We are excited to share 2012 Birthright Israel alumna, Lindsay Morrison’s favorite High Holiday recipe on the blog! Keep scrolling to learn how to make this delicious treat and read more about the impact Birthright Israel had on Lindsay. We promise her interview is just as sweet as the recipe!

Ingredients

  • (1) 8-9” pie dish
  • pomegranate seeds, to top

For the pie filling: 

  • 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
  • 8 golden delicious apples
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 50 g granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
  • 30 g all-purpose flour (1/4 cup)
  • 3 tbsp honey, plus more to drizzle on top
  • pinch of kosher salt

For the crumb: 

  • 113 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes(1 stick)
  • 66 g granulated sugar (1/3 cup), plus more for topping
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 220 g all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cups)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, cold
  • pinch of kosher salt


Directions

  1. Prepare the crumb. (This can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 days prior).
  2. Cut butter into small cubes, and place in the freezer while preparing the other ingredients. Mix together sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter (either using a pastry cutter or pulsing in a food processor) until the butter is the size of course crumbles, a little smaller than the size of a pea. Slowly add in the heavy cream. Using your hands, clump together the dough until the pieces come together – add small amounts of ice water if necessary. Refrigerate in a bowl until ready to use.
  3. Prepare the filling. Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/8 inch slices. Mix together the honey, lemon juice, and pomegranate juice. Toss apples and liquid together with remaining ingredients. Put filling into a deep 8-9” pie dish, and place on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat, parchment paper or foil in case the filling bubbles over while baking. Top filling with the crumb and sprinkle with sugar – don’t be shy! You can also brush the crumb with egg wash (1 egg, 1 egg yolk and a pinch of kosher salt) or extra cream to enhance the browning.
  4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the apples are cooked throughout and the crumb is golden brown. Cover with foil if the crumb begins to get too brown while baking. Drizzle the top with honey and pomegranate seeds.



Meet the Alumna Behind the Sweets: Lindsay Morrison

What’s your Jewish background?

I grew up attending Or Ve Shalom and making bourekas with my Sephardic side of the family. I also attended Jewish Day School and summer camp at Camp Barney Medintz. During college, I was in a AEPhi, a Jewish sorority.

What was the major factor that drove you to sign up for Birthright Israel?

I always wanted to go! I applied for years to go with my (now) husband from the University of Florida, but we were never selected. It ended up working out a few years later through the Atlanta community trip and now we have a great network of Jewish friends in our area. To this day, we’re still friends with so many people we met and it’s great they live nearby!

How did your experience on Birthright Israel influence your baking?

Jewish food is the best! It’s such an important part of our culture and our traditions. I loved having a culinary experience firsthand on my trip. It’s really a full-circle experience to grow up making challah with your great grandmother, eating it with your family on Shabbat, and then seeing and eating it in that same experience on birthright.

What was your biggest takeaway from Birthright Israel?

It is just so memorable to see the place I’d learned about for years, firsthand. I loved connecting with other Jewish people in my age group, that I met in Israel on my trip.

What was your favorite part of the trip?

Probably getting to share it with my husband. I grew up with more Jewish ties than he did, so it was nice to have this experience together.

Did your experiences on Birthright Israel affect you long-term?

It really just continued to strengthen the foundation I built growing up. Because of Birthright, I’ve had a stronger Jewish relationship with myself, my husband and the Atlanta community we shared the experience with. I have a baby now and when I think about what I want for our son, it’s an experience like my trip, that played a large part in solidifying the importance of my Jewish background.