Delicious, slow-cooked brisket that melts in your mouth, moist cake infused with sweet honey, a fragrant, round challah topped with candy — these are the foods that make Rosh Hashanah dinner special.

Brisket, made tender and tasty by way of a long, slow cook in the oven, has humble beginnings, brought to the U.S. by waves of European Jewish immigrants seeking to preserve their traditions.

Today there are as many ways to make brisket as there are Jewish families, including this original recipe from the professional kitchens of Mollie Stone’s Market. The market, with nine Bay Area locations, also produces this spiced, brandied honey cake (below). Or, if you prefer, it offers a catering menu for the High Holidays with full meals and ala carte items.

Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

Serves 3-5

• 3–5 lb. first-cut beef brisket
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 3-4 large onions, sliced
• 2 cups beef broth, chicken broth or water (or 1 cup broth and 1 cup dry red or white wine)
• 3 carrots, cut into chunks
• 3-5 whole cloves garlic
• 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
• 8-10 small new potatoes
• 1 Tbs. fresh or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. fresh or ½ tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Brisket gravy (about 1 cup of drippings)
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 Tbs. potato starch

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rub both sides of the meat with salt, pepper and mustard. Spread half the onions over the bottom of a shallow roasting pan. Place brisket, fat side up, in the pan and top with remaining onions. Add ¼ cup broth. Bake, uncovered and basting occasionally, until the meat and onions begin to brown (about 1 hour).

Add the remaining broth and remaining ingredients. (Liquid should never reach more than halfway up the side of the meat). Cover, reduce the heat to 300 degrees and cook until meat is fork-tender (about 2½ to 3 hours). The thickest part of the brisket should register about 175 degrees.

Cover loosely with foil and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Slice the brisket diagonally against the grain about ⅛-inch thick.

RELATED: How much will your Rosh Hashanah brisket cost this year?

Honey Cake

Make 3 loaves

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. table salt
• 4 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. allspice
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup honey, divided
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup black tea
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup brandy
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup sliced almonds for garnishing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Generously grease three nonstick 8-by-4-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.

In a very large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center and add the oil, ¾ cup of honey, brown sugar, eggs, tea, orange juice, brandy and vanilla extract.

Using a strong wire whisk or an electric mixer on low speed, mix the ingredients until well combined and no lumps remain. The batter will be pourable.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, filling each about halfway. Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup of honey over the batter. Place the pans on 2 baking sheets stacked together and bake until the cakes are set, domed and spring back when you touch them gently in the center (the stacked sheet pans will prevent the bottom from browning too quickly). A tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Bake for 45-50 minutes. About 10 minutes before the cake is done, sprinkle the sliced almonds on top. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pans. Run a butter knife along the edges to help release cakes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipes courtesy of Mollie Stone’s Market.