Rosh Hashanah Luncheon

So many things are a tradition in my Jewish faith and lunch after services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah is one of them. As the family grows, so do the numbers attending; and this year the table held twenty five. Friends are included too; and in-laws and friends alike, bring toys for all the children to play with.

My family is a blended one, like many. The best part of that equation is that everyone gets along. In fact, I can honestly say that all enjoy being together as everyone lingers over coffee and dessert and don’t leave until the idea of a long nap enters their mind.
I enjoy planning the menu as much as the shopping and preparation. I try to make every meal different so that my creative side gets a turn on the dance floor. One of my friends brings chop liver which is definitely a traditional dish in a Jewish home and this was the appetizer served with water crackers.

Although everyone sat together in the dining room, the meal was served as a buffet. The island in the kitchen is seven feet long and  perfect for presentation. Wine, liquor and soft drinks were set up in another room  to make self service convenient.

The menu included: a large side of salmon, layered over a combo of fresh yellow corn, string beans and radishes and served with a cucumber sauce. a platter of seasoned chicken breast sliced was placed alongside a salad of greens that included endive, radicchio and Mache lettuces with cucumber, artichokes and hearts of palm and dressed in lemon vinaigrette; a potato gratin; a mushroom pudding and a platter of different colors and varieties of tomatoes sprinkled with feta and fresh thyme. 
For dessert I made meringue baskets filled with chocolate mousse and topped withstrawberries and kiwi fruit, as well as seven layer bars.  Guests brought a tiramisu cake and an assortment of every known cookie known to man. With steaming chicory coffee in the pump pot, every one’s sweet tooth was satisfied.

As our guests left I surmised it had been a good day. My cousin screamed out as she entered her car that it definitely ranked in the top five.  I told my husband later what she had said and he said no, definitely the top four. I laughed and went to take my own nap!