Here’s a nod to the traditional Ashkenazi Jewish New Year’s fruit: the apple. Who doesn’t like a crisp apple dipped in sweet honey? But there’s a twist to this recipe created by my daughter Rebecca for her children’s cookbook Let’s Cook with the Zazoo. It’s a perfect after school snack for anytime but especially those days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I’ve reproduced the page so that you’ll get the full flavor of this simple recipe which is easy enough for a child to make.
Now, if you’re tired of apples for dessert for the holidays, try another common fall fruit, pears. You can use pears almost interchangeably with apples. In fact, one of my favorite pie recipes substitutes pears for apples. With a crunchy crumb topping, it’s delicious. In addition, pears still have that little surprise inside when they are cut through the middle. Note that this kugel recipe can be pareve and would be perfect with brisket. A nice accompaniment to an apple or pear dish is the story The Apple Tree by storyteller Peninah Schram.
Alsatian Pear Kugel
6-8 servings
Ingredients:
5 T vegetable oil
2 pounds (4 cups) ripe Bosc pears
2 small onions (about ½ pound) peeled and cut into 1” dice
½ tsp. salt
½ loaf white bread (about 7 ounces)
¾ c. sugar
6 T butter or pareve margarine, melted
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups pitted prunes
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9-inch springform pan with 2 T. of the oil.
2. Peel the pears and cut all but one of them into 1-inch cubes.
3. Heat the remaining 3 T oil over medium –high heat in a skillet. Lightly sauté the onions until they are translucent. Remove from heat, salt lightly, and cool slightly.
4. Soak the bread for a few seconds in lukewarm water and squeeze dry. Put in a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix with ¼ c sugar and the butter or margarine. Stir in the eggs, onions, half of diced pears, setting aside the rest of pears for the sauce.
5. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours.
6. While the kugel is cooking, make the sauce. In a heavy saucepan set over medium-high heat, put 1 cup water, the remaining ½ cup sugar, the prunes, cinnamon, lemon juice and the remaining diced pears. Cook this compote mixture uncovered for 30 minutes.
7. Finely grate the reserved whole pear and stir it into the cooked compote.
8. When the kugel is done, remove from oven and set on a rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Unmold from the pan onto a serving platter and spoon half the compote over it. Serve the remaining compote on the side.
NOTE: You can use only prunes or even plums instead of pears.
The recipe above is by Joan Nathan from Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France.
A lighter but very traditional dish is fruit compote. This compote is a hybrid of Ashkenazi dried fruit compote and more sophisticated French poached fruit.
Dried Fruit, Pears and Wine Compote
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup water
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 cloves
12 prunes
12 dried apricots
8 small pears, peeled, with stems left on
Directions:
1. Combine the wine, water, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a medium pan and bring to boil.
2. Add the prunes, dried apricots and pears. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the pears are tender but still retail their shape.
3. Refrigerate in a covered bowl for at least 3-4 hours and up to 2 days.
4. Serve chilled.
The previous recipe is from Jewish Soul Food: From Minsk to Marrakesh by Janna Gur.
BATAYAVON
HAVE A SWEET NEW YEAR1
The previous recipe is from Jewish Soul Food: From Minsk to Marrakesh by Janna Gur.
BATAYAVON
HAVE A SWEET NEW YEAR1
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Thank you for interesting recipes. LOVE your daughter’s cookbook.