In a Nutshell:

Spiced Pomegranate Molasses

I like to make my own spiced pomegranate molasses by reducing 4 cups of pomegranate juice with ½ cup of sugar and lots of aromatics like cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, and strips of orange zest. Cook over low heat until syrupy. Serve it over roast, chicken, ice cream, or cake!

—Chanie Apfelbaum

FT, help me!!

With Rosh Hashanah coming up, can you explain the health benefits of cooked honey as opposed to raw?

—Leora S., New Jersey

This question seems simple, but there’s a lot to address. In short, first of all, not all honey is the same. Refined honey is really not much healthier than white sugar is, especially since some companies add corn syrup or high-fructose cornstarch to the honey without listing it on the label. (Unfortunately, at this time the FDA doesn’t require mentioning it.)

Raw honey, especially unfiltered, is pure honey loaded with enzymes, good bacteria, and antioxidants. Once you cook the honey, you lose most of those benefits. However, I still prefer using honey in place of other natural sweeteners when cooking and baking because it has the most balanced ratio of glucose and fructose.

—Rorie Weisberg

Review It!

Rivky Kleiman and her son, Moshe Yehuda, just came out with a brand-new line of spice blends, essentially turning recipes from Rivky’s book, Simply Gourmet, into a dish in seconds! I was so excited to receive a sample in the mail this week! I used it on chicken thighs. I followed the directions exactly and it was delicious! Psst. Sneak some under the skin of the chicken if you can!

—Chanie Nayman

Just Sayin’

What spices are in your classic Sephardi arsenal?

Dried spices: Turmeric, both sweet and hot paprika, cumin, chili powder, sometimes cinnamon.

Aromatics: Fresh garlic, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and parsley.

Note: This is Moroccan; Syrians favor a lot of allspice and lemon juice.

—Barbara Bensoussan

Ok, Quick:

What’s your favorite new fruit to buy for shehechiyanu?

One of my favorite uncommon fruits is gooseberries (also known as golden berries). Because they’re often available year round, I usually end up eating them too close to Rosh Hashanah to make a shehechiyanu. My second favorite, starfruit, is my backup option!

—Miriam (Pascal) Cohen

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 758)