Palm Street Breakfast Club: 2022

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

A 95-Square-Foot Tokyo Apartment

Breaking the Fast for Yom Kippur

Today is Yom Kippur, which, for many observing the holiday, means a day of fasting. I’ve fasted on and off over the years, so I know just how incredibly satisfying the traditional break-fast of bagels and lox tastes after all those quiet, contemplative, hungry hours, when the shofar blows and the sun finally sets.

When I was a kid, our family’s break-fast was held at my aunt and uncle’s house in Midwood, Brooklyn. My aunt’s specialty was sweet-and-sour fish surrounded by a sparkling, wobbly aspic that I couldn’t appreciate then. Years later I riffed on her recipe for a lighter, brothier salmon dish sweetened with raisins and sharpened with balsamic vinegar. It’s just as good on any night of the week, maybe paired with a fancy rice salad.

This year, as I have always done since I’ve been in charge of the meal, I ordered our smoked salmon and whitefish salad from Russ and Daughters. Also on the menu: a generous fruit salad, a big platter of roasted vegetables (or this simple roasted cauliflower would work nicely), homemade challah, and some kind of vegetable soup (mushroom is a favorite). Dessert is traditionally either cake (this orange-scented poundcake looks lovely) or rugelach (above) — or both. It’s food that tells a very New York story and one of my favorite meals of the year.

Of course, all food can tell a story about the people who made it and the places they came from. Kayla Stewart has an excellent piece about how second-generation owners of West African restaurants are working to expand on the narratives around their cuisines in the United States to include fast-casual dining. The owner of ChòpnBlọk in Houston, Ope Amosu, who is Nigerian American, says he is “trying to tell our story and welcome people in who may be nervous about going to a place that feels a bit unfamiliar.” Other West African chefs around the country are doing the same, using strategies that vary as widely as their respective food heritages.

So, what’s your story with dinner this week? Have you roasted a chicken since the weather turned chilly? Now’s a great time! You could pair it with roasted potatoes with loads of sage, or maybe maduros (fried sweet plantains) and some simple sautéed spinach. And if you want to add a salad, we have a new one with apples, Cheddar and crispy sage (crispy sage!) that looks like a solid win.

To access the recipes, you’ll need a subscription. Subscribing supports our work, so we can continue to bring you dozens of new recipes every single week, adding to the thousands and thousands already available. We’re also on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, where Jesse Szewczyk made chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookie bars that are like blondies tinged with spices. (You can find the recipe here.)

And speaking of pumpkin and spices, dare I ask what you think of pumpkin spice? I don’t mean as a “season” or a P.S.L., but as a spice blend for pies and desserts. I like it. It makes quick work of flavoring everything from oatmeal to cookies to, of course, pumpkin pie. I know people have strong opinions here, and I look forward to reading them. Send me a note if you like at hellomelissa@nytimes.com. See you next week.