An apple with honey, not a glass of champagne, is emblematic of the Jewish New Year celebration, which begins this year on Friday evening, Sept. 18.
The traditional holiday dinner begins by dipping apple wedges in honey and wishing everyone at the table a happy and sweet New Year. Naturally, dipping apples in honey is a custom, not a commandment. Who needs to be ordered to dunk apples in honey?
This practice was started by Ashkenazi Jews (eastern and central European Jews). Why dip apples, and not some other fruit? Some say that apples recall the Garden of Eden.
On the holiday tables of some Sephardi Jews (Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Jews), dates are prominent. Biblical scholars have determined that the honey referred to in the Torah’s mention of Ancient Israel as “the land of milk and honey” was actually honey made from dates (also known as date molasses or silan), and not bee honey. In our home, we enjoy dipping apples in both kinds of honey.
The most popular Rosh Hashana dessert is honey cake. To our honey cake we like to add both apples and dates so that our holiday dinner begins and ends with the sweet tastes of apples, honey and dates.
Another cake we plan to prepare for the holiday is a lemony apple cake, which is loaded with apples — such a high proportion that the batter hardly coats them. For an extra treat, we flavor the cake with candied ginger.
If there’s no time to make a cake, a homey American crisp is an easier option. Hazelnuts, honey and dried cherries make our apple crisp festive enough for the holiday table.
To keep our dinner healthful, we serve fairly small portions of our desserts and accompany them with a variety of fresh fruit.
Apple Honey Cake with Dates
This may be the most delicious honey cake I have ever made. It keeps well in the refrigerator for five days or longer. The cake contains no dairy products and therefore is suitable for a kosher meal that includes meat.
Yield: Square 9-inch cake (9 to 12 servings)
INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup dates, such as Medjool (about 6.3 ounces), pitted and any caps removed
3/4 cup mild olive oil or vegetable oil, divided
3/4 cup walnuts (about 2 1/2 ounces), chopped
2 sweet apples such as Gala (about 14 ounces)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
PROCEDURE
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan, line it with parchment paper or waxed paper and grease the paper.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves into a bowl.
3. Using an oiled knife, cut dates in lengthwise strips, then in small dice (about 1/4 inch); you will need about 1 cup dice. Put them in a medium bowl.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the dates and rub gently to separate the pieces of dates. Add chopped walnuts and crumble with your fingers to keep the dates from clumping together.
5. Peel, halve and core the apples and slice them about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the slices in small pieces, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch; you will need about 2 1/2 cups.
6. Using a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer, beat eggs lightly. Add white and brown sugars and beat until smooth. Beat in honey. Beat at high speed until mixture is smooth and slightly lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining oil at low speed until blended.
7. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture alternately with applesauce, each in two batches. Add lemon zest and mix it in thoroughly. Stir in apple pieces and walnut date mixture, mixing them in gently but thoroughly.
8. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester or wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, and cake springs back when pressed gently in center, about 35 to 50 minutes.
9. Cool cake in pan for about 30 minutes. Turn it out onto a rack and carefully peel off paper. Cover cake tightly when it is completely cool. Serve cake at room temperature, cut in squares or bars.
Lemony Apple Cake with Candied Ginger
The recipe for this tasty cake evolved from an apple cake in the cookbook “Perfectly Golden” by Angela Garbacz. The cake keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.
Yield: One 9-inch round cake (about 6 or 7 servings)
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds apples — a mixture of tart apples such as Granny Smith and sweet apples such as Golden Delicious or Gala
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted if solidified
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour (about 6 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely diced crystallized ginger
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
PROCEDURE
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray or oil. Line it with a round of foil or parchment paper, and grease sides of pan and paper.
2. You don’t have to peel the apples. Core them, slice them thin, and then cut each slice in small pieces, about 1/2 inch. Put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Let stand while preparing remaining ingredients.
3. Combine sunflower oil, coconut oil, remaining sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a spoon until well blended. Stir in crystallized ginger. Fold in apples and walnuts.
4. Pour into prepared pan, spread smooth and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until edges of cake have pulled away from sides of the pan. Let cool in pan on a rack for about 30 minutes before you unmold it. Serve at room temperature.
Apple Hazelnut Crisp with Honey and Dried Cherries
You can make this dairy-free crisp with any kind of apple that you like. We use small Anna apples from our garden when we have them. Their peel is tender, so I don’t peel them. There’s no need to toast the hazelnuts; they become toasted as the crisp bakes.
This dessert is good as is but you might like to serve each portion topped with a spoonful of your favorite yogurt drizzled with honey. For a kosher meal that has meat, choose nondairy yogurt. To make the dessert vegan, you can substitute agave nectar for the honey.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds apples
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
4 tablespoons plus 2 or 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided use
PROCEDURE
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a square, 8-inch casserole dish.
2. Quarter apples, cut out cores from each piece and slice the apple quarters crosswise 1/4 inch thick.
3. Mix the apple slices with the honey, dried cherries, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla and ginger. Spoon apple mixture into casserole dish.
4. For the topping: Mix the flour with the sugar, salt, oats and hazelnuts. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and rub mixture between your fingers until it is evenly moistened with oil; it will be crumbly. Spoon topping evenly over apples and drizzle it with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil.
5. Bake for 40 minutes. Check topping; if it looks dry, drizzle it with remaining teaspoon olive oil. Continue baking until the top is golden and a fork slides easily into apples in middle of pan, about 10 to 20 more minutes. Let stand for 30 to 40 minutes before serving. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Faye Levy is the author of “1,000 Jewish Recipes”
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