A Sweet New Year

Next week, on Sunday evening,  we greet  Rosh HaShana  – the Jewish New Year

Pomegranates are in the stores- they are in season in Israel- and we buy them to grace our tables, and use in recipes.

I published this recipe previously but am doing it again because I think it makes a delightful Rosh HaShana dessert treat. I call it “Pomegranate Bark”. It’s the same idea as almond bark but it’s chocolate with pomegranate seeds, fresh ginger and a sprinkling of salt.

You’ll need:

1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

a pomegranate

fresh ginger root or candied ginger

a sprinkling of salt (I would suggest Malden or kosher salt)

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Put them on a piece of paper towel to absorb any moisture that may be on the seeds.

Peel a 1 inch section of ginger. Slice the ginger and dice it into tiny pieces. (You can toss the ginger with a small amount of potato starch to absorb  the moisture from the fresh ginger.)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.

Combine 1/3 cup of pomegranate seeds with 1 Tbsp. of ginger, and stir into the melted chocolate.

Pour onto parchment paper and smoothe it out. Sprinkle with a little kosher or Malden salt.

Chill the pomegranate bark in the refrigerator or freezer. Serve and enjoy.

Have a wonderful Rosh HaShana.  May it be a year blessed with sweetness, love, peace, health, and good fortune of all sorts.
Good wishes from my family to yours,

Laya

The Trees’ Birthday

Tu B’Shevat- the Trees’ birthday.

In Judaism we have a special place in our heart for trees. We call the Torah “The Tree of Life” We are always looking back at our ancestors- our family tree. It is forbidden in Jewish law to cut down a fruit tree. And in our ancient history some families had a tradition to  plant a tree when a baby was born- a cedar for boys and a cypress for girls. When a couple got married, branches from their trees were used to hold up the marriage canopy. Another tradition- I remember when I was a little girl we would collect money to plant trees in Israel on Tu B’Shevat.

I mention this now because this year Tu B’Shevat, the 15th of Shevat, begins tonight, on Tuesday February 3 and continues tomorrow, Wednesday February 4.

One enjoyable and tasty idea is to gather 15 fruits that grow on trees. In the collection above I have figs, dates, almonds, olives, pomegranate, grapefruit, walnuts, avocado, orange, persimmon, mango, pear, plum, carob, and just for the fun of it, dragon fruit.

So get your inner fruit lover and enjoy the abundance with family and friends.

In case you missed it a few days ago, here is a repeat of the Pomegranate- Ginger Bark recipe:

You’ll need:

1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

a pomegranate

fresh ginger root or candied ginger

a sprinkling of salt (I would suggest Malden or kosher salt)

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Peel a 1″ section of ginger. Slice the ginger and dice into tiny pieces. (You can toss the ginger with a small amount of potato starch to absorb  the moisture from the fresh ginger.)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.

 

 

 

 

 

Combine 1/3 cup of pomegranate seeds with 1 Tbsp. of ginger, and stir into the melted chocolate.

Pour onto parchment paper and smoothe it out. Sprinkle with a little kosher or Malden salt.

Pour onto parchment paper and smoothe it out. Sprinkle with a little kosher or Malden salt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chill the pomegranate bark in the refrigerator or freezer. Serve and enjoy.

 

 

Tu B’Shevat Treat

Tu B’Shevat- The 15th of Shevat, and birthday of the new Trees.

I love pomegranates- clay pomegranates, ceramic pomegranates fresh pomegranates, dried pomegranates, silver pomegranates, gold pomegranates- you name them, I love them. I love their colour, the richness, the shape, and I love the juicy tart yet sweet seeds.

I’ve been waiting for Tu B’Shevat so I can share this recipe with you. I call it “Pomegranate Bark”. It’s the same idea as almond bark but it’s chocolate with pomegranate seeds, fresh ginger and a sprinkling of salt.

You’ll need:

1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

a pomegranate

fresh ginger root or candied ginger

a sprinkling of salt (I would suggest Malden or kosher salt)

 Remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Peel a 1″ section of ginger. Slice the ginger and dice into tiny pieces. (You can toss the ginger with a small amount of potato starch to absorb  the moisture from the fresh ginger.)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler.

Combine 1/3 cup of pomegranate seeds with 1 Tbsp. of ginger, and stir into the melted chocolate.

Pour onto parchment paper and smoothe it out. Sprinkle with a little kosher or Malden salt.

Chill the pomegranate bark in the refrigerator or freezer. Serve and enjoy.

Another option, courtesy of my sister Libby, is pomegranate seeds, a light sprinkling of cinnamon, slivered toasted almonds, and sea salt.

Try it and share it with your friends.

Happy Tu B’shevat,

Laya