Apple Cake for the Jewish New Year

Here is my mom’s apple cake. It is a delicious, plain cake, dense with fruit. In this recipe, as others, my mom uses cinnamon alone, never with other spices. You can add nutmeg, cloves, and the rest, if you want, but I’d suggest trying it first the way it is. Vegetable oil is traditional for many Jewish holiday desserts, though you could substitute butter.

My mom was loyal to Granny Smith apples. I think it’s hard to find good examples of that variety nowadays. In New York, we are apple-rich, so I enlist a variety for the cause of cake.

As for the apples, you can slice them as we do or cut into chunks. The slices look pretty on top and caramelize a bit in the oven. Below, I suggest reserving half of the apples to decorate the cake, but this is personal preference. If you’d rather have more apple mixed in, do your thing. The cake is a no miss, either way.

Use a stand mixer, if you have one, because the batter is thick and heavy.

By the way, these cake pictures were taken by my youngest daughter, Sophie, who took over the holiday baking last year when I was running behind.

Mertzie’s Apple Cake for the Holidays

Serves 12

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 large apples, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
5 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar

Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour a large bundt or tube pan.

In large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, orange juice, and vanilla. 
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be heavy and thick.

Toss the apple slices with the cinnamon sugar. Set aside about half of the apples to arrange on the top of the cake, and mix the remaining apples into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the reserved apples on top, fanning them across the surface, tucking the pieces here and there.

Place in the oven and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until brown and the cake tests dry.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.  Carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This cake will keep at room temperature, well-wrapped, for days. It freezes beautifully, too.

Strawberry Rhubarb Slab Pie

Young rhubarb harvested from my community garden.

I am not made for this digital age. I cook ALL THE TIME, but rarely do I remember to take photos of my food, since I’m usually in the process of serving it. My friends like what I cook and we are happy to enjoy a meal amongst ourselves, without broadcasting to others. I say this to explain why I this recipe for a truly stunning summer pie has no accompanying picture.

Slab pie is a crust-lover’s dream. Imagine a bar cookie with a 1/2-inch of fresh filling sandwiched between two pieces of flaky dough. Slab pies cut cleanly, can be picked up neatly, and feed a crowd.

Strawberry and rhubarb make an exceptional filling, as long as you manage their juices. In this recipe, I do that two ways: 1) Macerate the cut fruit overnight and then reduce the released juices to a syrup and 2) Use cornstarch to thicken the filling as it bakes.

6 - 7 cups cut strawberries (1/2-inch pieces), about 2 pounds
8 cups cut rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 small branch of rosemary
1/4 cup strawberry or apricot jam (optional)
1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons corn starch
full recipe (2 pieces) of butter pastry dough, each rolled to the width of a 1/2 sheet pan
1 egg, very well beaten
sanding sugar

Combine strawberries and rhubarb in a large bowl and toss with the sugar and salt. Let sit overnight, or at least up to 6 hours. The fruit will have released a great deal of juices. Strain the fruit, capturing the juices, then transfer the juices to a small pot. Add the herbs. Place over medium-low heat and reduce the juices about halfway, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Let these juices cool completely before using. Meanwhile, dock the bottom slab of pastry dough with a fork. If you are using a lattice top, cut and design your lattice now. Keep the pastry cool in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Move a rack to the bottom of the oven. That’s where you’ll place your pie to bake.

Add the cooled syrup, jam, lemon, and cornstarch to the bowl of berries. Toss well and pour out onto the bottom piece of chilled pastry. Spread the berries evenly over the pan, making sure to cover the corners. Place the other piece of dough or the lattice design on top and press the edges together to seal. If using a whole piece of top dough, cut 3 or 4 slits through it to let steam escape from the soon-to-be-bubbly fruit.

Brush the beaten egg all over the dough, including the edges. Top the brushed pastry with a generous amount of sanding sugar. Place on the bottom shelf of the oven. After 25 minutes, turn the tray. Check after 25 more minutes. The crust should be browning and the fruits should be bubbling. Continue to cook the pie until the crusts are deep brown, but not burned, maybe another 10 minutes more. This insures that the bottom crust is actually done.

