Kosher Cuisine with Marcy Goldman

Apples and? The Timeless Appeal of Apples for the New Year; the Timely Appeal of Added Flavors….

Apples go with everything, cinnamon, spice, nuts, caramel, chocolate –It’s All Good

The Jewish New Year always has me running to check my apple recipes. As you would expect of any baker, I have tons!  But a Jewish baker has legions of apple recipes; like the blush on a bride, you can never have too much blush nor apple recipes. I also, as you might imagine, have a ton of apples and honey recipes to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, some of which I’ve shared here, over the years, in Kosher Cuisine. What befits apples more than honey? No wonder it's such a winning duo.

What I like about apples in general, is they are fine on their own: pure and simple just apples alone. But they do (and pardon the other bridal metaphor) marry well with other flavors. When Rosh Hashanah comes early, as it does this year, adding other flavors to new apples has a double benefit. The apples, depending on what sort they are, can lack a touch of sweetness of flavor. To be at their finest, apples need a few nights of crisp, even frosty climes, to help them max out their apple perfume and taste. Since New Year’s is early this year, you can count on some pre-maturely picked apples to reach the market and farm stands. Knowing you have some divine apples-and-combination recipes is a boon. The added elements, be it nuts, caramel, or spice ensures you have a sweet apple dessert that is not only flavorful but a bit off the beaten path of grandma’s apple cake (not that anyone wouldn’t welcome that as well!).

So, pick your apples and pick the flavor match up you prefer from this Rosh Hashanah Apples-and…..recipe collection.

Happy Baking and a happy and sweet New Year,
Marcy Goldman

Shredded Pastry Apple Cinnamon Tart
This combination of tendrils of spiced pastry atop an apple tart makes a statement for Rosh Hashanah. It offers the newness of a unique apple dessert with the old-fashioned, timeless goodness of apples and pastry.

Rosh Hashanah Blue Ribbon Apple Chunky Chocolate Bundt Cake
I’ve made a version of this cake for years and only recently started serving it for Rosh Hashanah. It’s moist, flavorful and replete with hunks of chocolate, sweet raisins and chunks of both semi-sweet and milk chocolate. Although it says ‘Bundt’ cake, do as I do, not as I say –use an angel food cake pan for best results. This only needs a dusting of confectioners’ sugar but melted chocolate is also divine. Make this once and I guarantee it will be your annual Rosh Hashanah slicing cake (alongside honey cake and grandma’s apple cake). As you can see, you can make this cake pareve or dairy. It is excellent either way.

Simcha Apple Pear and Cranberry Strudel
What a gorgeous and easy holiday strudel. It is New Year’s and harvest fresh with three fruits – apples being the main event. Filo dough, easily found in kosher packaging, making this super easy. Juicy pears really go a long way in uplifting the tender apple taste.

Apple Caramel Kutchen Buns
This is a yeasted coffee cake done in an apple walnut caramel rendition. Pull-apart buns are just right for enjoying after the Rosh Hashanah main meal.  They also stay fresh for a few days and are just the thing to enjoy as you come in from services and want something quick with coffee. This recipe is also something you can keep in a cool rise in the fridge and bake up after Yom Kippur fast to enjoy warm and fresh when you need them.