Two chefs. Eighty minutes. Four courses. One secret ingredient. This is the premise behind our first ever Chef Wars.  We had a face off between two of the world’s top kosher chefs, Chef David Kolotkin of The Prime Grill and SOLO, and Chef Makoto Kameyama of Prime KO.  Now you can watch the highly anticipated videos.

In all seriousness – there is something I must tell you.  Joy of Kosher has grown so much this past year and it’s all because of YOU!  There are loyal followers who have been cooking and laughing with us since the beginning; and there are newcomers who have discovered us recently and eagerly joined our cookin’ klatch.   Tamar, Hadassah, the entire Joy of Kosher team and I wish you all a year full of blessing, happiness, success and sweetness beyond your wildest dreams. May you have fabulous food and wonderful family and friends with whom to share it.  Please count us in as family, and we’ll count you in as ours.  Ksivahv’chasimahtovah, everybody.

In case you missed any of our Rosh Hashanah posts here is rundown of all our menus and articles that you can bookmark to use from year to year.

See you in 5772!

A Rosh Hashanah Menu from Susie Fishbein

New Kosher Wines for the New Year

Easy Rosh Hashanah Crafts

4 Simanim Inspired Quick & Kosher Menus

Video – How to make a Rosh Hashanah Crown Round Challah

3 Parve Sweet Desserts for the New Year

A Rosh Hashanah Lunch Menu

Rosh Hashanah Menu with Images by Danny Lerner

2 Holiday Cake Recipes that Step Out of the Box

A Braided Round Challah

How to eat healthry through the holidays

Ask the Rabbi

Why do we eat sweet foods on Rosh Hashanah?

Why are Challahs round this time of year?

When and why we don’t eat nuts?

What are Simanim and why do we eat them?

Before every holiday we like to get together with our friend Levana Kirschenbaum, cooking teacher and cookbook author with a practical and nutritious approach to cooking.  Don’t miss her latest cookbook: “The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen: Glorious Meals Pure and Simple”. I attend her holiday cooking demo, we schmooze, we eat and we share it all with you.

Q: What do you like about cooking for Rosh Hashanah?

I love all the seasonal foods. Because it occurs right at the end of summer, we are all happy to get reunited with heartier dishes: soups, stews etc. Also, lots of cooking with fruit.

Q: With your Sephardic background, are there any High Holiday traditions that Ashkenazis would be interested in?

Our Rosh Hashanah Seder plate: just like a Passover Seder plate has 7 kinds of vegetables.

We also serve a delightful mixture of pomegranate seeds and walnuts, flavored with orange flower water.

And one more mixture: sesame seeds, anise seeds and sugar.

Q: What will someone learn by coming to one of your holiday demos?

Even though I spent my life developing recipes, I tell my students that the recipe is still the least part of it, in and of itself, and the best proof is, even with all the million recipes available online, not everyone is a good cook, not by a long shot. What I do tell them is the most important is to use absolutely nothing but the real thing, across the board: THIS, and not the recipe, will guarantee not only delicious food, but a much greater quality of life. They often think it will mean more time or more money, that is, until they see me in action and realize they might from now on spend less time and money, and end up with much superior food.

Q: What are your go to Rosh Hashanah recipes and why?

I would say lamb dishes. This is my splurge. Lamb shanks with artichokes and mushrooms and tiny potatoes, lamb with dried fruit, lamb with oregano lemon sauce etc even a lamb roast I was lucky to find at Aaron’s Gourmet Empire.

Here is Levana’s Rosh Hashanah menu that she demonstrated the other night, join her every Monday for another exciting menu, see her schedule here.

Here’s a very nice, simple way to make beautiful round braided challahs. It comes out much nicer than a simple ‘snail’ shape as so many do, and really takes only minutes to put together. Anyone who can braid three strands can make this challah easily. Plus it rises and bakes nicer than a simpler knot or twist does.  You can also watch Jamie’s video of the same technique.

Begin by taking three long strands and braiding them into a very long havdalah–candle-shaped log.

After this long ‘candle’ has been braided, carefully tie it up as if you are making one large knot out of it, and leave it to rise.

It will come out different than a simple round knot, and although not quite as extravagant as the woven round challah, it is still quite pretty.

To find out why we make round challahs this time of year read Rabbi Lawrence’s Ask the Rabbi here.

Susie Fishbein gave me a chance to search through her best-selling Kosher By Design cookbook series to design three exclusive holiday menus for the Joy of Kosher community – complete with a shopping list for each menu!  My goal is to cook my way through these amazing recipes over the holidays and share my feedback (and the reviews of my guests) in the Comments section below each recipe.

Today we are starting with Rosh Hashanah evening.  We’ve got a mix of simanim, sweet stuff and even something new to help you celebrate the New Year in the most delicious way!

