Rosh Hashanah – Page 2 – Busy in Brooklyn

This Rosh Hashanah, I’m putting the Simanim in a coupe—and raising my glass! L’Chaim!

I have a soft spot for taking traditional holiday foods and giving them a little bit (or a lot!) of a modern flair. And lately, I’ve been loving the look of appetizers served in coupe glasses. There’s something about taking a beautiful glass and turning it into an individual appetizer that instantly makes the table feel more modern and sophisticated.

So for Rosh Hashanah this year, I decided to have some fun with the Simanim. Instead of putting all the traditional foods on a plate or serving them separately, I turned them into these gorgeous little Simanim Coupes and I’m OB-SESSED!!

The simanim are roasted until caramelized and then dipped into an addictive creamy caramelized leek tahini, that will make you see the spread in a whole new light!

I love that you can look at each glass and actually see the Simanim. It feels festive and elegant, but it’s also playful—which is exactly how I like to approach holiday cooking! Of course I tied it all together (literally!) with a honey straw and honey dipper that I tied to the stem, so festive and pretty!

L’Shanah Tovah!

Here’s what you’ll need!

coupe glasses
honey dippers
honey straws
twine

Simanim Coupe

For the roasted vegetables:
1 bunch tricolor mini carrots
1 large beets, cut into wedges
1/2 acorn squash, cut into wedges
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1–2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon

For the green beans:
1 cup green beans, trimmed
Salted water, for blanching
Ice water, for shocking

For the caramelized leek tahini:
1 leek, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
1 cup tahini paste
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon honey
Salt, to taste
1/2-3/4 cup ice water

For serving:

halved and pitted medjool dates
Apple wedges
Pomegranate arils

Method: Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange the carrots, beet wedges and acorn squash in separate sections on a baking sheet. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the carrots with honey and sprinkle the squash with cinnamon. Leave the beets simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25–30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and caramelized.

Meanwhile, blanch the green beans in generously salted boiling water until bright green and just tender. Immediately transfer them to ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

To make the caramelized leek tahini, sauté the leek in a little olive oil over medium heat until deeply softened and caramelized. Transfer the caramelized leek to a blender. Add the tahini, lemon juice, honey and salt. Blend until creamy, adding water a little at a time until you reach a smooth, spoonable consistency.

To assemble, spoon the caramelized leek tahini into the bottom of coupe glasses. Arrange the roasted carrots, beets, squash and green beans in sections over the tahini. Add a small fresh apple wedge, half of a date and scatter with pomegranate arils.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

elated Recipes:

Simanim Stuffed Leeks
Simanim Ceviche
Simanim Carpaccio
Simanim Plov
Hummus Simanim
Simanim Fritto Misto

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Granola Honey Cake

On September 1, 2026September 7, 2026

by chanie

in Brunch, Cakes, Dessert, Instagram Reel Recipes, Recipes, Rosh Hashanah

8 Comments

There are some ingredients you buy that you immediately know you need to figure out a way to put them into a recipe. That was me with Trader Joe’s new Granola Butter. I bought a jar, tasted it, and basically couldn’t stop eating it. It’s made with oats and has this delicious maple-vanilla flavor that tastes like the best part of granola. A few spoons in and I realized, this would be amazing on honey cake.

So I started thinking about how to make a honey cake that highlights the granola idea. Instead of simply putting granola on top, I used ground oats and whole rolled oats right in the cake, giving it that tender crumb that I love in a good oat muffin. Then I topped it with a layer of the granola butter and finished it with a crunchy oat crumble.

The result is a honey cake that’s a little different from the traditional version—oaty, warmly spiced, creamy and crunchy all at once.

Granola Honey Cake

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup oat flour (see note)
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup neutral oil
½ cup honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
⅔ cup strong coffee, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange zest, optional

For the Oat Crumble

½ cup reserved dry mixture from the cake
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons neutral oil

For the Topping

1 jar Trader Joe’s Granola Butter (may sub Lotus butter or any frosting!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, oat flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Before adding any wet ingredients, remove ½ cup of the dry mixture and set it aside for the crumble.

To the reserved mixture, add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Mix with a fork or your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12–16 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely. The crumble will crisp further as it cools.

To the remaining dry cake ingredients, add the baking powder and baking soda and whisk to incorporate. Add oil, honey, eggs, coffee, vanilla and orange zest, if using.mix with a spoon just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour the batter into a greased and parchment-lined 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Allow the cake to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cool, spread Trader Joe’s Granola Butter generously over the top. Scatter the cooled oat crumble over the granola butter.

Cut into squares and serve.

NOTES:

For a similar creamy topping, use peanut butter or Lotus Biscoff cookie butter straight from the jar. You can also substitute your favorite frosting.

