http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/dining/for-rosh-hashana-roast-chicken-with-honey.html 2014-09-15 22:53:36 For Rosh Hashana, Roast Chicken With Honey Honoring tradition while keeping the meal interesting. === Every Rosh Hashana, Jews smear honey on sliced apples and thick pieces of challah with the idea that a sweet New Year’s meal will usher in a sweet new year. It’s a symbolic ritual I’ve never questioned, since it’s also a tasty one. And who wouldn’t want to hedge their bets in such a pleasant way? But as I ruminated over what to make for the holiday meal this fall, another thought occurred to me. A little bit of spice would be a most welcomed addition — both to the table and to my coming year. After all, pairing something sweet with something spicy is a classic culinary maneuver. The sweetness tames the heat while the chiles keep the dish in question from becoming cloying. Think of a Mexican hot chocolate spiked with chile powder or, closer to the theme at hand, gefilte fish topped with horseradish. And a few well-placed crushed red pepper flakes would go a long way to liven up an otherwise traditional Rosh Hashana meal. I knew better than to mess with the honey for the apples and challah, lest I risk revolt at the table. The entree seemed like the best place to add heat: chile flakes. Usually we have brisket on Rosh Hashana, but in this case a roasted honey-marinated chicken would work even better. And if I could add vegetables to the pan to make it into a one-pot meal, I’d save myself effort in the kitchen as well. Arguably, the most popular Jewish holiday side dish is tsimmes, a baked vegetable medley that usually comprises carrots or sweet potatoes coated with orange juice and tossed with dried fruit. So I added carrots, orange juice and sliced dates to the chicken-honey-chile mixture in the pan, along with sliced onions and some mustard for texture and depth. The only thing missing was acidity to balance the flavors. A drizzle of sweet and sour balsamic vinegar would have worked, but I opted for the clean bright zing of lemon. And rather than adding just juice, I tossed in slices of the citrus, blanching them first to soften them and eliminate some of the bitterness from the pith. In the end, the dish hit all the notes I was looking for: fiery, tart, complex and sweet. But in true Rosh Hashana tradition, it was the sweet note that rang loudest.