Health & Fitness

FOOD

Accompaniment

The dairy meal after the Yom Kippur fast changes with the side dishes.

Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

T

his Yom Kippur (Oct. 9), break
away from the usual fare.
No big surprise here. The
break-the-fast meal, which ends the Yom
Kippur holiday, is the most anticipated
meal of the year. After 25 hours of fasting,
hungry families usually gather to eat a
dairy meal. To those of us here in the U.S.,
dairy often includes cold fish of some sort.
Yom Kippur break-fast food should not
be confused with breakfast choices. This
meal is more of a brunch, and traditional
options are in order. For many, the meal
of choice is smoked fish — lox and sable
— with the appropriate accompaniments,
including fresh bagels, cream cheese and
condiments. Fresh fruit is de rigueur, as
is a sweet ending. Everything else is, well,
optional. Often, ifs these optional dishes,
the accompaniments, that make the meal
special.

APPLE AND SWEET POTATO
BAKE
4 Tbsp. ( 1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 /2 cup brown sugar
I/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and
cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 /4 tsp. salt
5 cups peeled golden delicious apples,
cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a large
glass or ceramic baking dish with
nonstick cooking spray. Combine
all ingredients, except cheese, in a
large bowl and toss well. Transfer the
ingredients to the prepared baking
dish. Spray one side of the foil with
nonstick cooking spray and cover the
baking dish with the foil, sprayed side
down.
Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to
350°E Uncover and sprinkle the cheese
over the potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes
more. Serve immediately or cover and
chill until 1 hour before serving. Makes 12
servings. Reheat in a 275F oven for 1 hour.
Serve hot or warm. Makes 12 servings.

A46

October 2 • 2008

JIM

CHALLA BAKED
FRENCH TOAST
1 square loaf of challa (about 1
pound), sliced thick (1-inch slices; do
not remove crust)
6 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 /2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup golden raisins
Sauce:
1 /2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
'A cup real maple syrup
Spray a large baking dish with non-
stick cooking spray. Cut the bread diago-
nally into halves. Arrange the bread in
the baking dish, overlapping the slices
to fit into the pan. Combine the eggs,
milk, vanilla, cinnamon and raisins in
large bowl and whisk well. Pour this
mixture over the bread and cover the
pan with plastic wrap. Allow the bread
to soak 1 hour up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the
baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes
until puffy and golden.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a
small saucepan over medium heat. Bring
to a boil and stir until the sauce is uni-
form. Drizzle the sauce over the cooked
French toast and serve, or chill until 1
hour before serving. Reheat in a 275F oven
for 1 hour. Makes 12 servings.

ROAST ACORN SQUASH
WITH LIME, CAYENNE AND
CILANTRO
4 acorn squash, unpeeled, cut in
quarters
1 /4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 ripe limes, cut into wedges
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 /2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Preheat oven to 400E Arrange squash
quarters in a large roasting pan. Set aside.
Meanwhile, combine oil, sugar and
cayenne pepper in a small saucepan over
medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently,
until the sugar is melted. Use a pastry
brush to brush this mixture over the
squash wedges and season lightly with salt
and pepper.
Cover the pan with foil and cook for
20 minutes. Remove foil and roast for 20
minutes more, until the squash is tender.
Squeeze lime over the squash and sprinkle
lightly with cilantro. Serve hot or warm.
Makes 12 or more servings.

ORZO, SPINACH, WHITE
BEAN AND FETA SALAD
1 (16 oz.) package uncooked orzo
pasta
1 /4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 package (10 oz.) baby spinach
leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups crumbled Feta cheese
1 can (about 15 oz.) Great Northern
beans, drained well
1 cup finely chopped red or Bermuda
onion
1 /2 cup fresh chopped dill
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 /4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Cook pasta according to package
instructions. Drain well, but do not
rinse. Transfer to a large bowl, add olive

FRESH PEAR COBBLER
3 cups sliced fresh pears
1 /2 cup sugar
1 /2 tsp. ground nutmeg or mace
Topping:
1 /2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 /4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg
Mix pears and sugar and let stand. Preheat
oven to 325E Pour melted butter in a large
glass or ceramic baking dish. Set aside.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking
power and cinnamon in a medium bowl
and whisk well. Set aside. In a separate

oil and toss well. While the pasta is still
hot, add the spinach and toss well. Allow
to cool for 20 minutes. Add remaining
ingredients and toss well. Cover and
chill until 30 minutes before serving.
Makes 12-15 servings.

bowl, combine the milk and egg and
whisk well. Add the milk and egg mix-
ture to the flour mixture and stir well.
Spread the batter over the melted butter.
Arrange the pears over the batter and
bake for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room
temperature. Cut into squares and serve.
Makes 12 or more servings.

DECONSTRUCTED LAYER
SALAD
8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and
green parts
2 cup thin sliced pea pods
2 cups grated carrots
1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn,
thawed
2 cups bean sprouts (optional)
Dressing:
1 cup regular light mayonnaise
1 /4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 /2 tsp. salt
1 /4 tsp. fresh grated pepper
Combine all salad ingredients in a
large bowl and toss well.
Combine the dressing ingredients
in a medium bowl and whisk well.
Just before serving, toss the salad
with the dressing and toss well.
Makes up to 12-20 servings. ❑

Oil, Health And Kashrut
With Chanukah fast approaching, a ver-
satile kosher and kosher-for-Passover
food ingredient found in many traditional
Chanukah food is cottonseed oil.
It is America's original vegetable oil
and one of the few kosher vegetable oils
available on the market because it is not
subject to the potential significant kosher
issues relating to the shipment of tropical
oils that also may transport animal fats.
Cottonseed oil does not require hydro-
genation making it a top transfat-free
cooking oil. Additionally, cottonseed oil is
recommended as a "heart-healthy food"
by the American Heart Association when
used in moderation. It is used in baking
and frying applications and as a salad oil.
Visit: www.CottonseedOilTour.com .