Cinnamon Sugar Challah
Salmon Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Pomegranate Glazed London Broil with Caramelized Onion
Pastrami Stuffed Turkey Roast with Pineapple Glazed
Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Apple Rum Croustade

 Shopping List

 From the Butcher:

• 2 pounds London broil or fillet split
• 1 (4-5) pound boneless turkey roast, with skin, tied
• ¼ pound sliced pastrami

 From the Fishmonger:

• 1 ½ pounds salmon fillet

From the Produce Section:

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 piece of fresh ginger
• 2 lemons
• 1 carrot
• 3 ounces Mesclun lettuce
• 1 cup Watercress
• ½ pound Brussels sprouts
• 1 pound Red grapes
• 1 navel orange
• 4 onions
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into ¼-inch pieces
  2 Macintosh or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 4-5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled (about 5 large)

From the Dairy Section:

• Eggs
• Margarine

From the Freezer:

• 1 box phyllo dough

From the Aisles:

• Challah dough (or to make your own, get yeast, flour, sugar, eggs,
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Mirin
• Soy Nuts
• ½ cup Hazelnuts or raw cashews (if it is your custom you can leave out the nuts for the Brussels sprouts)
• Dark brown sugar
• Pomegranate molasses
• Chicken broth
• 1 bottle Barbecue sauce
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineaple chunks
• 1/4 cup whiskey or bourbon, such as Jack Daniels
• 1 1/2 ounces (usually 1/2 bar) good-quality semisweet chocolate, such as Schmerling Noblesse®
• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• Salt
• Canola oil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper
• Yellow Mustard
• Garlic Powder
• Onoin Powder
• Paprika
• Parsley flakes
• Kitchen twine
• Vanilla extract
• Cinnamon
• Cornstarch

From the Wine shop:

• White Wine
• Dark Rum

Thank you Susie for your inspiration and truly wonderful cookbooks.

Rosh HaShana is just around the corner and I’m so happy to be here on Joy of Kosher! Now of course, you came here looking for recipes for the upcoming holidays, which is certainly a great start, however in my biased humble opinion, no holiday table or home is complete without some holiday specific decorating! And now you’re thinking “well of course she thinks that, she’s the crafting queen!” But let me tell you, you don’t have to be an expert crafter to make crafts or introduce creativity to your family— I’m here to help you!

And most importantly of all, I can tell you from personal experience, that when I sit down both with and without my kids to make craft projects for upcoming holidays, our enjoyment of the holidays themselves are so much more meaningful. Anticipation and preparation are key, and craft projects not only add joy to our timeless traditions, but help make lasting memories for children and adults alike. So do give it your all and prepare some amazing meals for your family and friends, but this year set aside just a bit of time to complement your delicious cooking with some touches of creativity that will make your holidays extra special.

This year I decided to come up with a mini-series of simple craft projects using a few basic supplies, especially suited to those who haven’t done much crafting recently. These projects are a great way to get your feet wet, so to speak, and you can customize them so that they’ll be just right for your home.

Place a golden leaved apple at every place setting or use them to make a gorgeous rustic centerpiece on a cake stand or in a beautiful bowl. You can make these apples in just minutes, following the simple instructions here.

This simple golden apple garland will add a festive touch to your home, whether you string just a few apples on each string and use them as chair back garlands, or make longer strands to hang in doorways or just about anywhere. And after you’ve enjoyed your garland a bit in your home, you can certainly use it in your succah as well. You’ll find the complete instructions here.

And while you’re cutting out those golden apples, how about making some larger ones to use as fun decorations or to give as Rosh HaShana cards? This is of course the perfect project to do together with toddlers who may enjoy lacing the hemp string through the holes of the apple. You’ll find the complete instructions here.

Creative napkin rings are a great way to add a festive touch to your holiday table, and these can be made by all ages. I love the contrast of using hemp chord on an elegant white holiday table, but you may prefer using thin ribbon and crystal beads, which would also be quite lovely. You can find the complete instructions for these golden pomegranate napkin ties here.

That’s all for now, I hope you’ve enjoyed this mini craft series! For many more Jewish Holiday craft projects and lots of creative inspiration, please do visit me at creativejewishmom.com. It really can be your one stop crafting site and I’m always there on the other line happy to answer questions or help you come up with the perfect project for any occasion. Wishing you and yours a shanah tovah and a gamar chatimah tovah!

So this is where it all comes together.  All the thought. All the planning. The testing. The tasting, the tasting, and the tasting. (That’s the best part).  A simanim-inspired menu brings added challenges, but also adds a level of meaning to your Rosh Hashanah meal.  I have been doing this for the past few years, using the opportunity as a Rosh Hashanah conversation starter with my kids during our cooking and prep time together. My guests, my kids, my guests’ kids – everybody loves identifying which simanim are on the table openly or “hidden” as an ingredient. Our discussion takes on a special Yuntif energy that only comes with Rosh Hashanah.

I hope you enjoy preparing and eating these simanim-inspired dishes and menus as much as I did creating them.

Which ones will you incorporate into your holiday menus this year?

