I’m not Jewish, but I thought I was growing up. We belonged to the Jewish Community Center, and it had a great pool, which in my 3-year-old mind was a perfectly good reason to adopt the culture. I went to dozens of bar and bat mitzvahs in my early years, and my Jewish friends often invited me to their homes for holiday meals. Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around the culinary traditions surrounding the High Holy Days, like dipping apples into honey at Rosh Hashana to symbolize the sweet year to come. To all my Jewish readers: I wish you a sweet 5776. L’shana tova!
Apples with Honey-Caramel Dip 2 to 4 servings
1 cup honey
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
Sliced apples
• In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey and cream and stir to combine. Stir in the butter, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature and serve with sliced apples.
This article appears in September 2015.