Rosh Hashana at Our Table by Renee Muller Rosh Hashana at Our Table by Renee Muller

Rosh Hashana at Our Table

BY RENEE MULLER

La ice Minute Roast

For as long as I can remember, my mother-in-law (and her sister-in-law, aka Tanta Esther) have been saving this very popular roast for Yom Tov. The roast itself is incredibly flavorful and the latticed dough gives it just the perfect amount of oomph that a festive dish requires, without rendering it overly heavy. I asked Esther how long she cooks her roast and she replied, “Oh, I’m not quite sure. I do the fork test after a couple of hours.” So I did that too, and guess what, it worked. Further details below.

Ingredients » 1 (approx. 4-pound) minute roast For the marinade » 2½ tablespoons vinegar » 2 cups duck sauce » ½ cup soy sauce » 5 garlic cloves, minced » 1 teaspoon ginger, minced, OR ½ teaspoon dried » ½ teaspoon dry mustard » 1 cup sweet red wine, such as Malaga » 1 (17-ounce) package flaky dough » 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Preparation

Using a fork, prick roast all over its surface.

Combine all marinade ingredients in a resealable plastic bag. Add the roast; marinate overnight, or up to 24 hours, refrigerated.

Remove roast from the refrigerator; let come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place roast with marinade into a baking dish. Cover; bake for at least 3 hours, turning the meat halfway through the cooking time. After 3 hours, check the meat by pricking it with a fork. Meat should have softened and gravy formed from the marinade. If it has not softened quite yet, return to the oven for an additional half-hour, or until soft.

Remove roast from the oven; let cool, then refrigerate with its gravy. After fat has congealed, you can remove and discard it.

About 1 hour before you would like to serve the meat: Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove meat from the gravy. Pat dry with paper towels. Roll out the flaky dough; use a lattice cutter to form the lattice. Wrap the lattice over the roast, then place the roast, seam side down, in a roasting pan. (Alternatively, you can simply wrap the roast in the dough, no lattice necessary; it will be just as delicious.)

Add about 1 inch of gravy to the pan. Brush the lattice with egg wash. Bake until pastry is golden, about 30 minutes, basting with the sauce every 10 minutes or so. Slice and serve immediately.

Note: After cutting out the lattice, you can re-roll the scraps of dough and form them into a ball. Roll out the dough again and shape it into a decorative bow and place it on top of the roast, just like my mother-in-law does.

Apple and Honey Rosh Hashana Muffins

At our house, Rosh Hashana cannot happen without honey muffins. At least, that’s the way my kids see it. It’s a family project, and by now, a family tradition, too. This recipe was given to me by a relative in Israel who bakes them all the time and claims that no matter how many batches she bakes, there are never enough. She’s absolutely right. We once baked a quadruple batch of these (sans the apples) for a bake sale on our block and we were left without a crumb!

For the apples » 2 Tablespoons butter OR margarine » 4 Granny Smith apples, diced » 4 Tablespoons sugar » 1 teaspoon cinnamon For the muffins » 2 cups prepared tea, lukewarm » 2 cups sugar » 2 cups oil » 2 cups honey » 12 eggs » 6 cups flour » 2 tablespoons baking powder » 1 teaspoon baking soda » 2 heaping tablespoons cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a mu n pan with cupcake liners.

Prepare the apples: In a saucepan, melt butter over a medium-low flame. Add apples, sugar, and cinnamon; cook until apples are fragrant and soften a bit, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the mu ns: In the bowl of a stand mixer, on medium speed, combine tea, sugar, oil, honey, and eggs. Mix until smooth. Reduce speed; gradually add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.

Fill each mu n cup halfway with batter. (I like to use a cupcake pen for this; I find it very helpful.) Top with a teaspoon of prepared apples. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out almost dry with some moist crumbs attached.

Note: The apples are optional; I find that some children prefer the mu ns plain. We add the apple for Rosh Hashana (very loudly singing, “Dip the apple in the hooooneeeyy” as we do so) but throughout the year, we bake them plain.

Tip: I recently discovered an amazing gadget called “The Cupcake (or Mu n) Pen.” It really removes the whole messy aspect of filling cupcake pans with batter. Look for it in specialty equipment stores.

Tip: Cupcake (or Mu n) Pen.” It really removes the whole messy

Recipes reprinted with permission from Our Table by Renee Muller, published by ArtScroll/Mesorah.