Pull the pie from the oven and let the tray cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours to set. You can serve it directly from the pan, or, once cooled and set, cut into pieces to place on a platter.

Store at room temperature wrapped well for up to 3 days.

Rhubarb Sangria Kits

Thinly-sliced rhubarb, tossed with sugar and a bit of salt create a syrup that, when combined with lemon, orange, and lime—and wine, of course—make a fantastic sangria to enjoy this summer. Thing is, rhubarb is around only in the spring, so you need to preserve it to last the season. Enter Rhubarb Sangria Kits.

For each kit, I fill a freezer bag with 1 pound of rhubarb, 1/2 cup of sugar, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt. This is enough to transform a full bottle of red table wine into your favorite hot weather drink. The rhubarb macerates in the sugar as it freezes, and when it thaws, yields a ready-made syrup. The sangria recipe, which includes three kinds of citrus, is from my cookbook, The Nimble Cook.

Below, I’ve frozen the remains of random bottles of red wine. These are portioned in pint containers, so I can mix sangria for two at a moment’s notice.

Pickled Asparagus with Tarragon and Garlic

This recipe is excerpted from The Nimble Cook.

Pickling keeps even thin asparagus stalks crisp and pleasantly green-tasting. You can make the brine up to a week in advance, but leave out the tarragon until you add the asparagus. The asparagus must be completely submerged in brine to pickle; if necessary, cut the spears into smaller lengths.

Serve these pickles with chopped hard-cooked egg on buttered toast, black beans and sour cream, or alongside grilled chicken with mustard and radishes.

Makes about 2 ½ cups brine, about 24 pieces pickled asparagus

8 small garlic cloves, slivered
¼ cup coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ cups white wine vinegar
¾ cup water
Loosely packed ¾ cup fresh tarragon leaves
12 ounces asparagus (about 12 thin spears), snapped (page 000)

Combine the garlic, salt, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Meanwhile, cut asparagus in half lengthwise (unless it is pencil thin) and then once width-wise. Once the brine is cold, pour it into a 1-quart jar, add the tarragon, and submerge the asparagus in it, tips up. Cover and refrigerate.

The pickle will be ready to serve in 12 hours and will keep for 2 weeks, refrigerated.

Ricotta, Fennel, Grapefruit, and Herb Salad

This salad captures the lesser known side of winter produce: the floral, acidic, crunchy, and aromatic. Though it’s a product of cold weather, the dish is a nod to an anticipated spring. I served it at February’s One Twinkly Night.

A few well-meaning rules:
1) Use crispy, well-toasted homemade breadcrumbs or omit them altogether.
2) Use ricotta good enough to eat straight off of a spoon. You don’t need much of it, and it is worth the splurge.
3) I love celery salt. You’ll find it works magic here.

For 4 servings

1 1/3 cup shaved fennel
1 cup shaved red onion
salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup Lemon Dressing (see below)
4 heaping large spoons of excellent ricotta cheese
celery salt
wedge of lemon
supremes of 1 large grapefruit, cut into 1-inch pieces
small handful mint leaves, roughly torn
small handful parsley leaves, roughly torn
fresh black pepper
1/4 cup toasted homemade breadcrumbs

In a bowl, combine fennel, red onion, and a generous seasoning of salt. Toss with the dressing, and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Mix well and taste right before using.

Place a swoosh of ricotta on each plate. Sprinkle with celery salt and a squeeze of lemon. Scatter the grapefruit pieces on top. Place the fennel-onion slaw on top of the grapefruit. Scatter herbs all about. Drizzle any lemon dressing remaining over the whole thing, then top with black pepper and the breadcrumbs.

Lemon Dressing (adapted from The Nimble Cook)

grated zest of 2 lemons
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 cup excellent olive oil

Combine the zest and juice, vinegar, and garlic in a bowl. Let stand for at least 10 minutes, then remove the garlic. Add the salt and then the oil, in a thin stream, whisking until all incorporated.

