Tu B’shevat toasts

Tu B’shevat–the new year celebration of trees and also known as the Jewish Earth Day–means eating lots of delicious fruits with edible interiors, edible exteriors, and edible everything at holiday seders.  For the holiday this year (which starts on Sunday evening), I created a DIY “toast toppings” to enjoy during that meal that includes most of the seven species of ancient Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, olives, figs, dates and pomegranates), along with other significant fruits-including carob–and a nut butter.

Platter with bread and fruits (olive tapenade, preserved lemons, Barhi dates, apple slices, pomegranate seeds, pistachios)

Though carob seems like an unusual thing to eat on Tu B’shevat, this article explains how and why carob-described as inedible in the Torah– became a common Ashkenazic food eaten on Tu B’Shevat.

I made four toasts but the combinations are endless and many more nuts and fruits in all their variations could be included–chopped, grated, sliced, smeared and drizzled atop the bread. Also, you don’t need to toast the bread-just choose a delicious fresh one.

Ingredients that I used:

1 loaf of whole wheat bread
prepare a platter filled individual bowls of as many of the following:
whole olives, olive oil and/or olive tapenade
pomegranate seeds and/or molasses (I used both)
dates (I used date syrup but also had amazing Barhi dates on the platter. These very small brown dates are packed with sweetness and are just delicious)
raisins (or grape slices)
apple slices
chopped nuts and/or nut butters (I used almond)
tahini
figs or fig jam (I didn’t have any but it’s one of the seven species and would be good to include)
to make olive tapenade: blend well a mixture of mostly olives, some capers, a bit of fresh parsley, some fresh lemon juice and a small amount of olive oil

Slice 1:
a good smear of tahini paste, topped with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and drizzle of pomegranate molasses and date syrup

Slice 2:
almond butter (or any nut butter) with thinly sliced apples, drizzled with date syrup and sprinkled with raisins

Slice 3:
olive tapenade with a dollop of finely chopped preserved lemons

Slice 4:
almond butter (or any nut butter), topped with shaved carob and pistachios. Use a zester to dust the carob and pistachios on top in this delicious combination

Other suggestions, though the delicious combinations are endless!:
fig jam with apple slices
slices or whole dates flattened with chopped walnuts
tahini with chopped pistachios and preserved lemon
chopped olives with orange slices and a drizzle of olive oil
almond butter and fig jam
olive oil, harissa or schug and date syrup
sliced apples, cinnamon and date syrup
chopped walnuts, apple butter and apple slices
avocado with preserved lemon and olive oil
nut butter with grape slices and pomegranate seeds

For my other Tu B’shevat recipes, please click here.

B’tayavon!