Honey Cake and High Holiday Menu Ideas

Yep, it's that time of year again. The High Holidays are upon us! For those celebrating, it's a time to cook up a storm, get those pomegranates on the table, slice up the apples, and of course, pull out the stops with an awesome brisket. For the rest of y'all, it's a chance to read all you ever wanted to know - and more - about honey cake. Here, then, are my menu ideas for this time of year. They're great for Rosh Hashana, but they're also pretty delicious for any old day.

First things first: I teased my Twitter followers with the promise of an awesome honey cake in the pipeline. Now, I deliver. I made the Gourmet Live honey cake this week, and let me tell you, it is the best honey cake ever. I have to save the cake for a meal later this week, so I haven't yet glazed it (hence the stolen photo from Gourmet and none of my own, yet), but i made a miniature to taste test, and it passes muster and then some. It's an interesting take on a honey spice cake, made with plenty of honey, ginger, cloves, orange zest... and coffee. You won't be able to put your finger on any one flavor in the cake, but its beguiling flavor will keep you coming back for another bite, then another. Gourmet says your guests will ask you for the recipe; I'll let you know if my hosts ask me.

Honey Cakebarely adapted from Gourmet Live

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground clove 3 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 1/4 cups corn or canola oil 1 cup pure honey 3/4 cup lukewarm coffee 1 1/2 teaspoons packed grated orange zest, optional

For chocolate glaze: 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shaken canned unsweetened coconut milk (not light) 2 teaspoons light corn syrup 4 ounces bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped

For garnish: Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)

Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously spray pan, including center tube, with baking spray, or wipe with olive oil and sprinkle with flour, shaking out excess.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.

Whisk eggs well in another large bowl and whisk in sugar, oil, honey, coffee, and zest (if using) until well combined.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth.

Pour batter into pan (it’s liquid enough to level itself in the pan), and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes. Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack (see Cooks’ Notes) and cool completely.

For glaze:

Bring coconut milk and corn syrup to a simmer in a small heavy pan, stirring until combined.

Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Let chocolate stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth.

Let glaze stand, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, but still pourable.

Transfer cake to a cake plate and slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, let the cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set. Just before serving, sprinkle glaze lightly with flaky sea salt, if using.

Pomegranate Brisket

I first posted my brisket recipe on another blog post about Rosh Hashana menus. It really is the best brisket ever - plus, it's made with pomegranate syrup, and pomegranates are a traditional Rosh Hashana food. You can't go wrong with this recipe.

sweet-sour onions

Sweet and Sour Pearl Onions

A great side dish to accompany the brisket, requiring minimal enough work that you'll have enough time to bake those challot. Speaking of which...

couscous salad3

Couscous with Pistachios, Sultanas, and Mint

The perfect summer-to-fall transition dish, and one of my all-time favorite ways to use couscous. This recipe is a winner, and it can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature - perfect for those unpredictable meal times.

Carrot-Zucchini Bread

For those who love their sweet side dishes, this carrot-zucchini bread will hit the mark. For the Brits and others who think we Americans with our marshmallow-buried sweet potatoes are crazytown, this is a great dessert.

Braised Red Cabbage

An oldie but goodie, this dish always gets loads of compliments when I serve it. It also features pomegranate seeds; apparently I can't get enough.

If you're looking for other menu ideas, look no further.

To all of my readers, new and old - I hope you all have a wonderful New Year, filled with happiness and health, and lots of new, exciting things.

Enjoy! Oh, and do share your menu ideas in the comments: what are you making this holiday season?

Thanksgiving, Chez Nous

That's right: we're finally hosting Thanksgiving dinner. I'll be making dinner for 8 or 9, from soup to nuts. We're talking appetizers, soup, Turkey, all the sides, sauces, and fix-ins, and of course, pies galore. According to her family tradition, D gets a whole pumpkin pie designated for her. Not one to flout these family customs, I'll be following suit. One pumpkin pie for D, a couple more for the rest of us. Oh, and pecan, cranberry apple, and maybe something else, too. We'll see.

For now, here's my menu. It's pretty traditional, with some nips and tucks to suit our style (low-key) and our needs (no dairy). Some of you out there must be Tday veterans; I'd love your feedback -- what am I missing?

I'll add recipes and tips as I start the actual cooking, which probably won't happen until this weekend. Stay tuned, and please, pretty please: if you're also making Thanksgiving, share your menus in the comments!

Thanksgiving Menu

note: some of these recipes are NDP standbys. Several come from the wonderful community of cooks on Food52, and I imagine these are just a few of the Tday-friendly recipes on that site. I'll add links as I settle on recipes for the other dishes, so again -- stay tuned. Aperitif: Sour Cherry Liqueur Oven-Roasted Olives Pickles, Pickles, Pickles Tomato Soup with chive coulis OR curried carrot soup (haven't decided yet) Turkey with citrus and thyme, probably adapting this recipe Stuffed squash with quinoa, pears, and cranberries Green beans with horseradish-mustard vinaigrette Brussels sprouts Mrs. Wheelbarrow's challah stuffing (vegetarian) Forgotten sweet potatoes with maple syrup, adapting this recipe Cranberry sauce or chutney (if you have a great recipe, send it over!) Onion confit Butternut butter Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie Pecan Tartlets Apple Cranberry Pie, or adapted from this recipe

A Menu for the Jewish New Year

For serious, how has a year passed already? Eek.

The Jewish New Year is upon us. What's a girl to make for a holiday this big and momentous? Answer: a whole lotta food. But at the request of quite a few lovely readers, this year, I'm getting more specific. I'll be posting my Rosh Hashana menu from soup to cake, and -- per your requests -- I'll share my recipe for apple cake. In my humble opinion, it's a perfect recipe, with cinnamon-laced apples and the all-important crust. Let's get to it, shall we?

