It always sneaks up on us so quickly. It seems like school just ended (it seems like Passover just ended!) and it’s already time to start preparing for Rosh Hashana. There’s introspection, there’s teshuva, there’s a lot of intense spiritual work – and there are menus! Each year, I try to combine some old favorites (if we don’t have brisket and cabbage soup, I risk a mutiny) with some newer ideas. Here are some of the latter. For more innovative and interesting recipes for the High Holidays, please visit www.gourmetkoshercooking.com.

Oven-Barbecued Brisket

You need to begin preparation for this a day in advance of cooking.

  • 1 (5 to 6 pound) brisket
  • 5 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder, divided
  • oil
  • ½ cup beef broth
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons (fish free) Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ cup water

Rub both sides of meat with Liquid smoke. Combine the sugar and ½ the chili powder and spread over the both sides of the meat. Lay the brisket in a large plastic container of even Ziploc bag, seasoned-side down and cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush bottom of roasting pan with oil and pour in the beef broth. Place brisket in the pan, fat side up. Pour any leftover marinade over the brisket. Cover tightly with foil. Roast for 4 hours. In the meantime, combine the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons chili powder and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove brisket from oven and drain off fat. Slice and serve with sauce.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts

  • 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 (2.1 ounce) packages mini phyllo shells

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potato, sugar and cinnamon. Combine pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and egg white, stirring well. Combine with sweet potato mixture. Spoon about 1 teaspoon sweet potato mixture into each phyllo shell and smooth out. Place filled shells on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Cranberry Chestnut Green Beans

  • 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons margarine
  • 1-1/3 cups chestnuts (from a jar), halved (if chestnuts are hard to find, substitute almonds)
  • 4 shallots, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Cook beans in boiling water until crisp-tender – about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Melt margarine over medium heat. Add the chestnuts (or almonds), shallots, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add cranberries and vinegar and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in beans and cook 5 minutes more.

Chocolate Coconut Brownies

You have to be a coconut fan (I am but I have discovered that not everyone is!). If you are, these easy brownies hit the spot.

  • ½ cup (1 stick) margarine, at room temperature
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • 2-1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¾ cup shredded coconut (I always used the sweetened kind)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the margarine and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. On low speed, beat in the flour and baking powder until well combined. Separate 1/3 of the mixture. To the larger portion of batter (the 2/3), add the melted chocolate and vanilla and mix well. Add the coconut to the 1/3 and stir well.

Place chocolate mixture in greased 8-inch square pan. Top with coconut mixture, smoothed over top. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan before cutting into bars.

To convert any of these recipes to metric, please go to http://www.lemelange.com/conversion_chart.htm and use their chart.

Some of these recipes call for nuts. The custom on Rosh Hashana (and frequently through the end of Sukkot) is not to eat “egozim” which are walnuts and, some say, hazelnuts. The gematria (numerical equivalent) for egoz is the same as that for the Hebrew word for sin – chet. As such, we refrain from eating these nuts so that we don’t even allude to the concept of sin on the Day of Judgment. Some people may eschew nuts altogether. To find out your community’s custom, please consult your local Rabbi.