Jake makes it easy: cooking with love and date brownies

Chef, cookbook author, and dinner party enthusiast Jake Cohen believes that cooking should be easy, fun, and shareable. That message comes through loud and clear in his new show, “Jake Makes It Easy.”

“[With cooking] There are tasks that take time or require patience or even practice,” Cohen told the Journal. “Going to the gym is hard, but the hardest part is showing up, and I think the same goes for cooking.”

He added: “The hardest part is deciding to cook, and from there the rest is pretty easy.”

In each half-hour episode of “Jake Makes it Easy,” Cohen provides step-by-step instructions for making a main dish and dessert that go together. He also gives tips on the order of preparation, how to round off the meal with a salad or side dish and how to turn it into a dinner party.

For example, Cohen explains what can be prepared the day before or the morning of, so that part of the meal is already taken care of by the time your guests arrive; Everything else is fully assembled and can simply be pushed into the oven.

“Providing people with tools like this for the logistics of cooking [is] “Such an important step that is often neglected,” he said. “For me, a great recipe isn’t just one that tastes good, it’s one that tastes good And is also possible without it [stressing out].”

Cohen’s “simple” recipes reflect his heritage and incorporate unique flavors into classics. Dishes include balsamic and soy brisket, Iraqi salmon, baked gnocchi, soupless chicken soup and date brownies. His recipe for date brownies is below.

“Jake Makes It Easy,” premiering October 28 on the FYI channel, is part of A+E Networks’ partnership with Rachael Ray’s Free Food Studios.

Cohen first met Ray when he was doing a pre-recording for “Jew-ish” on “The Rachael Ray Show.”

“She raved about the book so much and it started a relationship with her as one of my big supporters. “It was crazy because I had watched her since I was a kid and was such a big fan of everything she did,” said Cohen, who is also the author of “I Could Nosh.” “It is the greatest blessing to have someone as iconic and generous as Rachael in my life.”

When asked what inspired him to cook, Cohen said it was the concept of cooking for others.

“I couldn’t get over how incredibly present people were when you could eat together,” he said. “It’s the kind of energy – it’s the kind of interaction – that I’m really looking for.”

Cohen’s earliest food memories have to do with Passover and the Jewish High Holidays. He had two working parents and that was the only time everything stopped. There was pure abundance and non-stop cooking; Then all family members gathered to eat.

“It was those moments of true emphasis on hospitality and total connection with the people you love over food… that was really powerful,” he said. “It really solidified a lot of my positions on what I define as comfort food [and] the things I enjoy doing for those I love.”

Cohen believes that cooking for others is the greatest blessing: taking raw ingredients and transforming them into food is the greatest service

“That’s why I love baking bread, desserts or cakes, because they’re things that feel like alchemy,” he said. “You take something – and really only make it from the wildest things that shouldn’t become the final product – and suddenly people are eating something that you made with love.”

“Jake Makes It Easy” illustrates Cohen’s relationship with cooking and the importance of cooking with love.

“I can’t wait for people to see it, I can’t wait for people to cook from the show,” he said. “This is the beginning of me making my dream come true.”

Follow @JakeCohen on Instagram and TikTok and find Jake Makes It Easy on the FYI Channel, FYI App and FYI.tv. #JakeMakesItEasy

You can find the full conversation in the podcast:

Watch the interview:

Makes 16 brownies

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus cooling time

Cooking time: 45 minutes

8 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar

¼ cup light brown sugar

4 large eggs

¼ cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup (135 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup dark chocolate chips

16 Medjool dates, pitted

Sea salt flakes for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides.

2. Place a medium-sized metal or heatproof glass bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Add chopped chocolate and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and combined, then remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until very smooth, at least 2 minutes. Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla, and kosher salt until smooth. Slowly stir in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in the flour until just incorporated, followed by the chocolate chips. Pour the dough into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Add the pitted dates to the dough and spread them into 4 rows of 4 dates each. So when you slice the finished brownies, each one has its own date. If necessary, sprinkle on top with a pinch of salt flakes.

4. Bake for 40 minutes until the surface is matte and the edges are cracked, then leave to cool completely in the tin. (For cleaner cuts and a firmer texture, once cooled, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.) Transfer to a cutting board with the excess parchment, then cut into 16 brownies and serve.

Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe To YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.