Passover

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 25 min

This traditional spongecake is rippled with cinnamon-sprinkled apples.

For convenience, the lamb can be prepared one day ahead, then slowly rewarmed before you plan to serve it.

This is an updated version of the chremslach passed down in my own family. I have never had a seder without it. A heavier version stuffed with cranberries appeared in many early American Jewish cookbooks as Kentucky grimslech.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 1/2 hr

Renee brings the flavors of the Middle East to her special Friday-night chicken. Roast chunks of butternut squash and potatoes alongside to cook the whole meal at once. Look for roasting chickens next to the fryers.

In a traditional Seder meal, bitter herbs — sometimes including parsley — represent the bitter experience of slavery. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

If you are new to making crêpes, you may want to make an extra half batch of batter to allow for a few imperfect crêpes.

The Middle Eastern tone is part of this cake's appeal. A very nutty cake is suffused with a honey-citrus soaking syrup, much like baklava in concept but flour-free, making it suitable for Passover. A little goes a long way. For large Seder crowds, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch springform pan or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. I serve this cake cut into small squares or diamonds placed in small muffin liner cups. Copeland Marks, in his book Sephardic Cooking, attributes this to Turkish cuisine. Joan Nathan calls it "Tishpishiti" in her book, Jewish Cooking in America and points to Syrian, as well as Turkish roots as does Claudia Roden in her book, Mediterranean Cookery. A nutty classic indeed! My version is inspired by a recipe simply called "Nut Cake," found in From My Grandmother's Kitchen, by Viviane Alcheck Miner with Linda Krinn. If you are interested in Sephardic recipes along with a very engaging family history, this book is a real find.

Jewish chicken soup is usually served with thin egg noodles or with matzah balls. The zucchini is my, not MGM's addition.

Loosely translated from the Yiddish, tzimmes means "a fuss over something," but in culinary terms, it's commonly a casserole of various fruits, vegetables and/or meats.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 35 min Cumin and mustard seeds give jasmine rice a subtle Indian flavor. It's a nice change from plain rice; try it as a side dish for grilled steak, fish, or the spiced chicken breast.

We tested this recipe in a traditional Italian terra-cotta bean pot (called a fagioliera) and in a heavy saucepan. We preferred the bean pot because it cooked the beans more gently, allowing them to retain their shape and texture (they seemed more flavorful as well). The slow, gentle cooking also makes it unnecessary to presoak the beans. In Italy, each serving of beans is dressed with oil at the table, and since leftover beans aren't dressed, they are used in the next day's soup or are reheated with more garlic and sage.