Holidays are all about uniting friends, old and new. What better way to honor Hanukkah than to bring together three previous Taste Buds with Deb guests for a conversation about food and family traditions.

Authors Eitan Bernath (“Eitan Eats the World”), Joan Nathan (“My Life in Recipes,” “A Sweet Year” and many others) and Beth Ricanati (“Braided: A Journey of A Thousand Challahs”) shared some of their favorite recipes, along with tips for holiday entertaining without the stress.

As with any good Hanukkah conversation, there were a lot of specific latke recommendations.

“I make a lot of latkes, different kinds of latkes,” Nathan told the Journal.

She makes apple latkes, zucchini latkes and potato latkes, which everyone seems to like best.

“What I’ll do is I’ll make them in the morning – I don’t refrigerate them – and then I’ll just heat them up in the oven. because there’s nothing worse than watching somebody make latkes in a lot of oil: you want to eat them, and they can never keep up.”

The apple latke recipe from Nathan’s “A Sweet Year,” which is designed for adults and kids to cook together, is below.

“Honestly, my latke trick is just maybe set a number that you’re going to eat while you’re frying them and try to stick to it,” Bernath told the Journal.

Bernath also suggests, after taking your latkes out of the oil, to put them on a wire rack, rather than a paper plate. to maintain their crispiness.

That tip works for all kinds of latkes, including brussel sprout latkes, which is one of Bernath’s favorites.

“It gets much more soft on the inside than you would think, and you have that crispy exterior with that really nice, powerful miso flavor,” Bernath said. “Then my other favorite on a classic potato latke are I do nacho latkes, inspired by Irish nachos, where, I’ll top them with some cheddar cheese, put them back in the oven to melt the cheese and top with a little dollop of sour cream, some thinly sliced scallions and a pickled jalapeno.”

The recipe for Bernath’s brussel sprouts latkes is below.

Ricanati, who specializes in challah – and focuses on making menorah-shaped challah for hanukkah – outsources her latkes.

“I take the latkes from Trader Joe’s and make really fun [latke] boards with all kinds of toppings,” Ricanati told the Journal.

A latke board is a re-imagined cheese board. Instead of different cheeses and dried fruits and crackers, you can put loads of different latkes arranged with a variety of sweet and savory toppings.

“My preferences are lox and capers, creme fraiche and salmon roe or traditional apple sauce,” she said.

Really, though, anything goes!

“It’s an opportunity to create fun and tasty pairings with yummy latkes,” Ricanati said. “Enjoy them as you play a rousing game of dreidel, while the menorah shines brightly.

Learn more at EitanBernath.com, JoanNathan.com and BethRicanatiMD.com.

For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:

Apple Latkes from Joan Nathan’s “A Sweet Year”

Makes 8 to 10 pancakes

2 or 3 Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or other flavorful apples, peeled

1 lemon

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash of ground nutmeg

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sour cream, Greek yogurt, or crème fraîche, for serving

Berries, for serving

Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Child with Adult: Using the large holes of a box grater, or using a food processor, grate the apples; squeeze them to remove some of the juice. Put the apples back in the food processor or transfer to a mixing bowl. Zest the lemon with a Microplane; then cut the lemon into two pieces with a sharp knife, and squeeze the juice of one half over the grated apples.

Child: In another bowl, carefully break and whisk the eggs; stir in the salt, vanilla, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Do not overbeat. Then fold in the apples.

Child with Adult: Heat the frying pan, and swirl the butter around its surface. Then, using a ¼-cup measure, spread some batter to make one 3- or 4-inch pancake. Repeat, filling the skillet with no more than four pancakes at a time, and cook them on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and bubbling and brown around the edges. Flip with a spatula, and cook until golden on the other side. Drain them on paper towels, and serve them with a dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt, or crème fraîche, fresh berries, and a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar.

Note: You can also substitute all kinds of berries or even chocolate chips for the apples. Mmm good!

From “A Sweet Year” © 2024 by Joan Nathan. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Eitan Bernath’s Brussels Sprout Latkes with Miso Dipping Sauce

Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Yield: 8

This recipe is perfect for make ahead, especially during a busy holiday cooking marathon. Everything can be mixed the day before, refrigerated, and then the latkes can be scooped and fried when you’re ready to eat. Let the dipping sauce come to room temperature for the best flavor!

For the Latkes

1 pound Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced or shredded on mandoline

2 large eggs, well beaten

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons white miso paste

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for garnish

½ teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Miso Dipping Sauce

¼ cup white miso

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sriracha

½ teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

For the Latkes: In a medium bowl, mix Brussels sprouts, egg, flour, rice vinegar, white miso paste, honey, salt, sesame oil, red chili pepper flakes and pepper until fully combined.

In a large sauté pan, heat ¼ inch oil over medium-high heat. Using a ⅓ measuring cup, scoop and tightly pack the mixture into a measuring cup.Form into 3-inch patties, about ½ inch thick, and fry 4 latkes for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until deeply golden brown.

Transfer to a racked baking sheet, and repeat until all latkes have been cooked. Set aside.

For the Miso Dipping Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until fully combined.

Serve latkes hot, with dipping sauce.

Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.