 Menu 1

Gefilte Fish Cakes with Horseradish Sauce

Apple and Parsnip Soup

Wild Rice with Carrots and Beets

Date Glazed Roast Chicken

Garlic Honey Brisket

Spicy Sauteed Leeds and Spinach

Carrot Apple Mini Cupcakes

Menu 2

Spicy Thai Beef Salad

Honey Chicken

Black Eyed Peas and Green Beans

Roasted Sweet Vegetables in Cider

Apple Cardamom Tart

Menu 3

Carrot Quinoa and Spinach Soup

Spinach Noodle Kugel

Chicken with Apples

Veal Stew with Apricots and Prunes

Baked Apple Strudel Egg Rolls

Menu 4

Spiced Gefilte Fish

Leek and Mushroom Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

Carrot Cupcakes

Candied Apples

On Rosh Hashanah it is traditional to eat foods symbolic of our hopes for a good and prosperous new year. The most recognizable of these symbols is the apple dipped in honey, but there are many more symbolic foods associated with Rosh Hashanah, such as gourds, fenugreek, leeks, beets, dates, pomegranate, and the head of a fish.  These desserts are based around some of these traditional symbolic foods (don’t worry, not the fish head). While it is customary to serve the symbolic foods at the beginning of the meal, these desserts are a fun way to serve them at the end as well.

Pomegranates are a very common food to serve on Rosh Hashanah. When eating the pomegranate we state the hope “that our merits increase like (the seeds of) a pomegranate” in the coming year. These Individual Pomegranate Tarts are the perfect way to highlight the many seeds within each pomegranate. The sweet tart crust is filled with a soft pomegranate curd and topped with as many fresh pomegranate seeds as will fit on top. The seeds look like glistening jewels making this a very elegant dessert.

This next dessert, a pumpkin pot de crème, is included as a stand-in for the gourd. Since pumpkin and gourds are both members of the squash family this seemed like a much tastier option, saving the real gourds for sukkah decorations in a few more weeks. This pot de crème tastes like creamy, soft pumpkin pie filling.

Apple and Honey Marshmallows

These Apple and Honey Marshmallows are a fun take on the traditional flavors of Rosh Hashanah. I love to serve homemade marshmallows at all my Shabbat and holiday meals. A bowl of the springy cubes of marshmallow set out with the tea and coffee never fails to get a smile from my guests, old and young alike. We dip apples in honey at the beginning of the meal as a symbol of our hopes for a good sweet year. With these marshmallows you can end the meal with a bit of extra sweetness, as well. These would also make a great hostess gift for Rosh Hashanah.

Shanah Tovah u’Metukah, may it be a good as sweet New Year.

We have lots of amazing Rosh Hashanah menus around here, but most are for dinner.  Now don’t get me wrong, dinner is one of my three favorite meals of the day.  But with three (way past) overtired children, I sometimes prefer to entertain for lunch.  Sure shul may go on until 2pm,  but when we get back everyone is truly hungry and it is a perfect time to show off some yummy creations.

Orange and Date Challah

On Shabbat, I like to mix it up and serve different kinds of breads, but on Rosh Hashanah a round challah is a must!  After filling up on my delicious Apple Challah for the first night, I go for a lighter Orange and Date Challah during the day.

Pomegranate Guacamole

A Pomegranate Guacamole is a favorite spread that is a perfect compliment to this Cucumber and Black Bean Salsa Salad.

Mango Chicken

For the main course, I am going to make a Mango Chicken that can be served hot or cold.  On the side will be Yellow Rice with Cilantro and some Garlicky Green Beans.

Margarita Cupcakes

If I am feeling wild, I will make these Margarita Cupcakes, but more likely I will go with my mom’s traditional and incredibly Easy Honey Cake.

I showed you mine now it’s your turn, what are you making for your YomTov?

Ok, the name is funny, but this is serious cooking. Spatchcocking poultry is the process of removing the backbone and sternum of a bird. The bird is then flattened out by pressing on it. The result is a bird that cooks evenly, quickly and without drying out the breast. Spatchcocking is easy and takes only a few minutes and either a very sharp knife or really good kitchen shears. While the process is simple and easy, the time saved in cooking equals big payback. Because the turkey is butterflied, the heat is more evenly distributed and a 12 pound turkey will take about 1 ½ hours to roast versus a whole turkey which will take over 3 hours to roast.  A whole chicken that has been spatchcocked takes about 30 minutes to roast while a whole chicken takes an hour.  See our guide to cooking a turkey.

I learned how to spatchcock poultry many years ago in culinary School and fell in love with the technique. I never understood why everyone didn’t do it. Whole roasted chicken and turkey are a reasonable possibility for dinner on weeknights. No more slaving over the stove waiting for dinner and a moist, luscious dinner is moments away. No more v-racks, beer cans and other contraptions used in an effort to roast the perfect bird. Just you, a bird and sharp knife. This year for the chagim, try Spatchcocking and see if you don’t fall in love with a silly word that means serious cooking.

Spatchcocked Turkey Recipe