On Rosh Hashanah, special additions to the dinner table include the season’s new fruits — pomegranates, avocados and persimmons — along with a plate of sliced apples and a bowl of honey for dipping.
While all of these foods signify hope for a sweet year ahead and are eaten with the accompanying prayer, “May it be Thy will, oh Lord our God, to renew us for a good and sweet new year,” honey seems to be the most symbolic and ever-present.
Can you imagine a Rosh Hashanah meal ending without some sort of honey cake? This year also try using honey in salad dressings, side dishes and main dishes for an extra dose of sweetness for this holiday feast. A couple of these recipes are old favorites.
Honey Bronzed Brisket
Serves 6-8
4-lb. center cut brisket, trimmed of fat
salt and pepper
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1⁄2 cup honey
1⁄4 cup strong mustard (Dijon type)
1⁄4 cup dry red wine
1⁄2 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle both sides of brisket with salt and pepper. Heat large Dutch oven and brown brisket on both sides only using fat still attached to brisket. Remove to platter.
Add onions and garlic to Dutch oven and cook until golden and slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile combine honey, mustard and wine. Remove pot from heat and place brisket on onions. Pour about 3⁄4 of the honey mixture over the brisket. Add thyme and 1 cup of water to onions. Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Cover and place in oven.
Bake 21⁄2 hours, basting with pan juices every so often. Remove from oven and pour remaining honey mixture over brisket. (Onion mixture will be a dark bronzy color at this point.) Bake uncovered, another 20 minutes.
Remove brisket and let cool about 1⁄2 hour. Degrease pan juices and taste for salt and pepper. Slice brisket across the grain. Arrange slices on serving platter and top with sauce. Place steamed carrots and roast potatoes around brisket.
Chicken in Honeyed Tomatoes
Serves 6
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
1⁄2 cup honey
1⁄2 tsp. dried thyme
1⁄2 tsp. dried tarragon
1 cup pitted black olives (preferably imported), halved
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
Flatten chicken breasts slightly by pounding them between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Blot dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
In large skillet heat oil. Cook chicken breasts until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm.
In same skillet cook onion and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, white wine, honey, thyme and tarragon. Simmer sauce about 15 minutes or until thick. Return chicken to sauce and add olives. Cover and cook another 3 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad
Serves 8
8 cups torn spinach leaves or other seasonal greens
(about 1 lb.)
3 Fuji (firm, squat) persimmons, cut into thin wedges
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. sherry vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
7 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
seeds from 1 large pomegranate (about 1 cup)
In a large bowl combine spinach, persimmons and onion. Whisk together vinegar, honey and oil. Toss with salad. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve.
Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Serves 6
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1⁄16 tsp. (pinch) cayenne
1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
1⁄2 cup honey
1 (28-oz.) can chopped tomatoes with juice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
In large saucepan heat oil. Add leeks, celery and red peppers and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in cayenne and ginger and cook another minute. Add honey, tomatoes, chicken stock and vinegar. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer, partially covered, 25 minutes.
Let soup cool slightly and purée in blender until smooth. Taste for salt and
pepper. Reheat if necessary and serve sprinkled with mint and parsley.
Braised Apples and Red Cabbage with Honey and Wine
Serves 8
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 large apples, cored and chopped
2 Tbs. honey
1 large head red cabbage, cored and shredded
1⁄2 cup dry red wine
1⁄2 cup chicken broth or water
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup chopped parsley
In a large skillet heat oil. Cook onion and apples until very soft. Stir in honey and cook 1 minute. Add cabbage and cook until wilted. Add wine and broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.
If mixture is too liquid, uncover and cook over high heat for a few minutes until some of the liquid evaporates. Stir in salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with parsley.
Mile-High Chocolate Honey Cake with Chocolate Honey Glaze
Serves 8-10
7 egg yolks
1⁄2 cup honey, warmed until runny, about 1 minute
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine or ground
8 oz. (12⁄3 cups) almonds, finely ground
12 egg whites
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl beat egg yolks with honey until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate and almonds and beat another minute.
In separate bowl beat egg whites until foamy, add salt and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate-nut mixture. Gently fold in remaining whites, a quarter at a time.
Pour batter into a 10-inch angel food cake pan with removable tube. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
To cool, hang cake upside down by inserting the top of a wine or vinegar bottle in tube. Let cool completely.
Remove cake from pan by releasing sides with a sharp knife. Do the same with removable tube. Invert on platter and glaze.
Chocolate Honey Glaze
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 oz. unsalted butter or margarine
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 Tbs. honey
Combine ingredients in the top of a double boiler and heat until melted and smooth. Let cool about 30 minutes. Pour or spread glaze on top of cake and let excess drip down sides.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].