Every fall The Jewish New Year begins with a 10 day period of prayer and self-reflection which is ushered in on Rosh Hashanah, and closes on Yom Kippur, or what is better known as The Day of Atonement.
We were traveling for the beginning of the New Year, (more about that later), but were back home for Yom Kippur. This was unusual for us as every year we celebrate around the holiday table.
In fact I have posted many of those dinners and recipes for as many years as I have had this blog.
Apples and honey and sweet foods are eaten during this time to represent wishes for a sweet year ahead.
The round challah (similar to a brioche bread), with raisins , was baked by a good friend, and is also symbolic of this sweet holiday, as well as a reflection the continuous cycle of years and seasons.
I couldn’t let this year go by without acknowledging this holiday, at least with the few photos above.
I baked this Lemon Sponge Cake above which we enjoyed on the last evening of the holiday.
It is basically my Mom’s Passover Lemon Sponge Cake I make, but with the substitution of flour for the potato starch used at Passover.
It is sometimes tricky to achieve the height you want. So much depends on whipping the egg whites to the perfect consistency and then folding them in quickly, but thoroughly without deflating them.
I was very pleased with my result this year, and especially pleased knowing how proud my mom would have been.
Here’s to a Happy and Sweet Year!