With the Jewish High Holy Days approaching, we have a plan for challah, honey cake and more.
| Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Laurie Ellen Pellicano. |
|
And all of a sudden, the Jewish High Holy Days are nearly upon us. This is how it feels to me every year; just as soon as we settle into our back-to-school routines, it's time to stop and dip some apples in honey to ensure a sweet new year. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are here. |
In my family, we use the tradition of dipping apples in honey as an excuse to compare the different apple and honey varieties. Do we prefer Braeburns or Mutsus with amber chestnut honey? Are Honeycrisps already sweet enough, or can they take some of New York's finest rooftop honey slathered on the slices? Our family loves a taste test. |
Along with those apples, there's also challah. Usually I bake an orange-scented olive oil loaf that I adapted from Myrna Aronson, but this year I'm going to try Claire Saffitz's thrilling new raisin-studded challah (above). With the exception of the citrus in Myrna's recipe and the honey (and optional raisins) in Claire's, the ingredient list is the same: bread flour, salt, yeast, lots of egg, and olive oil. It's the technique that's different. |
Claire's method for making a sponge, or preferment, is very smart, yielding a better risen, stretchy dough; it's easy to form into all manner of fancy, multistrand braids (or to use as the base for a babka). I'm going for the six-strand round version myself. Wish me luck! |
Also on the sweet side, Joan Nathan has a terrific recipe for a traditional Hungarian honey cake that sandwiches thin gingerbread layer cakes with a filling made from Cream of Wheat and chunky apricot or sour cherry jam. She made it to serve to Steven Fenves, a 91-year-old holocaust survivor, at a dinner in her home. There's a lovely story, too. |
L'shana tova! I'll see you Wednesday. |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment