It's almost here!! The new year is almost here... well, for Jews it is! We had our "toast" at work yesterday and everything was amazing... except the honey cake. I've got a few recipes for you that you may not be able to find on the interwebs. I wish I had pictures to show you but I'll let your imagination do the work.This year is a little bitter-sweet for me. It's my last Rosh Hashanah in Israel and the first Rosh Hashanah without my grandmother. This was one of her favorite holidays and I feel like the only grandchild that understands why. She loved watching us together and really enjoyed watching us eat her food. I attempted to make her honey cake this year and I failed miserably. I hope my cousin, Lindz, had better luck.
Every year she's make pans upon pans of honey cake. One would go to my uncle, another to my Dad, one to Jodi, one to Kim, and I got 4 pieces... since I was living with my Mom, I got enough for me to snack on before going to synagogue. Fear not, I stocked up at my uncle's house during lunch and my Dad's house during dinner. My Bubba loved watching us eat and really enjoyed watching us pray during the high holidays. My grandparents would get to shul early (9am early) and the rest of us would show up around 10. Our seats would be saved given the large amounts of yarmulkas that my grandfather would stuff into his coat before heading off to Shul.
This year will be hard on my family - our Bubba was a rock and we miss her. Yet, we need to be there for my Zeidy. This is the first year that I actually hate being in the Holy Land for the high holidays. Regardless, I'm here, so I'm doing what Bubba would have wanted me to do - cook for people and enjoy the new year. This year, I enjoyed it with my friends at work and I'll be enjoying it tonight with my "adopted" family. Our "toast" at work was really successful and gave me some ideas for what to make for dessert tonight.
Here's what I made:
Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with apples and a Maple-Cinnamon frosting (dairy)
Honey Cake (parve)
Apple "pie" cups (parve)
Honey Fluff (dairy but can be made parve)
Pomegranate Fizz (drink!)
Sweet Couscous (parve)
If you couldn't tell, pomegranates, honey, and apples are HUGE ingredients for Rosh Hashanah. Here's why: it's said that a pomegranate has 613 seeds which coincides with the 613 mitzvot (commandments) that every Jew must obey throughout the year. They were also one of the fruits that scouts brought to Moses to show him that the promised land is fertile. It's a symbol of fertility in Judaism. The apple represents our love for G-d. No, seriously. While we eat it because it's sweet, it is said that Solomon wrote "beneath the apple tree, I aroused you(r love)" - he doesn't mean this as a dirty thing but rather he found his love for G-d under the apple tree. So, eating the apple is an attempt to remind G-d of our age-old love affair with him. If you're me, that apple better be baked (allergies). Dipping the apples into honey is a tangible reflection of our trust that G-d hears us and will grant us a sweet year.
Ready for your recipes? Most of the are beyond easy (I don't like things that are complicated).
Maple-Cinnamon Frosting
What you need:
1 bar of Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup sweet whipping cream (DO NOT USE READY MADE WHIPPED CREAM)
1 packet of vanilla pudding mix (DO NOT USE READY MADE PUDDING)
2 tsp. cinnamon (ground)
2 tsp. maple syrup (try to use the real stuff - it makes a difference)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
What you do:
Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.
Place the cream cheese in to your mix master and start mixing. Once the cream cheese is softened and starting to move around, add your vanilla pudding packet. Let the two mix and slowly add your whipping cream.
A note about whipping cream: if you work it too fast in the mixer or too long, it starts to separate.
Once the cream cheese, vanilla pudding packet, and whipping cream start to mix together, add your powdered sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Mix everything together on high - watching the mixture carefully - for 2 minutes or so. Once you start to get a mixture that looks like frosting, stop mixing and place the mixture in an airtight container and put it into the fridge to chill. Let it sit in the fridge for at least two hours before using it.
The whole process should take no more than 10 minutes. If it takes longer, scrap your work and try it again.
Honey Fluff Whipped Cream
What you need:
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup honey
What you do:
Grab your mix master and make sure your whisk attachment is firmly in place. Pour your whipping cream into the mixing bowl and add your powdered sugar. Start to beat the mixture together. After about two minutes, add your honey and mix on a higher setting. Keep a close eye on the mixture - if you mix it too fast or too long, it'll separate. You'll see stiff peaks forming - once they start to form, stop mixing!!
If you want your fluff to be stiff, add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and lightly mix.
Once the fluff is done, take it out of the bowl and place it in an air tight container in the fridge. Let it set for at least 3 hours before using it. At that time, you can add it to a whipped cream canister or just serve it as is.
The whole process should take about 5 minutes.
Pomegranate Fizz (non-alcoholic)
What you need:
1 canister of pomegranate nectar or juice
1 bottle of soda water
1 cup honey
1 cup simple syrup (3/4 cup sugar melted in 1/2 cup of hot water - use more water if needed)
What you do:
In a large mixing or punch bowl, pour out your pomegranate juice or nectar. Set it aside
In a smaller bowl, add 3/4 cup sugar to 1/2 cup of hot water - whisk it well to help it dissolve. Add your honey to the hot mixture and whisk all the ingredients together to help them blend.
Add your simple syrup mixture to the juice and whisk it well.
Add the soda water... slowly. You're dealing with Pomegranate which stains, so it's important not to dump the ingredients together.
After everything is mixed, you can either chill it in the punch bowl or place it in old soda bottles for easy carrying. You can also garnish with pomegranate seeds or other fruits.
Alternatively, you can replace the soda water with champagne or fizzy white wine if you want an alcoholic drink.
Sweet Couscous
What you need:
1 cup dried couscous
2 cups water
7-10 dried apricots - cut up into small pieces
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
What you do:
Grab a medium sized pot with a lid - place it on your stove but don't turn on the stove just yet.
Add your couscous, water, sugar, apricots, and dried cherries or cranberries - give it a good stir. Now turn on your stove to a low setting. If you have a gas stove, turn it to a low flame. Make sure the pot is covered. It'll take about 5 minutes to cook - you can always add more water if you feel the couscous is still dry. Once the couscous is cooked, take it off the stove and set it aside with the lid on.
Let the couscous sit for about 10 minutes with the lid on. Remove the couscous and put it in a large bowl or dish - then place it in the fridge for about an hour or two. Remove it from the fridge and add your pomegranate seeds. Place it back into the fridge until it is totally cooled. Once it's cold, take it out and drizzle on the honey. Mix well and serve.
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