Tradition! Holy Days
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
What’s Cooking BY KATHY HARRISON CIK A KIS PHOTO: IISTOCK.COM/ERSIN ram’s horn—announced the start of Rosh Hasha- nah, the Jewish New Year. It’s the first of the High Tradition! Holy Days. From Leviticus, in the Old Testament, LET THE HOLIDAYS BEGIN Jews were commanded to “raise a noise”. The sho- far calls us to worship. And so it continues, as it Kathy Harrison shares a long-standing who grew up in the Midwest can remember the has for centuries, because that is what we’ve come holiday dessert that includes classic and crunch of leaves underfoot as we carried our bags to expect. That is the tradition of this holiday. seasonal ingredients. to be filled with candy when we shouted “trick or As with all holidays, Rosh Hashanah brings treat” at each house on the block. The trees follow with it certain customs and all sorts of opinions on HE WEathER WAS UNSEASonably this cycle regardless of weather. So do dads and what foods should be served. Brisket seems to be hot well into September. I loved it. We moms. Rain, snow, sleet, heat—we dress our kids the reigning king of meats, although our mother’s Thadn’t closed our pool, and luckily, the in costumes and make the candy run. Tradition! recipes have been altered beyond recognition. My squirrels hadn’t deposited their cache of acorns into Fall ushers in the start of many celebrations. mom made hers with chili sauce and beer. Neither the crystal water, turning it into a turgid mess and School begins. I watched the progression of moms she nor my dad drank beer, so it was a challenge to my husband, the pool guy, into a raving maniac. buying crayons and blunt edge scissors for their find a grocery store that would sell just one bottle. I sat in the bright sunshine thinking this could pre-schoolers. I barely blinked, and these same Just look how things have changed! go on forever. But the trees knew. They had a job to moms were shopping for prom dresses, or picking Chicken, too, graces many a Rosh Hashanah do. Halloween was just a few weeks away, and the up corsages for their sons’ dates. That’s the fitness table. Yotam Otolenghi, the Israeli chef and cook- trees knew that for Halloween, you’re supposed of things; the way it’s happened over these many book author, has given our taste buds flavors and to see red and gold leaves on the boughs and on years. Tradition! spices our parents could never have imagined, the lawns. Looking up, I could see the top of our On October 2, 2016 (5777 on the Hebrew cal- much less purchased. Both on the super market maple tree turning crimson. It knew. Those of us endar) the blowing of the shofar—a hollowed out shelves and through the internet, I’ve bought 102 • Quintessential Barrington | QBarrington.com pepper from Turkey, sauces from Korea and Ja- pan, chocolate from Belgium, and salt from France. Fruity olive oil from Italy is de rigueur. The entire Jewish Apple Cake world is our shopping cart, and the chicken its ad- CAKE INGREDIENTS vocate. 5-6 peeled and cored Granny Smith apples, cut into ½ inch chunks The one tradition that seems to hold true on all 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Rosh Hashanah tables is the inclusion of apples and 5 tablespoons plus 2 cups sugar honey. Apples for the harvest, and honey for a sweet 1 cup vegetable oil New Year. Some families cut wedges of apples and ¼ cup orange juice pass them around with a dish of honey for dipping; 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla others serve applesauce with crisp potato pancakes. 4 large or extra large eggs I was talking with my friend, Barb O’Hara, a 3 cups flour long-time Barrington resident, about my dilemma 3 teaspoons baking powder of what to serve for dessert at my holiday dinner. 1 teaspoon kosher salt “When my kids were little, I baked,” she said. “When RUM GLAZE there was a celebration, when someone was sick, ½ cup sugar when my friends came for lunch or dinner, I baked. ¼ cup rum That’s what I did. I baked. And the dessert that ¼ cup water I baked most of the time was called Jewish Apple PHOTO: ISTOCK.COM/KARANDAEV Juice of ½ lemon Cake. “What made it Jewish?” I queried. “I don’t know,” she said. I got the recipe from my 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a large Bundt pan. Place the apples in a bowl mother-in-law, a wonderful Irish lady whose best and sprinkle with cinnamon and 5 tablespoons sugar. Set aside. friend since childhood was Thelma. Thelma was 2) In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the remain- Jewish, and this was her recipe. Ergo, Jewish Apple ing sugar, oil, orange juice, vanilla and eggs. Add the dry ingredients, stirring to make sure the Cake. A=B=C. It’s chuck full of apples and cinna- batter is well-combined. mon—homey and rustic. Barb added a rum glaze, 3) Turn half the batter into the prepared pan and spread half the apples over the top. Pour the just to gild the lily, so to speak. But I needed honey. remaining batter over the apples, gently smoothing the batter, and top with the remaining apples. I could have substituted a honey glaze for the rum, but messing with Thelma or Barb O’Hara’s adapta- 4) Bake for about 1 ½ hours or until top of the cake is golden and a tester comes out clean. tion seemed fool-hardy. And then, in the middle of Meanwhile, make the rum glaze: endless pacing around my kitchen counter, I came 5) In a small saucepan, stir together ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup rum, and ¼ cup water. Over low heat, up with a solution: Ice cream! A glistening scoop of stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the juice of ½ lemon and remove from the heat. When the honey ice cream alongside warm, rum-glazed apple cake comes out of the oven, glaze the top and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. cake? You could swoon! I will forever make this my Transfer to serving platter. holiday tradition. So to all in this beautiful community of ours, HONEY ICE CREAM L’Shana Tova. I wish you a sweet and healthy new 1 ½ cups whole milk ¼ cup sugar year. Pinch of kosher salt 1 ½ cups heavy cream 5 egg yolks 6 tablespoons strongly flavored honey, such as chestnut or buckwheat 1) In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, and salt. Pour the cream into a medium bowl and set a strainer over the bowl. Nestle the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and water. 2) Whisk the egg yolks in a separate saucepan. When the milk mixture is heated, pour a small amount into the egg yolks, stirring constantly to temper the eggs. Scrape the egg yolks back into PHOTO: GIRMANTAS URBONAS the saucepan with the milk. Stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon. KATHY HARRISON is a Barrington Hills resident who teaches the fine art of cooking. 3) Pour the custard through the strainer into the cream, then mix in the honey. Stir until cooled, For more information, call 847-381-4828. then refrigerate until cold. Taste and add more honey if desired. Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions..