How to make the simplest Rosh Hashanah dinner ever.
Some people take great pride and pleasure in planning their Rosh Hashanah menus for weeks or months in advance, chugging away at kugels and cakes and soup to put in the freezer. I know my grandmother and Aunt Ruth both did their High Holidays cooking all summer so they would be “ready.”
But not everyone cooks for 20 people or enjoys the toil and preparation of holiday cooking for weeks on end. And for those people, this simple menu is for you.
Traditional Jewish new year flavors of apple and pomegranate can show up in unexpected places — like sangria, which is a perfect, easy choice for entertaining, since you can make a large batch and chill until ready to serve. And even a simple roast chicken becomes special for the holiday with an apricot mustard makeover and crispy roast potatoes.
You can keep your preparations and flavors simple while serving up a sweet, delicious and deceptively impressive spread for family and friends.
Apple Pomegranate Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 whole apple cored and sliced
- 1 whole lemon sliced
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 1 bottle white wine sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio (or moscato if you like very sweet wine)
- 4 oz vodka (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups ginger ale or club soda
- pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Place sliced apple and lemons in a sealable container. Add 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup wine and vodka (optional). Allow to sit overnight in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, place fruit and liquid in a large carafe. Add remaining wine and pomegranate juice. Top with ginger ale or club soda to your liking. Serve chilled or with ice.
Notes
Sheet Pan Apricot Dijon Chicken With Brussel Sprouts And Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1/4 cup apricot jam
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb potatoes small red or Yukon gold, halved
- 1 pint brussel sprouts trimmed and halved
- 6 cloves garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400º F
- Cut chicken along the backside, removing spine. Flatten and lay on top of sheet pan.
- In a small bowl, mix together apricot jam, mustard, brown sugar, olive oil, orange juice, salt and pepper.
- Spread around three-quarters of the seasoning mixture on top of and under the skin of the chicken; reserve one-quarter.
- Spread potatoes on one side of the pan, Brussels sprouts on the other. Drizzle potatoes and Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add whole, unpeeled garlic cloves to the tray, alongside the potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
- After 30 minutes, check on Brussels sprouts and, if caramelized to your liking, remove and set aside. Toss potatoes to ensure even cooking and place back into oven for another 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and spread remaining seasoning on top of chicken. Cut chicken into quarters and serve immediately.
Puff Pastry Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry
- 1/4 cup margarine
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1 pinch fresh nutmeg
- 1 pinch fresh ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 4 apples Gala apples
- 1 egg beaten
- sanding sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Take puff pastry out of freezer and allow to sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together margarine (or butter), brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and salt. Add in raisins and mix.
- Peel and core each apple, leaving apple intact but with a cavity for stuffing. Stuff sugar-margarine mixture inside each apple.
- Cut each sheet of puff pastry in 2 pieces (there should be 4 pieces in total). With a rolling pin, roll each rectangle piece gently, stretching puff pastry so it is slightly larger.
- Sit each stuffed apple in middle of puff pastry. Fold puff pastry up and over apple until completely covered, trimming excess pieces. (Optional: Using extra puff pastry, carve decorative small leaves to place on top.)
- Brush each wrapped apple with beaten egg. Top with sanding sugar if desired.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes until golden and juices are just beginning to run.
- Serve warm.
Shannon Sarna writes for the JTA international news agency and wire service.
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