Hanukkah Brisket with Apricot-Walnut Compote Recipe

Hanukkah Brisket with Apricot-Walnut Compote

Brisket takes center stage at Hanukkah dinner, and this one is sensational. We’ve given the Hanukkah brisket a bit of a modern refresh by adding a simple and quick apricot-walnut compote, but the meat’s just as delicious on its own. You can make the brisket the day before and rewarm it in the braising liquid. You can poach the apricots the day before if you like but don’t add the walnuts and parsley until the day-of, as you want to keep their crunch and color.

COOK:

3 hours 40 minutes

PREP:

15 minutes

YIELD:

6-8 servings

Ingredients

5 pound brisket, trimmed, but small layer of fat kept intact
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 yellow onions, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium beef broth

Apricot-Walnut Compote

1 ½ cups dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
1 cup white wine
½ cup walnuts, chopped into small pieces
½ cup parsley, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Season the brisket very generously with salt and pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Place the brisket in a large roasting pan. Add onions, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves. Add the tomatoes and broth to the pan, season generously with salt and pepper and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Transfer to the oven and cook until the meat will easily shred with a fork, about 3½ hours. Allow the brisket to rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the apricot-walnut compote by placing the apricots and wine in a small non-reactive saucepan over medium heat. Keep at a low simmer, and allow the apricots to completely absorb the wine, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the walnuts, parsley, lemon zest and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the brisket from the braising liquid and slice against the grain. Serve at once with the apricot-walnut compote.

Note(s):
Always cook with low-sodium broth. This allows you to control how much salt is added to your food and makes it easier to adjust flavors.

Aromatics such as onions, garlic, rosemary and bay leaves add flavor to the brisket.

You can make this Hanukkah brisket recipe the day before but make sure to store the brisket in the braising liquid, as the best way to reheat it is in the oven in the liquid.

Keep some of the braising liquid to reheat leftovers.

It’s very important to let the meat rest for 15 minutes to retain all of the juices.

Braising happens at a low temperature to allow time to really tenderize the meat.

The wine used to soften the apricots also adds a little flavor. If you wish, you can also put apricots into a small heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Then drain and proceed with the recipe.

Cut the apricots and walnuts about the same size.