This should come as no surprise to anyone by this point, but I have an obsession with tahini. The smooth and creamy paste (akin to nut butter) made from ground sesame seeds is truly one of my favorite things! I love baking with it and eating it in all the ways, any time of day- whether it’s in my tahini chocolate chip blondies or made into a simple salad dressing or spooned into medjool dates with chocolate, I am here for it!
No surprise then that I am a huge fan of Seed + Mill, a cute tahini and halva focused shop in New York City’s Chelsea Market. They make some of the best, smoothest, and creamiest tahini around (luckily you can order this online), and not to mention delicious halva as well! For those of you who don’t know, halva is a traditional Middle Eastern fudge-like confection made with tahini (sesame seed paste), sugar, spices and nuts. In fact, the Arabic word halva translates to “sweetness.” It’s sweet, but not obnoxiously so, and delightfully nutty, fluffy, and crumbly. Seed + Mill whips up some seriously delicious halva flavors at their store- Toasted coconut dark chocolate? Pistachio? Date walnut? Ginger? Yes please, my mouth is watering already! These are sold by the slab, so pick a few to take home and try out. You won’t be disappointed.
Perhaps even more exciting for me was the tahini soft serve ice cream that Seed + Mill churns out. It’s made with goat milk, so perhaps less irritating for those with lactose sensitivities, and oh so creamy and delicious! It’s finished with crumbles of halva and a generous drizzle of tahini – so heavenly I can hardly stand it! Now that I’m back in New York next week, I cannot wait to return soon to get my fix.