Jewish Cooking Boot Camp: The Modern Girl's Guide to Cooking Like a Jewish Grandmother (8 page)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and
allspice.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, sugars, eggs,
vanilla, coffee, and orange juice.

4. Use an electric mixer on slow speed to mix everything together.

5. Using cooking spray, grease a 10-inch Bundt pan, a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, or three
9- or 10-inch loaf pans (whichever shape pan you prefer).

6. Spoon the batter into the pan and sprinkle the top with almonds (optional).

7. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until the cake turns golden brown and springs back when
gently pressed.

8. Let the cake sit for 20 minutes, then loosen the sides and invert it onto a wire rack to cool
completely.

Rosh Hashanah is a serious holiday, but it's also a time to share with friends and family.
To make the holiday more casual, we always bring out large pots of coffee (regular and decaf) and
tea as well as milk for the kids and serve up big platters of Chocolate Chip Mandelbrot. Fresh from
the oven (or freezer), these delicious cookies are always a hit and are never too heavy after a big
dinner. They are also a great gift to bring to someone's home, and a fantastic snack when you want
something sweet.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Place the eggs into a large mixing bowl, and beat with a fork, whisk, or eggbeater.

3. Add the sugar and continue beating.

4. Beat in the oil and the vanilla and almond extracts.

5. Gradually add (while still beating) the flour and baking powder until mixed together well.
It will be thick and sticky. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts (optional).

6. Using your hands with a little oil on them, form two or three long and narrow loaves of
dough (they should resemble French bread) on a greased baking sheet.

7. Sprinkle the loaves heavily with cinnamon sugar.

8. Bake at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned.

9. Remove the loaves from the oven and slice on the baking sheet while still warm.

10. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°. Return to the oven, and bake at 275° for another
25 minutes.

11. Cool the mandelbrot on a wire rack.

* These cookies freeze really well. I always keep a couple dozen in the freezer.

You can add anything you want to the mandelbrot, so get creative: Raisins, mini-chocolate
chips, M&Ms, white chocolate, pecans, or almonds ... go for it!

Rosh Hashanah Blessings

Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh Ha'Olam asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav
v'tzivanu l'had'lik neir shel [shabbat v'shel] yom toy. (Amein)

Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe Who has sanctified us
with His commandments and commanded us to light the candles of the holiday.
(Amen)

Shehehiyanu-First Night

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'Olam, shehechey-nu v'kiy'manu v'higianu
laz'man h-zeh.

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who has granted us
life, Who has sustained us, and Who has enabled us to reach this festive occasion.

Apples and Honey

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech Ha'Olam, borei p'ri ha-eitz.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the tree.

Y'hi ratzon milfanecha, Adonai Eloheinu v'Elohei avoteinu v'imoteinu, shetchadesh

aleinu shanah tovah um'tukah.

May it be Your will, Eternal our God, that this be a good and sweet year for us.

Wine

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech Ha'Olam, borei p'ri hagafen.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the Universe, who creates the fruit of
the vine.

Bread

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech Ha'Olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.

We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign of the Universe, who brings forth bread from
the earth.

"I finished what I was writing, pressed `send' and thought, `Koufax didn't pitch on Yom Kippur,'
... And I haven't worked on Yom Kippur since."

-JANE LEAVY (AWARD-WINNING SPORTSWRITER)

As all of the main courses are basically interchangeable, we thought we might provide a little variation for Yom Kippur. For the most holy and serious of the Jewish holidays, we chose
to infuse the menu with a lighter touch; see the Raspberry Cranberry Jell-O Mold. The crabmeat appetizer is always a hit with guests, and the tenderloin and stuffing are stick-to-theribs standbys to help fill stomachs for an easier fast. The kichala, however, are the true show
stopper. For the advanced baker, this dessert is a true old-school Jewish classic sure to impress
any and all guests.

Moderately Priced Red:

Marques de Caceres Crianza (Rioja, Spain)

Special-Occasion Red:

Catena Malbec (Mendoza, Spain)

Moderately Priced White:

Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

Special-Occasion White:

Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)

1. Yom Kippur is arguably the most important holiday of the Jewish year and begins on the
tenth day of Tishri.

2. Yom Kippur means "Day of Atonement" and is observed by doing what the name implies.
It is believed to be the last chance to change God's judgment of one's deeds in the previous year and his decisions concerning one's fate in the coming year.

3. Yom Kippur is observed by refraining from work, fasting for twenty-five hours (no food or
beverages), and spending the day in synagogue, in prayer.

4. The evening service that begins Yom Kippur is called Kol Nidre.

5. Yom Kippur is the tenth and final day of the "Ten Days of Repentance" that begin on Rosh
Hashanah.

• Yom Kippur has five prayer services rather than the usual daily three, or Shabbat's four.

• Yom Kippur is meant for atoning for sins between man and god, not between people. In
order to repent for sins against other men, you must ask for forgiveness from the person
himself.

• It is customary to wear white on Yom Kippur as a symbol of spiritual purity.

• It is also customary to give increased charity on the eve of Yom Kippur.

• On Yom Kippur Jews traditionally light a special Yahrzeit candle in honor of relatives who
have passed away. The candle burns for twenty-four hours and keeps the memory of the
deceased alive.

Confession: These appetizers are so simple and so delicious that we Markses sometimes make
them on any given night. Though they may not be the most calorically responsible, they are easily
justified by the fact that they disappear so quickly, you'll only get to eat one or two!

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Soften the margarine and cheese spread in a microwave (2 minutes). If you don't have a
microwave, warm it in a pan on the stove at low heat.

3. Mix the margarine and cheese together, then add the mayonnaise, garlic salt, crabmeat,
parsley flakes, and seasoned salt. Mix well.

4. Separate the English muffins and spread the mixture on the muffins.

5. Place the muffins on a baking pan and put them in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to
make them easier to cut. Cut each muffin into quarters, put them in a freezer bag, and
freeze until ready to use.

6. To serve, place the prepared appetizers on a baking pan; sprinkle lightly with paprika.

7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

* You might want to double the recipe and keep extras in the freezer, as they go fast!

While our recipe is pretty much the "traditional" chicken soup recipe, a good family friend has
a little different take on chicken soup preparation. Leenie's recipe is very similar to the one below,
but instead of discarding the celery, carrots, and onion, she removes them and puts them in a food
processor, blends them, and puts them back into the soup. Leenie also shreds the chicken and
puts that back into the soup as well. It makes for a much thicker and heartier soup.