Blueberries are one of summer's treats, and I have read repeatedly that they are the healthiest of fruits.  So, enjoy the luscious taste and other benefits of this surprisingly easy to make, and spectacularly attractive, pareve dessert.  You can use butter instead of pareve margarine in the crust, but I always use the margarine so that I can serve the tart, and eat the leftovers, any time.  The crust is easy to make and, even with margarine, it is delicious.  The tart can be served with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or lemon sorbet (a good pareve option), but I think it's best savored plain, to fully appreciate the fresh flavor of the blueberries.

I began making this dessert many years ago, when I was looking for a substitute for the traditional Rosh Hashanah honey cake. It is very sweet, but the texture of the flaky dough and crunchy nuts makes for a nice change of pace for the New Year's dessert table. Not everyone eats nuts, so you'll have to make one or more other desserts as well (who doesn't on Rosh Hashanah?), but this recipe became an instant favorite the first time I made it. I now also make it as a treat for the teachers in my sons' school - one batch makes about forty pieces and goes a long way, and it is a welcome change from the usual cookies and brownies.

Making baklava is somewhat tedious and time-consuming, but I have adapted Joan Nathan's recipe in The Jewish Holiday Kitchen (New York: Schocken Books, 1979) to speed up the process. The recipe can be made in stages as well. Whenever I have time before the holidays, I assemble the baklava in the pan and then freeze it unbaked. A day or two before I want to serve it, I defrost the baklava, bring it to room temperature, and bake. The baked baklava will keep for several weeks, although I find it tastes freshest served within a few days. I serve the individual pieces in small paper cupcake holders on a silver tray.

Food Editor's Note:
This is a different take on the traditional applesauce. The addition of pears results in a sauce that is mainly pure essence of fruit, with no spices to detract from the apple/pear flavor. Thank you, Judy, for sharing this recipe with ShalomBoston.com. I served it to guests at a large Chanukah dinner party and it was a big hit!

Food Editor's Note:

This is one of those simple recipes that you can't mess up and that everyone loves. My friend Babs makes this every year for a big Chanukah party that my family hosts annually. No matter how much she makes, it's always gone! We use Macintosh apples, but you can try different varieties. Preparing the apples is a cinch if you use one of those devices that peels, cores, and slices with a turn of the handle.

Food Editor's Note:  This is a delicious and different take on a fruit bread.  It is actually more like a cake, in a loaf shape, as it has the yummy additions of a filling and topping and is best eaten with a fork (although I gobbled up the first slice with my fingers!).  The batter, which is enhanced with half the applesauce, sandwiches a layer of applesauce, cinnamon, and pecans, and the whole loaf is topped with a streusel that is sweet and crunchy.  This is a perfect bread to have around for the high holidays, Thanksgiving weekend, a special brunch or tea, or when having houseguests and a satisfying and impressive snack is handy to have in the kitchen.  Although the apple taste makes this a fall-appropriate dish, the use of applesauce instead of whole apples makes it an easy-to-prepare, year-round treat.  I used natural, unsweetened applesauce and light brown sugar.  You will love this!