Cakes, cookies and breads that I bake for the Holidays, I bake only for the Holidays. Except for testing out recipes, that is. In this way, my High Holiday baked goods are cherished on two levels: First, my family looks forward to these special foods that come just once a year. And second, I have my annual favorite baking project just waiting for me, along with my notes from last year!
Many Rosh Hashana recipes contain ingredients from the Simanim (symbolic foods we eat on Rosh Hashana – see the Rosh Hashana Seder column), such as my Pumpkin Challah, Classic Jewish Apple Cake and Date Bars. Other holiday recipes are rooted in various Jewish traditions, such as a Moroccan-inspired New Year bread or the personalized before- and after-the-fast Algerian breads for Yom Kippur . Whereas we do truly love having our own, inherited traditions, adopting additional delicious ways to enhance our Holidays enriches us all!
(c) 2008 Debby Segura. Debby Segura holds an AB in Design from UCLA. She designs dinnerware and she teaches and writes about cooking. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children. Visit her at www.debbysegura.com