Rosh Hashana 2015 Recipes: How To Make Brisket, Honey Cake And Other Jewish New Year Treats

Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year, runs Sunday, Sept. 13, through Tuesday, Sept. 15 this year. A celebration of the anniversary of Adam and Eve’s creation, the two-day observance kicks off the month of Tishrei.

Jewish families often gather for Rosh Hashana dinners to eat apples and honey in hopes of starting a sweet new year, but that snack is often accompanied by more creative and traditional dishes. Here are five to try to make.

Pomegranate Salad

It's customary to eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashana because the numerous seeds are said to represent the mitzvot, or commandments, in the Torah. Take half a cup of pomegranate seeds and toss with four cups of arugula, three tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar for a delicious take on the tradition.

Challah

Stir one package of active dry yeast into one cup of warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Then add two tablespoons of honey, one teaspoon salt and three beaten eggs. Slowly mix in 3 ½ cups of flour, knead for five minutes and let rise for an hour. Once you punch down the dough, cut and roll it into ropes and braid, pinching the ends together and tucking them underneath to seal the ends. Brush with melted butter and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Matzo Ball Soup

Make this traditional dish with little effort by using a crock pot. Stir together two pounds of chicken, two sliced carrots, two chopped celery stalks, a bay leaf, sliced onion, chopped garlic, thyme, water, pepper and salt and let it all cook on low for eight hours. Afterward, shred the chicken with a fork and return to pot. Make matzo balls from a mix and cook in the soup for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Brisket

Combine two tablespoons of kosher salt, two teaspoons of pepper, two teaspoons of oregano and minced garlic in a bowl, then rub on seven pounds of beef brisket. Place the meat in a roasting pan with one pound of sliced carrots, six bay leaves, eight stalks of chopped celery, six sliced yellow onions and a 46-ounce can of tomato juice. Put parchment paper over top, then top again with aluminum foil. Bake for 3 1/2 hours, then put meat aside and boil the rest until the sauce thickens. Slice and serve warm.

Honey Cake

Mix 1 ¾ cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda, ¾ teaspoon of baking powder, ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a bowl and put aside. Stir ½ cup of honey with ¼ cup of coffee, two tablespoons apple cider, a tablespoon of vegetable oil and the zest of one lemon. Beat two eggs with ¼ cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of white sugar, then slowly pour in the honey mixture and add the flour mixture. Bake in a greased cake pan for an hour and 10 minutes at 300 degrees.