear, approachable guide to the world of sesame, from halva, tahini, and sesame oil, to togarashi, gomasio and furikake, with 80+ vegetarian-forward recipes, from the founder of popular tahini outfit Seed+Mill in New York’s historic Chelsea Market.
With its delicious nutty taste, nutritional density, and long shelf life, the sesame seed is a tiny ingredient with an enormous cultural impact and a deeply rich history.
In Sesame, Rachel Simons, co-founder of Seed + Mill, celebrates the evolution, history, and diversity of this classic ingredient. Whether it’s in the form of a seed, tahini (a ground sesame paste), sesame oil, or halva (a delicate, fudge-like candy made from sesame paste), readers will learn to incorporate sesame in 80+ traditional and modern global recipes, including Sweet & Salty Sesame Challah; Pear and Pistachio Breakfast Loaf with Sesame Streusel; Lemony Orecchiette with Sesame Pangrattato; Gomasio-Crusted Salmon Skewers; and Tahini Swirled Pavlova with Labneh, Berries & Halva Flakes.
Through vibrant photography, evocative storytelling, and contributions from a slate of noted chefs and food luminaries across the globe, including David Lebovitz, Molly Yeh, Nisha Vora, and Zoë François, Sesame is a loving culinary tribute to the sesame seed: how it has transformed dishes, how it has been translated by different culinary cultures, and how it has tied people and places together through generations. (From Penguin Random House site)
About the author:
Rachel Simons is the founder of Seed+Mill, the first store devoted to sesame products in the United States. Their high-quality tahini and halva are favorites of chefs like Zoë François, Carolina Gelen, Dan Kluger, and Ayesha Nurdjaja. Seed+Mill products are carried in over 1700 stores, including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and beloved specialty stores across the US. Seed+Mill has been featured in Forbes, The New York Times, Food52, Bon Appétit, and more. (From Penguin Random House site)
What I thought….
You know I have been very good about only checking out cookbooks from the library so I don’t go and buy them. Well, it was tough not purchasing Family Style. I thought the same thing when I started reading Sesame. I have some birthdays to buy for in July and I kept thinking my sister would love Sesame. So, what else could I do but buy it for her birthday!
As I read the recipes (before my purchase), almost all my thoughts went to my sister. She makes hummus at least once a week and swears by the Dorie Greenspan recipe. I was just amazed at all the non-hummus recipes in Simons’ book.
Simons take on recipes is definitely global. As she writes in the introduction, her first memories are running through her grandparents garden in Zimbabwe. Her mother’s garden in Australia she remembers as lush with flowers, fruits, vegetables and bees. As she climbed the corporate law ladder in some of the most cosmopolitan metros in the world, she would still felt the pull to a more creative focus that revolved around eating (and seeds). While some may not think her business model was the best, I applaud her fortitude: “Are we crazy for wanting to start a business in such a niche food category?” (13). Perhaps. But apparently Chelsea Market, NYC, and ultimately other boutique stores across the world needed top-quality tahini and halva products.
Simons, of course, discusses how to store sesame products and a brief history of the seeds and the origin of tahini to begin.
“Starting Afresh” is the breakfast/bread/beverage chapter. I was intrigued to read about black tahini. I ordered some and the taste test revealed it to be maybe a bit “richer” tasting. (But, honestly if it were a blind taste test, I’m not sure.) Why the black tahini? I wanted to try Black Tahini, Blueberry and Coconut Smoothie (27). As I mentioned above, I gifted this book and the black tahini (and some sesame seeds) to my sister for her birthday. She had the other ingredients on hand so we tried this one morning.
The results—this is a very rich smoothie. My sister said that she would like it for an afternoon smoothie snack. I think it would have been better with almond or oat milk than the coconut milk. It wasn’t terrible and was a filling breakfast. I also have the Fully Loaded Granola (28) earmarked. It is chock full of goodness with oats, coconut, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, maple syrup, tahini and 3 T. of espresso.
