Mitchell Davis' mother Sondra had always told him that her matzah ball recipe was simply the one from the back of the box of matzah meal. But, when they made the soup together, it was clear that his mom had her own tricks.

Angela Josephsberg-Achsen’s kreplach are so popular in her family that she has to hide them when her grandchildren come over for Rosh Hashanah, so they aren’t devoured before the meal.

Ever since Annabel Rabiyah was little, she’s helped her father prepare kubbeh, an Iraqi dumpling soup. There are different variations of the soup — tinged pink with beets, made green with okra or green beans, or sour with the addition of lemon to the broth.

This hearty stew from chef Einat Admony can easily be prepared a couple of days before the holiday and left in the refrigerator.

When Anna Gershenson was little, her mother Rhoda made a simple chicken with onions. As a professional cook, Anna added olives, prunes, and lemon for a dish that’s special enough for a holiday, but simple enough to make during the week. 

The brisket recipe in chef Michael Solomonov’s family has evolved with each generation. His grandmother made hers with Heinz Chili Sauce and his mother added coffee. Michael uses espresso and dried apricots in their place.

This well spiced beef kofta curry is seasoned with coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and curry powder. Serve it with white rice or a more flavorful pilau.

In Persian cooking, fruits aren’t reserved exclusively for dessert. They are added to stews with meat like this one that’s served during the high holidays.

Laced with rose and harissa, this flavorful rice pilau pairs with Max’s beef kofta curry, but would also go well with a simple roast chicken for Shabbat dinner.

In some Ashkenazi homes, it's customary to serve tzimmes at nearly every holiday and Friday night dinner. This recipe from Sonya Sanford offers a modern spin on the classic.

This bright and zingy arugula salad with apples and walnuts from culinary educator Anna Gershenson offers a fresh note to dinner. 

Full of blue plums, surrounded by a muerbeteig crust, and flavored with brandy, cinnamon, and lemon zest, this tart has always been part of cookbook author Joan Nathan’s family.

Nearly all chef Ian Boden's family recipes and photos were lost a house fire caused by lightning. This apple cake recipe, which was tucked into a cookbook, is the only one that survived.

This sweet tart was inspired by a heritage trip chef and artist Elazar Tamano took with his father Melaku to Ethiopia. Elazar uses Ethiopian white honey for this recipe and strongly recommends seeking it out.

Chef Einat Admony serves this apple and date bread pudding for Rosh Hashanah, but it can be enjoyed throughout the fall and winter, or anytime when apples are in season.

One of culinary educator Anna Gershenson’s signature recipes, teiglach are small knots of dough boiled in honey. They are often served on Rosh Hashanah as a nod to a sweet new year.

When pastry chef and baker Zoe Kanan bakes honey cake, she follows her grandmother's wisdom and bakes it a few days in advance. "the flavor does actually improve as it sits around,” Zoe says.

Saffron-tinged halwa is a signature of the Bene Israel community of India, where many families have their own variation. This one is from Shamira Malekar’s family who always made it for Rosh Hashanah in India.