In Israel, you can feel the New Year coming. Evenings are finally cooling down. Calendars are in the mail. Stores are displaying local wines and honey.
At the green-grocer, peaches and nectarines are being replaced by fresh figs and dates, apples and pears. Green beans and leeks are here. My son just brought home his kibbutz’s gift of organic pomegranates, spices and dates.
Families are making plans. Not for vacations, but for meals. Who’s eating where? When you have married children, it’s an issue. Grandmothers, aunts, cousins all need to be consulted. And it always works out. With nearly a month of holidays, there are plenty of meals to share.
This year we’ve invited a delightful young couple from Oregon who just made aliyah. Annie is a medical student in the Columbia-Ben Gurion program. Her husband Shimron is a chef. As a former Oregonian, I’m familiar with some of the chefs he worked with back home – top notch restaurateurs known for their innovative use of fresh local ingredients.
You can imagine how excited I was when Shimron offered to help us cook for the holidays. I’m looking forward to my first time in the kitchen with a real professional.
We haven’t yet decided on a menu, but it’s not too early to think about dessert. On Rosh Hashanah, my mother’s honey cake is a given. It can be baked several weeks in advance, wrapped well and kept in the freezer. Since honey is a natural preservative, you can even leave this cake at room temperature for a week or two, providing it is carefully wrapped.
Mom’s Honey Cake (Parve)
2 cups honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup strong hot coffee (brewed or instant)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Generously spray a large bundt pan or two 9 × 5” (23 x 13 cm) loaf pans with baking
spray.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 Centigrade)
Heat the honey in a very large pan until it begins to bubble slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble and foam up to the top of the pan. Stir in the coffee and set the mixture aside to cool.
Whisk together the flour and spices and set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until creamy. Add the sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick and pale. Add the cooled honey and the flour mixture alternately to the eggs, a little at a time, mixing on low speed to combine. Pour the mixture into the baking pan(s) and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the pan. The cake should start to come away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out dry when ready.
Cool the cake(s) on a wire rack.
Serves 12 to 16
At the green-grocer, peaches and nectarines are being replaced by fresh figs and dates, apples and pears. Green beans and leeks are here. My son just brought home his kibbutz’s gift of organic pomegranates, spices and dates.
Families are making plans. Not for vacations, but for meals. Who’s eating where? When you have married children, it’s an issue. Grandmothers, aunts, cousins all need to be consulted. And it always works out. With nearly a month of holidays, there are plenty of meals to share.
This year we’ve invited a delightful young couple from Oregon who just made aliyah. Annie is a medical student in the Columbia-Ben Gurion program. Her husband Shimron is a chef. As a former Oregonian, I’m familiar with some of the chefs he worked with back home – top notch restaurateurs known for their innovative use of fresh local ingredients.
You can imagine how excited I was when Shimron offered to help us cook for the holidays. I’m looking forward to my first time in the kitchen with a real professional.
We haven’t yet decided on a menu, but it’s not too early to think about dessert. On Rosh Hashanah, my mother’s honey cake is a given. It can be baked several weeks in advance, wrapped well and kept in the freezer. Since honey is a natural preservative, you can even leave this cake at room temperature for a week or two, providing it is carefully wrapped.
Mom’s Honey Cake (Parve)
2 cups honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup strong hot coffee (brewed or instant)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
Generously spray a large bundt pan or two 9 × 5” (23 x 13 cm) loaf pans with baking
spray.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 Centigrade)
Heat the honey in a very large pan until it begins to bubble slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble and foam up to the top of the pan. Stir in the coffee and set the mixture aside to cool.
Whisk together the flour and spices and set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat the eggs until creamy. Add the sugar, a little at a time, until the mixture is thick and pale. Add the cooled honey and the flour mixture alternately to the eggs, a little at a time, mixing on low speed to combine. Pour the mixture into the baking pan(s) and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the pan. The cake should start to come away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out dry when ready.
Cool the cake(s) on a wire rack.
Serves 12 to 16
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