First things first: my work schedule is such that I'll have one day - one half day, if we're being precise -- to cook. With this in mind, my wonderful stepmother-in-law-to-be, Terri, is bringing a bunch of the staples with her from Detroit. Among the things coming on the plane are soup, 3 chickens, and 2 briskets. Clearly the lady is used to cooking for a crowd, and thank god for that.

Have no fear: just because she's doing brisket doesn't mean I'm not armed with a recipe for ya. It's hard to believe I haven't shared this brisket recipe yet, because it is my absolute favorite, and I rarely make brisket any other way.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's the whole menu:

Day 1:

Homemade challah Various homemade pickles Matza ball soup Salad of arugula and romaine, peaches, raw sweet corn, chives, and mustard vinaigrette Terri's chicken and brisket Moroccan eggplant (recipe to come shortly) Summer squash couscous with sultanas, pistachios, and mint

Day 2: Caponata Tomato Soup Fattoush Chicken and brisket Beets with fennel, orange, and walnuts Braised Sweet and Sour Cabbage

And, for both nights, I'll be making my new favorite Jewish apple cake. It's a not-too-sweet, plenty sturdy batter, laced with thin slices of cinnamon-and-sugar-coated apples. I used Cortland, which become soft but not at all mushy. Granny Smith would be great as well. Pretty much anything but Macintosh and Delicious will work.

Some folks like their apple cake with big chunks of fruit; I love that this cake has the apples in thin slices, woven through the body of the cake. When you're pouring the batter into the pan, it'll feel as though you took a bunch of apple slices, dunked them in batter, and baked them off. I love that. This cake is loaded with apples, but have no fear -- the batter expands in the oven, and the blob of batter-coated apples becomes a phenomenal cake.

We're rounding out 5770 here at NDP, and we're also sneakin' up on the blog's 3-year anniversary. It's hard to believe; I'm not sure what else to say. Blogging in this space, hearing your comments, reading your emails, and sharing my favorite recipes with all of you gives me no small measure of joy. I feel lucky to be a place you visit, and I hope this year brings all of us many, many blessings. Have a happy, healthy new year!

My Favorite Apple Cake

4 firm, tart apples; I like Cortlandt 3 tablespoons cinnamon 1 3/4 cups plus 4 tablespoons sugar, divided juice of half a lemon 3 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 cup vegetable or corn oil 1/2 cup apple sauce

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter and flour either a bundt pan (for pretty slices but no real crust), or a 9-inch springform or round pan (more boringtown shape, great crust).

Core apples, slice into 1/2 inch slices, and toss in a medium bowl with cinnamon, 4 tablespoons sugar, and juice of half a lemon. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, remaining sugar, and oil. Beat with whisk or whip with electric mixer until frothy and somewhat satiny, about 60 seconds with a whisk or 30 with an electric mixer. Add vanilla and whisk to combine.

Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to egg mixture. Whisk to combine. Add half apple sauce, and whisk again. Repeat with second third of dry ingredients, remaining apple sauce, and finally, the last third of the dry ingredients. When batter is smooth and only a few lumps remain, add apples, with all accumulated liquid, to batter. Fold in to combine.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake approximately 60 minutes, maybe 70, until cake is set in the middle and crust is golden. Set pan on rack and allow cake to cool 15 minutes. Then gingerly run knife around perimeter of cake, set plate overtop, and flip pan, inverting cake onto plate. Allow to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

My Best Brisket Recipe

5 pounds first cut brisket, trimmed of any excess fat 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped 2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped 2 carrots, quartered lengthwise and chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 5 cloves garlic, smashed, skins removed 2 bay leaves 2 tablespoons tomato paste 3-4 sprigs parsley, roughly chopped 2 sprigs thyme 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses 1 cup pomegranate juice 1 bottle dry red wine minus 1 cup (to drink, of course 1/2 cup beef stock, optional

Preheat oven to 325º.

Pat brisket dry and salt liberally on both sides, If using kosher meat, do not salt.

Put your largest, deepest saute pan (preferably oven safe; a dutch oven is a great one to use) over medium high heat.

Using sturdy kitchen tongs, transfer brisket to pan and sear, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes, until underside develops brown crust. Turn brisket and cook 3-4 minutes on second side, until similarly seared. If pan is oven-safe, transfer brisket to a plate. If not, transfer brisket to oven-safe pan and set aside.

Pour off any accumulated fat in pan, reserving the fond (the delicious brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, which have all the brisket flavor in them). Reduce heat to medium, add olive oil, and swirl to coat. Ad onions, leeks, carrots, and celery, and saute until onions are translucent, 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add garlic and saute 3 minutes more. Add bay leaves and herbs.

Add tomato paste, and use the back of a wooden spoon to break it up and incorporate it into the vegetables. Saute 3 minutes more, and then transfer to plate or pan holding brisket.

Raise heat back to medium-high. Add a splash of wine to the pan, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the wine, pomegranate juice, and beef stock, if using. Cook on medium-high heat until reduced by half. Add pomegranate molasses and cook 1 minute more.

Transfer brisket, vegetables, and braising liquid to oven-safe pan (if using a dutch oven, cooking liquid already will be in it, so carefully transfer brisket and seasoning to pan.)

Braise, covered, at 325 for 3 hours, until soft and tender. At the 1 hour mark, taste sauce and correct for salt and seasoning. When 3 hours have passed, remove pan from oven and allow brisket to rest at room temperature approximately 20-30 minutes. To serve, slice against the grain as thickly as desired. Top each slice with a spoonful of sauce.