Category: Rosh Hashanah

40 Years Later, This Plum Torte Is Still the Best Ever

There’s never been such a humble recipe with so much gravitas as the Purple Plum Torte, a tender cake dotted with sunken soft sweet Italian plums. First published in The New York Times in 1983, the recipe, which came from Lois Levine and was written ab…

There’s never been such a humble recipe with so much gravitas as the Purple Plum Torte, a tender cake dotted with sunken soft sweet Italian plums. First published in The New York Times in 1983, the recipe, which came from Lois Levine and was written about by Marian Burros, became so wildly popular among Times readers that the paper published it annually for several years running, something they’d never done before or since. When I started working on the first edition of The Essential New York Times Cookbook in 2006, I surveyed Times readers for their favorite recipes, and the plum torte won by a landslide.

What is its secret? What has enabled it to hold up for decades, unscathed by food writers who love to iterate and tweak and transform classics? As I wrote in my book:

Read More >>

38 Recipes Perfect for Your Rosh Hashanah Feast

Rosh Hashanah—the Jewish New Year—is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. Beginning this year on September 15 at sundown and lasting until nightfall on September 18, it’s a time to reflect, welcome the new year, and (of course) ea…

Rosh Hashanah—the Jewish New Year—is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. Beginning this year on September 15 at sundown and lasting until nightfall on September 18, it’s a time to reflect, welcome the new year, and (of course) eat delicious food with loved ones.

There are a few dishes one can expect to find on a typical Rosh Hashanah table, many of which carry symbolic significance. Apples and honey are a classic pairing, which represents a sweet year ahead. Challah, usually braided into a long rope, is baked into a round formation on the holiday, to signify the circle of life. Those are just a start: Pomegranates, fish heads, carrots, beets, leeks, and dates all carry symbolic meaning during the holiday.

Read More >>