The whitest holiday of the year is approaching, and I am excited for its arrival. In honor of Shavuot, I chose to host in this column Pnina Conforti, known from Pnina Pie Patisserie, together with her daughter Gili Inbar. For more than 25 years, Pnina has been the heart and driving spirit of the patisserie. She succeeded in transforming the place into a thriving family business where nearly all members of the immediate and extended family work together.
As a daughter of the Yemenite community, Pnina was not exposed to sweet pastries growing up. She discovered desserts through colorful magazine features, newspapers, and various cookbooks. Her curiosity and interest led her, around 30 years ago, to study and deepen her knowledge in the field of pastry arts. She studied at Dan Panorama, “and from there, the rest is history,” she says with a smile.
After completing her studies, she produced a wide variety of cakes from her modest kitchen in her home in Gan Yavne, and about three years later she opened a place of her own, not far from home. The reactions came quickly, and they were warm and encouraging. Orders and requests from customers poured in, until she decided to open another branch in Ashdod, at which point her husband also joined the family business.
Working in the patisserie also drew in the children, who from a young age absorbed the love for sweets while surrounded by the aromas of vanilla and chocolate. Today, the family is an integral part of the business’s development, with three of their four children taking an active and entrepreneurial role in the company.
Their daughter Gili Inbar, the head pastry chef, was captivated by the sweet world from childhood. At just 15 years old, she entered the patisserie kitchen, initially after school, and once she graduated high school it became clear to everyone that she held the sweet magic wand alongside her mother. Working side by side, Gili learned all the secrets of pastry-making from Pnina while refining flavors and creating unique pastries. When that was no longer enough, she chose to travel abroad for professional training and specialize in French pâtisserie.
Their son Daniel oversees the operational and administrative side, while their daughter Roni helps in the kitchen with preparations and mainly manages the business with a firm hand. “The sons-in-law were chosen through a coffee test,” Pnina says with a playful wink. “Whoever learned how to operate the coffee machine quickly was accepted.”
This is the story of a close-knit and loving family that together created an Israeli patisserie with a French flair. It is a small patisserie where everything is handmade and prepared on-site. The warm family atmosphere spills outward, supported by loyal customers who have accompanied them for years while enjoying the wide variety of sweet and savory pastries.
Amid all the preparations for the photo shoot, the conversation flowed naturally. I learned that Pnina was one of the pioneering women in the pastry field, which was predominantly male three decades ago. I also learned – and was delighted to discover – that my dessert cookbooks served her at the beginning of her professional journey, especially the book “Another Cake of the Week,” or as she calls it, “your purple book.”
Together we prepared four easy dishes that beautifully decorate the Shavuot holiday table. The first recipe is for fruit tartlets. It is a small and beautiful personal dessert, perfectly suited for those who are mindful of the amount of sweets they consume. The second recipe is onion tarte tatin, and the third is a beet and brûléed goat cheese pastry. These two savory pastries are based on ready-made puff pastry, which shortens preparation time. Finally, we prepared a vanilla roulade filled with luscious cream cheese filling, topped with plenty of strawberries and strawberry sauce.
Happy and sweet holiday,
Pascal
Onion Tarte Tatin
Ingredients (for a 24 cm pan or personal tartlets)
For the onion filling:
• 60 grams butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 kilogram small onions (or large onions halved)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon silan or honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 4–5 thyme sprigs
For the crust:
• 1 package (500 grams) thawed rolled puff pastry
For serving:
• 50 grams crumbled goat cheese
• Thyme leaves from 2–3 sprigs
• A drizzle of balsamic reduction
Preparation
Preparing the filling: Place the butter and olive oil in a wide skillet and melt. Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes until lightly golden. Add the sugar, silan, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Stir lightly and cook for 35–40 minutes over medium-low heat until the onions are very soft, golden, caramelized, and most of the liquid has evaporated (this can also be done in the oven). Remove the thyme sprigs at the end of cooking.
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Arrange the caramelized onions tightly on the bottom of a 24 cm baking pan or in personal tart pans. Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 3–4 mm, place it over the onions, and tuck the edges inward. Make a small hole in the center using a cutter or cut an X shape with a knife to release steam.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto a serving plate. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese, fresh thyme leaves, and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Serve warm.
Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: About 1½ hours, excluding cooling time
Type of dish: Dairy
Fruit Tartlets
Ingredients (for about 25 mini tartlets, 6 cm diameter)
For the shortcrust pastry:
• 140 grams cold butter
• 65 grams sugar
• ½ beaten egg (beat one whole egg and divide in half)
• 200 grams sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50 grams ground almonds
For the pastry cream:
• 500 ml milk
• 1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) high-quality vanilla extract
• 5 egg yolks
• 120 grams sugar
• 40 grams cornstarch
• 30 grams butter
For decoration:
• Kiwi, grapes, and strawberries (or any fruit you like)
For glazing:
• Neutral glaze or apricot jam diluted with a little water
Preparation
Preparing the pastry: Place the butter and sugar in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until combined. Add half the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients and mix briefly, only until the dough comes together. Remove from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour.
