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ROSH HASHANAH: Classic Tzimmes Recipe

The Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah is celebrated this year from the evening of Wednesday, September 4th through the evening of Friday, September 6th (in the Hebrew calendar, the year is year 5774.

European (Ashkenazic) Jews have a feast that traditionally includes:

  • Gefilte fish appetizer
  • Chicken soup
  • Brisket or roast chicken
  • Carrot and sweet potato tzimmes
  • Potato kugel or other potato dish
  • A vegetable side
  • Fruit compote
  • Honey cake
  •  

    Tzimmes, a carrot-sweet potato dish. Photo courtesy Dole.com.

     
    Everyone can enjoy the Jewish New Year with this tzimmes (TSIH-mess) recipe. Tzimmes, which means “light meal” in Yiddish, is a sweetened combination of vegetables, usually carrots and potatoes. Meat can be included, and dried prunes are often added.

    Tzimmes is is stewed or baked in a casserole. The result is a side dish that will appeal to all people with a sweet tooth.

    Here, the classic recipe is dressed up by Dole with dried cranberries, in addition to the conventional chopped dates.

     


    Moist and delicious dates from California.
    Photo © Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers.
      CARROT & SWEET POTATO TZIMMES

    Ingredients

  • 1 package (16 ounces) baby carrots or 1 pound regular carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup chopped dates
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  •  

    Preparation

    1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

    2. HEAT a large saucepan of water to boiling; add sweet potatoes and carrots and reduce heat to medium. Cook 15 minutes or until slightly tender, drain in colander and set aside.

    3. STIR together dates, cranberries and walnuts in large bowl. Add cooled sweet potato and carrots, orange juice, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, cumin and salt. Gently stir until evenly coated.

    4. TRANSFER mixture to prepared dish; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes, basting with pan juices half way through cooking.
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: Creme Honey

    Like honey but not the dripping and sticky mess?

    Try creme honey. It’s in a semi-solid state and as spreadable as butter. In many countries around the world, it’s preferred to the liquid/syrup form of honey (see the different types of honey).

    Creme honey—also known as churned honey, creamed honey, cremed honey, honey fondant, sugared honey, spun honey and whipped honey—is brought to market in a finely crystallized state. It can be made from any honey varietal or blend, and can also be flavored. (We particularly like the flavored creme honeys from Honey Ridge Farm, available in apricot and raspberry).

    Enjoy it drip-free on:

  • Toast, scones, biscuits and other breads
  • Pancakes and waffles
  • Sandwiches (try peanut butter and honey)
  • Fruit—apple, banana or pear slices
  •  


    Creme honey doesn’t drip. Photo by Elvira
    Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

     

    HOW CREME HONEY IS MADE

    While all honey will crystallize over time, creme honey is intentionally crystallized via a controlled process so that, at room temperature, the honey can be spread like butter.

    The method to produce creme honey was patented in 1935. Previously processed creamed honey is added to pasteurized liquid honey and rested at a controlled temperature for a week, until the entire batch crystallizes.

     


    Creme honey is also available in fruit flavors. Photo courtesy River Soma | THE NIBBLE.
      FOOD TRIVIA: CREME VS. CREAM

    What’s the difference between creme and cream? Why is it creme honey instead of cream honey?

    Crème, pronounced KREHM, is the French word for cream (the word for honey is miel, pronounced mee-EL).

    In America, French recipes were served at the tables of the wealthy, many of whom knew how to pronounce French properly.

    As these recipes entered the mainstream, people who did not know French began to pronounce crème as cream. Some people dispensed with the accent mark, to provide a mashup of French and English, and the industry has adopted crème or creme. If you were to write “cream honey,” you would not be incorrect.
    September is National Honey Month. Celebrate with creme honey.

     
     
    MORE ABOUT HONEY

    Check out our Honey Section for the history of honey, varietal honeys, food and honey pairings, recipes, trivia and everything you need for a honey education.

      

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    FOOD FUN: Hummus Sushi

    Fans of sushi, hummus and vegan cuisine will enjoy this fun fusion food: hummus sushi from Genji Sushi.

    This sushi roll is not part of the regular menu: Different locations of Genji Sushi create their own limited-edition specialties. Here, Genji sushi chefs added hummus to salmon and tuna rolls as well as cucumber rolls, with or without fresh jalapeño slices.