Caramelized Onion Jam

Freekeh with Onion Jam and Spinach

This jam is the royal cousin of griddle diner onions. Balsamic or sherry vinegar, a heavy hand with butter (or excellent olive oil), and good chicken (or vegetable) stock turn a ubiquitous burger topping into a rich, versatile condiment. For years, this was Purple Kale Kitchenworks’ most requested recipe. In The Nimble Cook, I stir it into freekeh, a Mediterranean grain of toasted, green wheat and into Cheese Stock for a soup that tastes like it has been slow-cooking for days.

Don’t rush this jam. Give yourself at least 2 hours to make the it properly. The batch will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer.

Makes 1¼ cups

2 pounds onions (4 or 5 large), peeled and very thinly sliced (about 10 cups)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup excellent chicken stock (such as Worth-It Chicken Stock, page 000)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

In large, heavy-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven), combine the onions and butter over medium heat. Stir continuously until butter melts and onions are well coated. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook until onions are completely translucent, at least 15 minutes, stirring frequently. If the onions begin to brown, turn the heat down even lower. Do not rush this step.

Remove the lid and add the stock, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Turn the heat up to medium and stir well.

Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep nut brown, creamy, and highly aromatic, 1½ to 2 hours. As the onions begin to absorb the liquid, stir more frequently. If they begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, scrape them loose and turn down the heat. (For a more hands-off approach, put the onions into a 300ºF oven after you add the stock, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Increase the cooking time by about 30 minutes. You’ll still need to stir occasionally.)

Cool completely, then use a rubber spatula to scrape every last bit of jam from the pot—do not leave any of the rich liquid behind. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Consider freezing the jam in smaller portions, such as ¼-cup, to add to individual servings of soup. Bring to room temperature or warm the jam to use as a sandwich spread.

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: making spice sugars

My favorite way to teach easy improvisation in the kitchen is to make Spice Salts. As the name suggests, a Spice Salt is any spice--or combination of spices--mixed with salt. It is THE way to taste if and how different spices go together. Once you have a Spice Salt you like, you can build on it to make a unique Spice Oil, Butter, Mustard, Broth, or Yogurt. With those condiments, you are a piece of protein, produce, grain, or pasta away from a meal.

With the same ease, you can experiment mixing spices to sugars, too, Add these Spice Sugars to hot chocolate, iced coffee, sugar cookies, caramels, and other holiday confections. Or put them on toasted nuts, like I did for last weekend’s holiday fair, where I tossed the nuts with little pieces of sharp cheddar and a sherry-raisin sauce.

You’re familiar with Spice Sugars already, if cinnamon sugar or pumpkin spice is your thing. But why not try your hand making some original ones? Grab two or more spices that you normally wouldn’t put together and add a spoonful of sugar to taste. Try crushed fennel seed and pink peppercorn or cumin and cinnamon.

Here are some quick ideas for how to use whatever sugar you make:.

Otherwise Trash: Whole Squash Soup

For years, I struggled to make a winter squash soup I wanted to eat on repeat, until now. Meet my Whole Squash Soup. This no-waste soup is made with a seed-and-pulp-thickening broth that adds flavor and creaminess. For it to work, you need squash with large cavities that contain many seeds and lots of pulp. Look beyond butternut, honeynut, and acorn. Choose the larger, round squashes—Carnival, Blue Hubbard, Kabocha. If you can, grab one with skin thin enough to eat (once roasted).  You’ll puree the flesh and skin at the end.

This soup is made in parts, simultaneously--the roasted squash and the squash broth.  Splitting techniques not only saves you time, but roasting the squash deepens it’s flavor. I suggest roasting the whole squash, no matter its size, so even if you don’t use it all for the soup—that’s a call you’ll make when you blend the squash and stock at the end—you can have leftovers to enjoy on their own.