I love a cookbook that includes recipes for spice blends and Simons does that in her “Sesame Seasonings & Sauces” section. Here one can find recipes for dukkah, furikake, gomasio (another Japanese seasoning), sumac sesame salt, and everything bagel seasoning. The sauces and dressings (62-63) all sounded delicious (and healthy): Vegan Tahini Caesar Dressing (using capers for the umami part) and Sunny Sauce (using date syrup). Her Spicy Green Tahini Sauce sounds reminiscent of Baked By Melissa’s Green Goddess Dressing but with more oomph like a jalapeno, dill, and tahini (of coarse). These seasonings, sauces, and dressing are used in recipes throughout the rest of the book.
Of course there is a hummus recipe in the book even though Simons acknowledges there are plenty of recipes out there. Her recipe is versatile with instructions for using both canned and dried chickpeas BUT her recipe calls for 2 cups of tahini (for 1 can of chickpeas). Maybe I’m a tahini hoarder but I will probably not try this recipe. (My two go-to recipes are either Dorie Greenspan’s or Edy Massih’s from Keep it Zesty.)
She riffs on the hummus recipe (68) by topping it with roasted kabucha squash for a Winter Hummus Plate (70) and roasted garlic and cherry tomatoes for a summer dish (71). On pages 93-95, she presents a couple of formidable grazing boards.
“Craveable Salads & Vegetable Sides” contains recipes perfect for all seasons. I am definitely going to try Corn Salad with a Tahini Twist (105) this summer. (It also uses roasted-grilled corn like Som’s recipe in Family Style that I tried.) A Hearty Bowl of Ancient Grains (109) and Cauliflower Salad with Sesame-Pickled Fennel (110) sound like fall to me.
While any of the salads would have been a “Main Event” for me, she shared recipes for some fine curries, noodles, and soups. She also includes what I would consider girl dinners here like Polent-Dusted Baked Sweet Potato Fries (served with a Tahini Miso Sauce) (122) and Crispy Mushrooms on Garlic Toast (124). This is a very eclectic chapter with recipes for Mushroom Köfte B’Siniyah (128), Sesame Crusted Eggs with Cauliflower Fried Rice (135), Roasted Radishes (served on an anchovy tahini sauce) (143) and Wok-Fried Green Beans (152). I’m not really sure why some of these dishes were not included in the salad and veggie section. The only meat dishes in the “Main Event” section are Chicken for Lemon Lovers with Tarator (140), Miso & Marmalade Arctic Char with Soba (144), Oven-Roasted Trout with Spicy Avocado Relish (147), and Gomosio-Crusted Salmon Skewers (148).
When I think of sesame seeds, I automatically think of hummus and other savory dips. I was unprepared for Simons’ “Something Sweet” section. (I know, I should have been prepared b/c one of the staples of Seed + Mill is halva.) Her Tahini Salted Caramel Sauce sounds (and looked) delicious! She uses it on Tahini Caramel Popcorn (163), Triple Sesame Thumbprint Cookies (169), and Tahini Semifreddo with Seed & Nut Brittle (193). A lot of the recipes in this section call for cubed or crumbled halva so find a good supplier or make your own for Brown Butter Chocolate Chip & Halva Cookies (170), Tahini Skillet Brownie, Made for Sharing (173), Heavenly Halva Cake (180), Tahini-Swirled Pavlova with Summer Fruit & Halva (185), Halva Diva Cake (189). There are at least four more recipes calling for halva in this section.
Not every recipe in the book originated with Simons. She relies on some other tremendous home cooks and gives credit where credit is due.
I was sold on this book from the first two sections. I do think it could have been organized a bit better. (I am still unsure about some of the recipes in “Main Event.”)
It is a lovely book and does have me rethinking my tahini usage (just not two cups in a hummus recipe). 🙂
I’m linking up with Foodies Read for July.
So many cookbooks….so little time.