Preparing the cream: Place the milk and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch well until smooth. Gradually add the hot milk while whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook while stirring until thickened. Add the butter and mix well into the cream. Cover closely with plastic wrap touching the surface and chill.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured surface. Roll into a thin sheet about 3 mm thick. Using a cutter, cut circles 6 cm in diameter. Grease mini tart pans, place the dough circles inside, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Before baking, prick the bottoms with a fork to prevent puffing. Bake in a preheated oven at medium-low heat (170°C) for 15–18 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and cool. Transfer the cream into a piping bag and pipe onto the tart shells. Decorate with fruit and brush with glaze or diluted jam.
Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: About 1 hour, excluding chilling time
Type of dish: Dairy
Beet and Brûléed Goat Cheese Pastry
Ingredients (for a 26x30 cm pastry)
• 400 grams ready-made puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
• 1 beaten egg
• ½ cup white and black sesame seeds (can also combine with nigella seeds)
• 200 grams cream cheese
For the filling:
• 4 roasted or cooked beets (vacuum-packed beets can also be used), quartered or sliced
For decoration:
• Garlic confit
• Goat cheese rounds
• Arugula leaves
• Balsamic reduction
• Coarse salt
Preparation
Roll out the puff pastry into a 26x30 cm rectangle, about 4 mm thick. Brush the edges of the pastry, about 2 cm wide, with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Prick the center of the pastry with a fork. Transfer the cream cheese to a piping bag. Pipe strips of cheese in the center and spread into an even layer. Bake in a preheated 200°C oven for about 25 minutes until the pastry is browned on the sides and bottom.
Arrange the beets over the pastry, add a little garlic confit and slices of goat cheese. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and brûlée with a kitchen torch, or broil in the oven for several minutes. Garnish with a few arugula leaves and drizzle delicately with balsamic reduction. Sprinkle with a little coarse salt. If you have onion jam, serve it alongside the pastry.
Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: About 1 hour
Type of dish: Dairy
Vanilla Roulade Filled with Cream Cheese
Ingredients (for one roulade, 10–12 slices)
For the cake:
• 4 large eggs
• 80 grams sugar
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 100 grams sifted flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
For the cream cheese filling:
• 350 grams 9% white cheese
• 100 grams sugar
• 20 grams instant vanilla pudding mix
• 350 ml whipping cream
For the strawberries:
• 1 basket fresh strawberries, diced
• 1–2 tablespoons sugar
For decoration:
• Strawberry sauce drizzle (or another sauce)
Preparation
Preparing the cake: Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla extract and continue whipping. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt just until a smooth batter forms.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly brush with oil or spray with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the tray and spread evenly. Bake in a preheated medium oven (180°C) for 12–13 minutes until golden.
While still hot, invert the baked cake onto a surface lined with fresh parchment paper. Carefully remove the baking paper while rolling the cake into a log shape. Cool for at least half an hour.
In a large bowl, mix the cheese, sugar, and instant vanilla pudding powder until the sugar dissolves completely. In a mixer bowl, whip the cream until stable whipped cream forms. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture.
Mix the strawberries with a little sugar and let sit for 10 minutes until a natural syrup forms.
Carefully unroll the cooled sponge roll and spread about three-quarters of the cream cheese mixture over it. Scatter the strawberries and syrup over the cream. Roll tightly into a roulade. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight). Cover the roulade with the remaining cream cheese mixture and decorate with fresh strawberries.
Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: About half an hour, excluding chilling time
Type of dish: Dairy
Pascal’s Tip
After baking, the tart shells can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container. Fill with cream, decorate, and serve just before serving. Ready-made baked tartlets can also be purchased and filled.
Taste Test
Every year I receive delicacies based on cheese from various patisseries, and as every year, I was once again surprised by the beauty, flavors, and creative surprises prepared for the public in honor of the holiday. Since I do not like ranking desserts, I usually choose one or two pastries that particularly appealed to me from all the goodness that lands on my table.
Gentle Innovation: Boutique Central
Boutique Central carefully preserves classic cheesecakes while gently renewing them without losing the essence of the originals. If they innovate, it is mainly through toppings and additions. For example: Baked cheesecake with strawberries and hazelnut caramel; classic crumb cheesecake with chocolate crumble or pistachio-hazelnut crumble. There is also mascarpone carrot cake, Basque cheesecake, Saint Honoré, tiramisu, biscuit and vanilla cream cake, sweet cheese yeast cake, sugar-free cheesecake, and more. Vegans can enjoy vegan tiramisu and Lotus cake. And I have not even mentioned the savory pastries, which certainly deserve their own honor.
Winning Cheeses: Hanan Hagaban
Hanan Hagaban
All the large dairies proudly present special, upgraded, and flavored cheeses ahead of the holiday. I prefer purchasing my special Shavuot cheeses from small artisanal dairies. This time I chose the cheeses of Hanan the Cheesemaker. He began producing cheeses in his home kitchen in Moshav Herut and later brought his products to a cheese competition in France, where he won international awards. All the cheeses are handmade from fresh Israeli milk, without preservatives or food coloring, using traditional methods that require patience and love. Alongside the award-winning aged cheeses, and especially for Shavuot, the dairy created gift baskets combining wine from the Galil Mountain Winery, spreads, freshly baked breads made on-site, and a variety of hosting platters.