Yield 4 servings

1 Carnival or other squash (about 3 pounds) with thin skin, washed well, then cut in half through the stem, seeds and pulp removed and reserved
8 tablespoons butter, divided
5 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 thin leeks, white part sliced (about 1 cup)
4 cups excellent chicken or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the cleaned, seeded, and scraped squash into 1-inch wedges.  Place them in a baking dish. In a small pan or pot, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter.  Add the honey, spices, and salt and bring to a near simmer to combine and infuse, then pour this mixture over the squash pieces.  Lay the pieces on one flat side and place in the oven.  Roast for 15 minutes, then flip the pieces over.  Roast until they are knife-tender, another 15 – 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven to rest.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and squash seeds and pulp.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the butter has been absorbed, the leeks are completely soft, and the pulp begins to stick to the bottom of the pan and brown, about 20 minutes.  Do not let the squash pulp burn.  Add the stock and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to release the brown bits into the broth.

Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and puree until very smooth.  Pour the stock through a fine mesh strainer back into the pot, discarding any unblended seeds.  You should have about 4 cups of creamy, flavorful stock.

Once the squash wedges are roasted, puree them with the strained stock, starting with just half of the pieces, and making sure to include all of the sweet and spiced juices in the pan.  If the squash skin is thin enough, you will not have to strain the soup at this point, but taste and decide for yourself.  At this point, you’ll also want to taste and adjust the salt and spices as needed. 

Serve the soup hot or cold. In the photo above, it’s served with a huge dollop of herb sauce.

Two in One: Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Syrup

I never miss a chance to turn one recipe into two, so I was giddy to learn that I could have delicious cranberry sauce just by saving the fruit leftover from making cranberry syrup. There are many recipes that marry cranberry and orange, as this one does. However. this syrup goes all in with maple syrup, instead of sugar. It is a bit of a splurge, but worth the upgrade. My version is riffed off of a cocktail by Half Baked Harvest.

Yield: maybe 4 cups (enough for 8 to 10 drinks) syrup and 2 cups cranberry sauce

1 cup amber maple syrup
1 cup water
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
zest of 2 oranges (peeled in strips, with no white pith)

Place syrup, water, cranberries, and orange zest in a non-reactive pot. Bring to a quick boil over high heat. Boil until the cranberries begin to burst, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once cool, strain, reserving both the fruit and syrup. Use the syrup as a base for a shrub, with the addition of this brine. I’d start with a small splash of brine per serving of syrup. The cooked fruit (along with the softened zest—I like to keep it in) should require nothing more than a spoon to eat.

*photo credit Lucy Schaeffer

Winter Squash Pickles

This strong pickle brine is a way for the squash to wear a different set of flavors without losing its great texture. Steaming the slices first ensures that they are tender but stay sturdy, and that they will absorb the brine.

No need to peel the squash; the peel helps the flower-shaped slices that result from cutting the '“wavy” sides of the squash crosswise stay intact, and is often tender enough to eat.

makes 1 quart

1 large acorn squash, about 2 pounds, scrubbed

1 quart apple cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon powdered mustard

1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

pinch of hot red pepper

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and fibers from the cavity, then cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Fill a medium saucepan with just under 1 inch of water. Place a steamer basket on top and layer the squash in the basket. Cover the pan. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat and steam the squash until knife-tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the vinegar, sugar, powdered mustard, mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes to a quick boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes to develop the flavors. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Life the steamer basket out of the pan. Discard the water and immediately put the squash back directly into the pan. Cover with the hot brine. Weight down any floating pieces of squash with a smaller pot lid or cover them with a piece of parchment paper. Let cool to room temperature.

You can serve the pickles right away or refrigerate in the brine in a covered container for up to 1 month.

From The Nimble Cook by Ronna Welsh

From Few Ingredients, Many Possible Meals

Thanks to the UC Berkeley graduate College of Environmental Design for inviting me to contribute to their interdisciplinary issue of Room One Thousand, dedicated to the "super trivial mega small extra common ultra boring," by which they mean the "ideas, projects, and individuals who . . attune their practices to the forces that make the small, discrete, and unassuming so resonate."

