"RoshHashanah" news and stories

• Here's a roundup of Rosh Hashana recipes, past and present. L'Shana Tova!
• This milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. That's right...it's better than yours.
• Immigration is a political hot button, and restaurants are feeling the heat.
• Want to go someplace new? Behold the Fall Restaurant Preview.
• This Bittman recipe is inspired by, of all things, airline food.

Photo: joshbousel Flickr.

Tonight marks the beginning of the Jewish new year -- Rosh Hashana -- and with that, a whole new cycle of holidays and special meals to go with it (in case you need another reason to justify that trip to Whole Foods).

This celebration involves quite a few riffs on the ever-popular salty-sweet flavor pairing. The sweetness in honey, apples, pomegranates and dates are added to many Rosh Hashana dishes and is often offset by the rich, savory taste of brisket or chicken.

It's tradition to begin ringing in Rosh Hashana with sliced apples and honey -- like a toast to a sweet new year. No recipe needed here, just hit up your farmer's market for some tart, crisp apples (try Macoun) and local honey.

Green tomatoes. Photo: pink_fish13, Flickr.

• Green tomatoes can become a delicious late-summer soup.
• A look at the food and fine dining of Portland, Maine, as it -- brace yourself -- gears up for frost and winter.
• At the living museum Strawbery Banke in New Hampshire, Rosh Hashana is celebrated 1919-style.
• French Languedoc wines have improved greatly over the last 25 years.
• Michael Pollan writes an op-ed piece about eating and U.S. health care.
• Food editor and developer of products like Cran-Apple juice Sylvia Schur passes away at the age of 92.
• Recipe Redux goes back in time and whips up a Huguenot Torte from 1965.
• The foods that wowed when noted chefs David Kinch, Alexandre Gauthier, Pascal Barbot and Michel Bras got cookin' on Sept. 14.
• The Minimalist makes Thai-style crab cakes.
• The classic tourist spot Tavern on the Green files for bankruptcy -- a look into why it fell.
• Restaurants: Gus & Gabriel Gastropub "fails to achieve even its low aims," Stumptown Coffee Roasters whips up exceptional espresso and Queens' M & T Restaurant offers elegant simplicity and great eats.
• Food Stuff finds purr-worthy knives, a new food processor and apple cake.
• New York's openings and closings and dining calendar.

Rosh Hashanah started last night at sundown and people all across the world ushered in the Jewish New Year with festive meals and family gatherings. The picture you see of the pomegranate salad above is from Elana's Pantry. In preparation for the holiday, she put together a holiday menu that was completely gluten-free.

Thanks Elana, for adding your lovely picture to the Slashfood pool!

Source

Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown tonight and kicks off the High Holy Days. As we head into this season, I thought I'd feature my very favorite Jewish holiday cookbook. Called The Jewish Holiday Cook Book, it was written by Leah W. Leonard and was printed in 1955. The recipes in it are homey and make me think of the food that my Aunt Doris used to make (she was an hors d'oeuvres hobbyist).

The book is organized by the Jewish holiday calendar and so opens with recipes appropriate for celebrating Rosh Hashanah. A key at the beginning of the book reminds us that traditional foods for this holiday include Honey and Apple (to remind us that life is sweet), Honey Cake (delicious stuff if done right) and Tzimmes of Carrot (which according to the recipe in this book includes carrot, potato, sweet potato and beef brisket, although I find that it is most frequently made as a carrot-based sweet side dish).

While this cookbook has an unfortunate fondness for foods molded in rings (also, much like my Aunt Doris) the recipes are wonderful for people who want to evoke a sense of classic, Americanized Jewish holiday cookery. In addition to offering recipes for every Jewish holiday, it also offers sections on Sabbath cooking as well as recipes to make home celebrations (like weddings and bar/bas mitzvah ceremonies) more festive.