Food

7 Easy Ways To Add Jewish Flavor To Your Thanksgiving Table

From pumpkin cheesecake to za’atar turkey, there are myriad ways to add a Jewish accent to your holiday table. Image by iStock

By Liza Schoenfein November 19, 2017

Whether you choose to make or buy, there are myriad ways to add Jewish flavor to your Thanksgiving feast. Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

1) Instead of basic dinner rolls or cornbread, try one of two pumpkin challah recipes: Shannon Sarna’s pumpkin-spice challah or Leah Koenig’s take on Maggie Glezer’s pumpkin challah (this one with cranberries) from “A Blessing of Bread.”

2) Molly Yeh is aces at merging traditions, and her recipe for bagel stuffing is a great example.

3) A near effortless way to give turkey an Israeli accent would be to sprinkle it with the Israeli spice blend za’atar, as you may already be doing with roasted chicken.

4) Sweet potatoes take a Jewish turn with several recipes in our archives including sweet potato kugel, sweet potato hummus, or Paula Shoyer’s crunchy quinoa with sweet potatoes.

5) If you’d rather buy than make, Israeli-owned Breads Bakery has a number of special sweet or savory options for the holiday. Cranberry-gouda rolls are great — slightly sweet, with a wonderful tang from the sour fruit — and a new offering, a harvest babka, a savory babka filled with roasted sweet potato, red onion and gruyere cheese.

Breads Bakery introduced this pear crumble tart for Thanksgiving. Image by Liza Schoenfein

6) If you’re looking for dairy- and gluten-free and kosher pareve holiday desserts, By The Way Bakery has you covered with Thanksgiving offerings including pumpkin “cheesecake,” apple, pecan or ginger-=pumpkin tarts and pear-cranberry coffee cake.

At Thanksgiving, Greenberg’s transforms the classic black & white cookie into one that incorporates either pumpkin or sweet potato. Image by Courtesy of William Greenberg

7) In addition to traditional fruit pies and Thanksgiving-themed frosted cookies, William Greenberg Desserts has the ultimate twist on the Jewish Deli treat: sweet potato black and white cookies.

Liza Schoenfein is the food editor of the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @LifeDeathDinner

Liza Schoenfein is a former food editor of the Forward and author of the blog Life, Death & Dinner. Follow her on Instagram @LifeDeathDinner.

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