If you came to my house for Rosh Hashanah this year, this is what I’d make you. There would be chicken soup, obviously, plenty of apples and honey, a gorgeous pomegranate chicken and more than one apple dessert—because apparently I have no restraint where apple desserts are concerned.

Most of these recipes have appeared on the blog over the years, but I’ve never gathered them together into one complete Rosh Hashanah menu. So here it is: everything I’d put on the table, from the challah right through to dessert.

THE MENU

Twisted Apple Honey Challah
Chicken Soup
Pomegranate Chicken
Tomato Nectarine Corn Salad
Perfect Green Salad
Apple Slab Pie
Apple Cinnamon Crunch Cake

We’d start with a Twisted Apple and Honey Challah. It’s traditional to shape challah into a circle for the Jewish New Year, symbolizing our wish for a year in which life and blessings continue without end. This round beauty is stuffed with sautéed apples, brown sugar and apple butter, then drizzled with honey. This year, more than ever, I’m wishing for a little extra sweetness for all of us.

Obviously, we must have Chicken Soup. But watery, insipid chicken soup? No thanks. Mine starts with a deeply roasted chicken stock, which gives it incredible depth and richness. And it’s the perfect make-ahead dish—one less thing to think about on the day of your dinner.

Pomegranates and Rosh Hashanah just belong together. Their abundance of seeds symbolizes our hope for a year filled with good deeds. There’s even an old belief that every pomegranate contains exactly 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvot, or commandments, in the Torah—many of which guide us to perform acts of kindness and good deeds. That turns out to be more folklore than fact, but I’m not letting the truth ruin a perfectly good story. So Pomegranate Chicken feels especially fitting for the holiday table. And those ruby-red seeds make it pretty spectacular too.

Rosh Hashanah falls so early this year! Have you ever noticed that the Jewish holidays always seem to be either early or late, but never actually on time? That’s because the Jewish calendar follows the lunar cycle. This year, the upside of an early Rosh Hashanah is that tomatoes, nectarines and corn are still abundant at the market. So let’s lean into the season with this Tomato, Nectarine and Corn Salad.

This is the Perfect Green Salad I eat almost every day—a mix of sweet romaine, bitter radicchio and peppery arugula, tossed in a tangy sherry vinaigrette. I firmly believe every big feast needs a green salad. With all that rich food on the table, your palate needs it.

Apples are a Rosh Hashanah tradition, usually associated with wishes for a sweet new year. But I recently came across another interpretation that I love. Unlike most fruit trees, where the leaves appear first and protect the developing fruit, apples begin to grow before the leaves. The apple has therefore come to symbolize a willingness to move forward with faith, even when we don’t know exactly what lies ahead. I rather like that idea.

I also just really like apple desserts. And apparently I couldn’t choose only one. So we’re having Apple Slab Pie AND Apple Cinnamon Crunch Cake.

Get Ahead of the Game

Seven dishes might sound like a lot, but almost everything on this menu can be made or prepped ahead. I’m a big believer in doing as little as possible on the actual day of a dinner party. Here’s how I’d tackle it.

This Weekend

Make and freeze the Chicken Soup and Matzoh Balls, Twisted Apple and Honey Challah, and Apple Slab Pie. These are the bigger jobs, and getting them out of the way early will make the rest of the week much easier.

• Chicken Soup: Make the soup and freeze it. Make the matzoh balls and freeze them separately in a zip-top freezer bag. Thaw both, then add the matzoh balls to the soup just long enough to heat through.
• Twisted Apple and Honey Challah: Bake and cool completely. Wrap well in plastic wrap, followed by a large zip-top freezer bag or foil, and freeze.
• Apple Slab Pie: Bake and cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap and foil and freeze.

1–2 Days Before

• Apple Cinnamon Crunch Cake: Make the cake, wrap well and refrigerate. It can also be frozen if you want to make it earlier. Freeze the cake unwrapped until solid, about 1–2 hours, then wrap well in plastic wrap and foil.
• Sherry Vinaigrette: Make the dressing and refrigerate. Give it a good shake before using.
• Perfect Green Salad: Wash and thoroughly dry the greens. Wrap them in a clean tea towel, slip into a plastic bag and refrigerate.
• Pomegranate Chicken: Seed the pomegranate and dice the onions. Store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

The Night Before

Move the challah and slab pie from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. If you froze the cake, move that to the refrigerator as well.

The Day Of

Make the Pomegranate Chicken and Tomato, Nectarine and Corn Salad. Toss the Perfect Green Salad with the vinaigrette just before serving.

Reheat the chicken soup and add the thawed matzoh balls just long enough to warm through.

Once the challah has thawed, wrap it in foil and warm it in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

Reheat the slab pie in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes, until warmed through.

Bring the Apple Cinnamon Crunch Cake to room temperature before serving.

And then sit down and enjoy your dinner. You’ve earned it.

However you celebrate, I hope your table is filled with good food and people you love. Wishing you and your family a sweet, healthy and peaceful New Year. Shana Tova!