Rawaan Alkhatib
cook, writer, and artist
I wrote a book!
HOT DATE! Sweet and Savory Recipes Celebrating the Date, From Party Food to Everyday Feasts
My debut cookbook is focused on dates and date products, filled with 100+ sweet and savory date recipes, with inspirations ranging from Babylon to Brooklyn.
I wrote and illustrated it as a love-letter to the form of the cookbook, cramming it full of delicious recipes featuring dates, of course, but also stories, poems, historic curiosities, sketchbook pages and travel diaries. Every page is a surprise: Nabati poetry thirst traps! Ancient Roman recipes for braised flamingo! Tater tots tossed in herbaceous date butter! Instructions for a truly bonkers date-laden celebration cake! It's all in there, and I had the time of my life pulling it together. I hope it brings some joy to your day.
"A seriously interesting dive into the date from a seriously interesting author”
― Nigella Lawson
"The most sumptuous cookbook I’ve ever encountered…Savor this book with your sweetheart, take yourself out on your own date: Hot Date! is a joy.”
― The Paris Review
"Alkhatib’s sumptuous paintings, narrative anecdotes, and illustrated poetry make this more than just a cookbook. It’s a powerful ode to a multifaceted fruit."
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A stylish and unexpected entry into the pantheon of great contemporary cookbooks…This extraordinary book expounds on a single ingredient—the titular date—and takes it in startling, awe-inspiring directions, all while keeping recipes relatively simple."
— BookPage, starred review
The Drew Barrymore Show
Crispy Sauteed Dates on a Saffron Cloud Part 1, Part 2
NY1
Mornings on 1 with Pat Kiernan
Food52
Silky Chocolate Truffles
“Swoon-inducing” – Nigella’s Cookbook Corner
"This oasis is a world" – The Paris Review
“A Hot, Sweet Date for Tonight” – Q&A with Lukas Volger
“A Universe in a Book” – Cookbookery Collective
“An artful eye and bold atyle” – BookPage
Good Food with Evan Kleiman on KCRW
All of It with Alison Stewart on WNYC
Nigella.com
Chocolate Sorbet with Warm Salted Dates
Imbibe
Palm Springs Date Shake
101Cookbooks
Date Chili Crisp
The Splendid Table
Date & Tahini Granola
Palm Springs Life
Beef, Date & Pistachio Meatballs
Family Friend by Lukas Volger
Bulgur Mujadarra
Rawaan Alkhatib is a cook, writer, and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent. She was born and raised in Dubai, UAE, where she experienced firsthand the warmth and generosity of a date-centric culture. She holds an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. When she’s not working full-time at a museum exhibit design studio, she creates work across a variety of mediums, including writing, painting, textile design and, of course, food. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her spouse and child.
