‘Final cut’ Rosh Hashanah recipes

After putting out an open call for recipes and tips — and also dabbling in the kitchen ourselves — we’ve come up with recipes and recommendations for some of our favorite traditional Rosh Hashanah foods.

What’s Rosh Hashanah without honey cake? Taking a tip from our own Jewish Julia Child and Molly, both of whom recommended the inclusion of coffee (with Julia Child also suggesting coffee), we’ve sourced this wonderfully flavorful recipe for Majestic and Moist Honey Cake from renowned food blogger Smitten Kitchen. In addition to a lovely blend of spices and honey, this recipe also has a punch of whiskey and the half cup of OJ adds a citrusy moistness.

Thanks to Jewish Foodie, we’ve created a refreshing, herby beet salad. Roast fresh beets until soft (or substitute with canned or vacuum packed) then dice. Make a dressing of freshly squeezed lemon juice, ground cumin, salt and olive oil. Toss the beets with dressing, pomegranate seeds, and chopped mint and cilantro. Alternative: Substitute the pomegranate for sectioned oranges (blood – oranges that is! – if available).

Jewish Foodie made us curious with the suggestion of using Italian plums (fresh prunes) when preparing tzimmes. This was a tough one. If  you include these at the start of cooking, by then end the plums have disintegrated into a soft mush, no longer retaining their shape. Of course the flavor remains! Our conclusion: go with the tradition and use dried prunes. Or, slightly braise in butter halved Italian plums and add them to the tzimmes for only the last 15 minutes or so of cooking time.

No tips or recipes came in for preparing fish, but Rocky Mountain Jew’s got its own trick: salt-encrusted fish. This recipe is a great tip and – contrary to what you might expect going off the name – not salty! The salt actually acts as a sealant, keeping the fish tender, moist and firm.

First, start off with a whole fish. A great, fresh choice of fish in Colorado is trout. Make things a lot easier by having your local fish counter gut and descale the fish. For two pounds of fish, lightly beat 3 egg whites and add 14 ounces of kosher salt (yes, the salt with the slickered, yellow boot wearing girl adorning the box) till the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Meanwhile, stuff with one quarter to one half cup of chopped fresh herbs (marjoram and chervil are light but flavorful), chopped shallot, and the juice of one lemon. Create a bed using half the salt mixture on a lined broiling pan. After placing the fish in the salt, pack the remaining mixture on the fish, covering it completely. Roast at 400F for around 35 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Be warned: When you remove the pan from the oven you’ll have to crack the casing open!

Happy cooking and a wonderful new year to all!