Our favorite recipe for a sweet new year

What better way to celebrate Rosh Hashanah than with sweet foods that represent the sweetness we hope for in the new year?  Beyond the requisite apples dipped in honey it’s customary to serve a few savory dishes with hints of sweetness like brisket braised with prunes or tsimis kissed with honey.  The recipe for tsimis below is excerpted from our new cookbook and was recently featured in the Cook the Book series on the Serious Eats blog.  Their suggested tweak of swapping in other root vegetables in place of the carrots is one we utilize often; parsnips, turnips and sweet potato all work well.

RECIPE: SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds carrots (about 6 large carrots), peeled and cut into ¼-inch coins
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 cup honey
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 1 cup quartered pitted prunes
• ½ cup golden raisins
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a roasting pan, toss the carrots with the oil, salt, and pepper. Cook until the carrots are lightly browned and somewhat tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the honey, juice from 1 ½ lemons, thyme, and cup of water in a large pan or skillet.  Bring to a simmer and cook the mixture over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then remove and discard the thyme. Remove the pan from the heat.
• When the carrots are done cooking, add the prunes and raisins to the roasting pan and toss to combine. Pour the carrot-prune-raisin mixture into the pan with the honey mixture and stir to coat the carrots completely.
• Add the ginger and cinnamon and simmer the carrot-honey mixture over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid has reduced to a thick glaze, 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the sunflower seeds and juice from the remaining ½ lemon and remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the chopped parsley.