In "From Few Ingredients, Many Possible Meals," I introduce a more thoughtful, waste-conscious, and sustainable way to cook. Academia right on your plate!

It's a gorgeous journal (book, really), with illustrations by Leah Altman, adapted from my cookbook, The Nimble Cook. If you want your own copy: https://www.roomonethousand.com/shop

Restaurant Camp summer 2025

Two weeks of Restaurant Camp this summer gave us 16 outstanding, original, restaurant-quality dishes. Congratulations to all the campers for making seriously great food.

Any-Herb Syrup for Lemonade

Steeping herbs overnight in just-made simply syrup yields the most flavor with a light hint of color.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
pinch of coarse kosher salt
1 cup well-washed soft fresh herbs (such as cilantro, mint, dill, or parsley) OR
½ cup leaves from woody fresh herbs (such as rosemary, oregano, lavender, or thyme)

Bring the sugar, water, and salt to a quick boil in a small saucepan. As soon as the sugar dissolves, submerge the herbs in the hot syrup. Turn off the heat, cover, and let cool completely. Store the syrup in a container in the refrigerator overnight before straining. The syrup will keep for at least to 2 weeks.

“Instant,” From-Scratch Lemonade:

For 6 to 8 servings
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup Any-Herb Simple Syrup
6 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a big pitcher and stir well. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days. Pour over ice to serve.

Might as Well: Roasted Potato Nubs

I typically make potato pancakes with big, fat russets. They are good for texture and, frankly, easier to grate.

But this year, i made latkes with little gold potatoes I had leftover. My plan was to push them through my food processor, skipping the manual struggle of grating altogether. But the attachment that secures my grater disc to the processor base got ground up in my vitamix last year. I forgot about this mishap, until it was ‘go’ time.

So with my box grater, I worked my way through the 2-inch potatoes, taking them down to the safest, smallest nubs. These pieces, scraggly and misshapen, piled up and began to count for something themselves. They were the size of wedges I’d otherwise intentionally cut to roast, plus they had crinkled surfaces that would crisp well, so I doused them with olive oil, cranked up the oven (425F), and put them in. Might as well: I was there making the latkes anyway.

Roasted Squash Slices with Their Seeds

You can roast squash in thin, unpeeled, unseeded slices for a playful, meaty, versatile “chip.”
Consider adding toasted, seed-full slices to crisp salad greens. I also love this squash in dressed with Garlic Yogurt Sauce and Pickled Parsley. You’ll find these two recipes on pages 380 and 66 of The Nimble Cook. Check out my advice for Martha Stewart on toasting squash seeds.

No two squash are the same size. To ensure you’re seasoning them sufficiently, use about 1 teaspoon salt for every pound of squash.

Makes 4 cups, enough for 4 servings

1 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds), scrubbed
Excellent olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Trim each end of the squash slightly. Cut in half crosswise, separating the bulbous seed section from the neck of the squash. Cut each in half again, lengthwise this time. Place the flat side of each piece down on the cutting board. With a sharp, heavy knife, cut crosswise into half moons no more than ¼ inch thick. You will cut through the seed cavity, keeping the seeds tethered to the flesh. (You can cut the squash and store it raw, covered with a damp paper towel in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.)

Use either a pastry brush to lightly paint each side of each slice of squash with olive oil, or your hands, taking care not to push out any seeds. Season evenly with salt and arrange on the baking sheets.

Roast the squash for 15 minutes. The pieces should be tender and bright orange. Raise the oven temperature to 425ºF and roast until the squash slices begin to brown, 7 to 10 minutes more. Use a wide spatula to carefully flip each slice. Roast until the slices appear slightly wrinkled and dry, another 5 to 7 minutes. Some pieces will look plumper than others.

The squash slices will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Stored cold, the seeds will get progressively chewier, but they will re-crisp if you heat the squash slices in a preheated 300ºF oven for 10 minutes.