Meet Tomer Suissa, the youngest member of the Culinary Mission organized by Partnership2Gether Dallas – Western Galilee. The mission is arriving for a week of Yom Ha'atzmaut celebrations in the Dallas Jewish community!

Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra is Israel's northernmost community where one immediately catches a whiff of the Mediterranean Sea. In the heart of the kibbutz, next to the classic kibbutz dining hall that has fed its members since the founding of the state, one finds a unique boutique confectionary called Tosha Bakery. This unique bakery attracts people from all over Israel who come here to sample its sinful delights.

 

Tosha Bakery was established by Tomer Suissa and Shachaf Avraham, two 29 year-olds who summoned up the courage to fulfill a dream. Confident in their abilities and products, they decided to situate their confectionary precisely in the heart of this remote kibbutz. The green lawns of the kibbutz and the pastoral kibbutz atmosphere fit perfectly with the pair's vision and immense love for the Western Galilee region.

 

Tomer Suissa

 

Since the age of 6 Tomer has followed in the footsteps of his two grandmothers, who were talented confectioners. He fell in love with the kitchen, particularly sweet confections, and since then has sought to become better and better at his art. The aspiring confectioner learned from the best in the field and apprenticed with known names such as award-winning Hans Bertele of Germany and Estella M. Balfour in a special course in France.

Tomer and Shachaf are part of the Western Galilee Now association, which serves as an umbrella and promoter of the different tourist attractions that Western Galilee has to offer. The Association supports business owners who have chosen to establish their enterprises here in the Galilee.

Between the dates of May 8–15, the Dallas Jewish community will be celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut Week. Tomer and three other Israeli chefs from Western Galilee will be traveling to Dallas in order to bring Israel to the plates of the local Jewish community. This Culinary Mission is being organized by Partnership2Gether, a Jewish Agency project that connects the Jewish communities of Western Galilee and Dallas through a Living Bridge. This mission is founded on the understanding that food is the best way to bring together people from different locations.

During Yom Ha'atzmaut Week in Dallas, members of the Culinary Mission will lead special workshops and teach you to prepare the finest dishes. For his part Tomer will lead a workshop in preparing desserts with unique flavors.

 

 

For a small taste of what's coming up soon, we invite you to try preparing a special dish of Tomer's:

Tomer's Pine nut Basbousa
(metric measurements)

For Basbousa mixture:

500 grams semolina

360 grams yoghurt

100 grams butter

300 grams sugar

10 grams baking soda

For the syrup:

130 grams sugar

100 milliliters water

 

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients (except for the butter) in a bowl with the help of a whisk. Melt the butter in a microwave and add to the remainder of the ingredients. Continue mixing until achieving a uniform mixture.

Take a Pyrex bowl and spread a generous layer of raw tehina on the bottom and sides .

Pour the filling into the Pyrex bowl and sprinkle on some pine nuts.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160° C for about 20 minutes (until turning a golden color). Remove from oven and pour the syrup on top.

Pine nut cream

200 grams whipping cream 42% fat

200 grams pine nut praline (may be replaced by any nut praline)

Preparation: 

In a mixer, whip together the two ingredients until the cream is stable

Serving suggestion:

Cut the Basbousa into quarters and serve topped with the pine nut cream

 

Bon Appetite!