    So here are tips to make your own:

  • Use flavored hummus: chipotle, garlic, red pepper, etc.
  • Take a look at non-chickpea-based hummus. The edamame hummus from Eat Well Enjoy Life (last week’s Top Pick) is perfect here.
  •  
    Photo courtesy Genji Sushi.
  • Yes, add wasabi to the roll. After all, some companies make wasabi hummus.
  • Since this is fusion sushi, feel free to add spices: cilantro, dill, parsley sesame, whatever works.
  • Serve with traditional pickled ginger or other pickled vegetables.
  • Make the sushi with brown rice for extra nutrition.
  •  
    FOR SUSHI FUN, CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUSHI IN OUR
    SUSHI GLOSSARY.

      

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    RECIPE: Ice Cream & Grilled Fruit


    Grill your dessert: grilled fruit topped with
    ice cream or sorbet. Photo courtesy
    Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
     

    With the end of grilling season in sight, make every meal count. Here is an easy dessert favorite: grilled fruit with ice cream or sorbet.

    The fun begins when you decide which fruit to pair with which flavor of ice cream or sorbet. So stroll through the market aisles and get your creative juices flowing.
     
     
    RECIPE: ICE CREAM & GRILLED FRUIT

    Ingredients For 4 Servings

  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (Key lime if possible)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • Fresh fruit: 4 peaches, 10 apricots, 1 pineapple,
    2 mangoes, 2 bananas, etc.
  • 4 large scoops ice cream or sorbet
  • Optional garnish: caramel sauce, chocolate sauce,
    crème fraîche, mascarpone, whipped cream
  • Preparation

    1. PEEL and slice fruit.

    2. COMBINE lime juice and brown sugar in a shallow dish; mix well. Add fruit, stir to coat; cover, and marinate 30 minutes or longer. Meanwhile…

    3. PREPARE indoor or outdoor grill by brushing the grill rack with oil and heating. Place fruit on grill rack, and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side.

    4. DIVIDE fruit evenly among four plates; top with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate sauce or other garnish, as desired.
     
     

    CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

     
     
     
      

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    TIP OF THE DAY: A Medley Of Kitchen Tips

    We recently received the most delicious chocolate pecan pie from Comfort & Joy Kitchen. The rest of their casseroles, cobblers, pies and pot pies looks so good, we’re planning to work our way through the menu.

    Clicking through their website, we came across these kitchen tips, two of which were revelations to us. While you may be familiar with many of them, you, too may discover something new and valuable.
    CHOCOLATE: Garnish your desserts like a pro: Use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls from a chocolate bar. Sprinkle them over hot chocolate and coffee drinks, too.

    CHOPSTICKS: Keep wooden chopsticks in your pantry canisters to level off measured items like flour and sugar. (Editor’s Note: We use a knife for this, but welcome ideas for what to do with all the extra chopsticks we accumulate.)

     

    Check below for the easiest way to separate eggs. Photo courtesy Eight Turn Crepe.

     
    EGGS: Have trouble separating your egg whites from the yolks? Use a small funnel and a cup. (This was our favorite new tip.)

     


    Check above for how to add a hint to garlic
    to everything! Photo courtesy Domaine-
    Image.com.
     

    GARLIC: To add just a hint of garlic flavor to your dish, rub the pan or pot with a half a clove of garlic before adding any other ingredients. This subtle addition improves any savory dish.

    MEAT: Don’t rush to slice into meat or poultry when it’s just off the heat: The juices will flow out with the first knife cut. Instead, allowing it to rest for five minutes (and up to 20 minutes for a whole turkey) will allow the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat.

    MICROWAVE: To keep sauces, oils and other volatile ingredients from splattering all over the microwave, tent the dish: Place a toothpick in the middle and cover with a moist paper towel. The tented towel will keep the food from splattering.

     
    PIE: When making a pie crust with crimped edges, gently lift the edge of the crust all around with your fingers. This will keep the dough from sticking to the dish while baking, and makes it much easier to remove that first slice of pie.

    PRODUCE: Keep raw vegetables fresher for longer by lining the crisper drawers of the fridge with paper towels. They’ll absorb the extra moisture that causes veggies to rot. Change them as needed.

    VEGETABLES: A few days ago we suggested ways to get broccoli nay-sayers to eat more broccoli. Comfort and Joy suggests the very easy technique of grilling: Toss the broccoli in a few teaspoons of olive oil with salt and pepper; grill for 5 minutes or until fork-tender. Keep it crisp; don’t overcook. Use the same technique with other veggies.
     
    If you have a favorite tip, we’d love to hear it.

      

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