Title:	Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts
	Author:	Rawaan Alkhatib
	Published:	February 4, 2025, Chronicle Books
	No. of Pages:	272
	Cover Price:	$28.51 Hardcover, $16.99 Kindle

---

Anyone who loves dates will welcome a good cookbook filled with unique recipes using them. Hot Date!: Sweet & Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, from Party Food to Everyday Feasts, by Rawaan Alkhatib, a talented cook, writer, and artist who grew up in Dubai where dates are a culinary staple. The cookbook is really fun, and includes appetizers, breads, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts, all made with dates. Who knew that so many things can be made with dates?

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. Many of the recipes are quick and easy, and most are absolutely mouthwatering. The author’s comments at the beginning of each recipe are informative and nice.

This is obviously a cookbook written by an artist, with colorful and adorable illustrations, as well as handwritten prose that seems a bit poetic. There are also beautiful photographs of some of the dishes. Hot Date is really fun to read, not only because of the colorful pages, but also because the recipes are very appealing. Most readers will immediately have a long list of “must make” dishes, and most readers will make a trip to the grocery store to buy a bulk supply of dates. This is a fun cookbook and one worth adding to a cookbook collection.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.