A few weeks ago
, Evan and I decided to host a Rosh Hashanah dinner together. This meal needed to be special. Special and kosher. With this in mind, I began to catastrophize: What if I screwed the whole thing up? What if I unknowingly broke a rule of kashrut, effectively tainting the whole meal and ruining the start to the holiday season? What if my nervous energy yields food that, kosher or otherwise, completely sucks??
Then, we sat down to plan the menu together.
"Now, as far as challah," he began, "can we do something really interesting and unconventional? Like maybe something along the lines of those pizza pinwheels you made?"
And with that, my nerves were gone. Shaking up tradition by way of food? This was my kind of dinner. We eventually settled on the outrageous combination of a rich, eggy challah dough rolled up with apples, honey, onions, and sharp cheddar, along with plenty of black pepper, salt, and a whisper of cinnamon. They combine a nod to tradition (challah, apples, and honey are all traditional Rosh Hashanah foods) with other autumn flavors and a fun, unusual presentation.
Ingredients
flour for dusting and rolling
pantry
2 tablespoons butter (use vegetable oil for pareve rolls)
$1 for a stick
3 tart, crisp apples such as Granny Smith, peeled and chopped
$1.50
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
50 cents for a whole onion
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
$1.50 for 1 oz.
salt and pepper to taste
pantry
3 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
pantry
1 recipe challah/brioche dough
$4.50 (See brokeassgourmet.com/articles/challahbrioche)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, optional
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
?$1.50 for 6
Total cost of ingredients: $10.50
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly flour (or line with parchment) a baking sheet and set aside.
Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the apples and onions and cook, undisturbed, for five to seven minutes, until the onions become translucent and soft.
Stir in the honey and cinnamon.
Stir in the salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.
On a floured surface, roll the challah dough out into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle.
If using, sprinkle the cheese over the surface of the dough.
Spread the apple-onion mixture evenly over the cheese-covered dough.
Starting at the bottom, roll the dough up, lengthwise, pinching as you go, to keep it in a tight cylinder.
Use a sharp knife to cut the cylinder into 12 1-inch-thick rounds.
Arrange the rounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the spirals with the egg wash.
Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve warm, topped with more honey if desired.
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