If you don’t have oat flour, simply blend old-fashioned rolled oats in a high-speed blender or food processor until finely ground. For the 3/4 cup you need for this recipe, blend about 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp old fashioned oats to make 3/4 cup flour.

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Rosh Hashanah Dipping Oil

On September 1, 2026

by chanie

in Appetizer, Dips, Instagram Reel Recipes, Recipes, Rosh Hashanah

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I’m not usually one to follow trends (I’d rather be a trendsetter!), but anything that’s a vehicle to drive myself through a loaf of crusty sourdough is my jam! Dipping oil was making the rounds a few months back, an Italian verson no less! with olive oil, balsamic, grated tomato and parmesan. I never actually made it, but I did drool over it, and clearly it hasn’t left my mind.

When I was thinking about something creative to do with simanim, the dipping oil came to mind, and I realized it’s the perfect opportunity to blend some of the symbolic foods that we eat on Rosh Hashanah, with minimal prep and tons of flavor! My leek, jalapeno and date confit has become a staple on so many Shabbos tables, and this gives you the same feels, minus all that olive oil and cooking time!

Rosh Hashanah Dipping Oil

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp silan (date honey)
1/4 cup sauteed leeks
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp sumac
1 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 tsp flaky salt
zest of 1/2 lemon

Method:

To make the sauteed leeks, chop up 1 leek and saute in extra virgin olive oil with a pinch of salt, until soft and tender. Mix all the ingredients together in a large, shallow platter and mix right before serving.

NOTE: Aleppo pepper is a Syrian chili pepper that is fruity, a little smoky and mild. If you can’t find it, you can replace with any red pepper flakes of your choice, just reduce the amount depending on the spice level (if using traditional red pepper flakes from the supermarket, use 1/4-1/2 tsp). You can also substitute with diced Thai red chili.

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Tu B’Shvat Tahdig

On January 27, 2026

by chanie

in Appetizer, Brunch, Dinner, Fruit, Purim, Recipes, Rosh Hashanah, Shabbos, Side Dish

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I’ve been wanting to nail tahdig for the longest time. That crispy-crusted rice studded with dried fruit and nuts…. it’s everything I want in a dish – crispy, fragrant, comforting…. the perfect show stopper! When I thought about what to make for Tu B’shvat to incorporate the Sheva Minim (the seven species from the Land of Israel), it came down to THIS! How else to celebrate the fruit of the tree than with a beautiful mound of fruit-studded golden rice, amiright??

So we got 5 out of 7 minim: olives (oil+olives!), figs, dates (silan), grapes (raisins), and pomegranate! And if you want to incorporate all 7, you can make this recipe with a mix of wheat berries and barley and serve as a pilaf instead of a tahdig!

Happy Tu B’shvat

Tu B’shvat Tahdig

1/3 cup olive
1 large onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced dried figs
1/2 cups sliced olives (I used Castelveltrano)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 cups rinsed basmati rice
Zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tsp kosher salt
3 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp silan
For garnish: chopped parsley, pomegranate seeds, toasted sliced almonds

Method:

In a nonstick skillet (this is important!!), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until golden. Add the turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon and stir until fragrant. Add the figs, olives and raisins and stir to incorporate. Add in rice, orange zest and juice, salt, water and silan and mix until combined. Cook the rice, uncovered, until the rice is level with the water. reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 45 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes and then flip onto a serving platter. Garnish with parsley, pomegranate and almonds.

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Cruciferous Crunch Chicken Salad

On September 25, 2025

by chanie

in Appetizer, Dinner, Instagram Reel Recipes, Leftovers, Lunch, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Rosh Hashanah, Salad, Shabbos

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Gimme all the cruciferous veg! Maybe it’s the crunch, maybe it’s the color, but I love everything in the cabbage family – kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi – it’s my jam! Mix it all together and you’ve got a party in your mouth. I made this on the last day of the Chag to use up leftover grilled chicken and the bowl was licked clean (mostly by me!!). So I had to make it again for y’all!

Kale Crunch Salad
YIELD: 6 servings

4 cups kale
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds
2 pieces leftover sumac pargiot (or any chicken)

Dressing:

1/3 cup grapeseed or light olive oil
3 tbsp pomegranate concentrate (see note)
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Spread the kale out on a platter or bowl. Mix the cabbage into the kale. Top with pomegranate seeds, kohlrabi, chicken and sunflower seeds.

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and whisk until thickened.

When ready to serve, toss the salad with the dressing.

NOTE: I used Sadaf pomegranate concentrate which is like molasses, but it doesn’t have added sugar. If using molasses, reduce honey as needed.

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Category: Rosh Hashanah

Simanim Coupe

Granola Honey Cake

Rosh Hashanah Dipping Oil

Tu B’Shvat Tahdig

Cruciferous Crunch Chicken Salad