Breaking the Yom Kippur fast? Consider breakfast

The Jewish Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is meant to leave observers with a clean slate for the year to come. But it also leaves you famished.

That's because a major aspect of this holiest of holidays is a 25-hour fast. Needless to say, everyone looks forward to breaking the fast at the end of Yom Kippur, and the anticipation (and hunger) often makes the meal seem that much more special.

Susie Fishbein, author of the "Kosher by Design" cookbook series, notes that most families treat the meal as literally a light breakfast.

"You've been fasting, so you don't want to eat anything too heavy," she said in a recent telephone interview. "And you've been at the synagogue all day, so you want a meal that's easy to put together or can be made ahead of time."

This explains the popularity of serving deli foods, such as smoked fish and make-ahead casseroles like kugels.

New York radio personality Arthur Schwartz, who also is author of "Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking," calls the Yom Kippur supper the "ultimate Jewish Sunday brunch."

"It's definitely a breakfast," he says. "And I've actually heard of families that start their Yom Kippur meal with oatmeal, although I don't know why, given all the other delicious foods that are available."

He fondly recalls a meal from his childhood in Brooklyn that always began on a very light note with fresh melon. This was followed by mostly cold foods such as smoked and pickled fish, such as lox and whitefish, egg salad, tuna salad and then a savory noodle kugel made with sour cream, potted cheese and "a whole lot of butter."

Schwartz admits that he and his father would occasionally cheat on the fast because Yom Kippur sometimes fell during the baseball World Series, and they would snack on peanut butter and Ritz crackers during the game (after a respectable amount of fasting, of course).

Fishbein points out that eating breakfast-like foods fits with a more Western sensibility about what you might eat after fasting, as if your stomach was just waking up. Sephardic Jews, whose roots are in Spain and the Middle East, often partake of soups and stews, which also can be easily made ahead of time.

This year, Fishbein is planning on serving mini berry noodle kugels, which she'll prepare ahead of time in mini Bundt cake pans. She said she'll also serve a frittata either cold or at room temperature.

To add a fun activity and hot dish to the celebration, she's planning on setting up a panini station, where guests can build their own sandwiches with ingredients she'll prep ahead of time, then crisp them on an electric press.

We've created two dishes that fit perfectly with the breakfast tradition and can easily be made ahead of time for quick preparation at mealtime.

For our smoked whitefish hash, the whole mixture can be made ahead of time and stored, covered in the refrigerator. When it's time to eat, simply brown the hash in a skillet and then fry or poach some eggs to serve on top.

Our warmed fig, farmer cheese and caramelized onion morsels are equally as simple to make ahead. Cook and cool the onions, crumble the cheese and slice the figs the day ahead. Store in separate containers. When ready to serve, fill the cups with the prepared ingredients and bake.

Smoked Whitefish Hash

Start to finish: 30 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 8

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 1/2 pounds smoked whitefish or trout

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, diced

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Flake the smoked fish into the bowl with the potatoes. Add the parsley and heavy cream. Toss to coat.

Working in batches, in large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat half of the oil. Add half of the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the fish and potato mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and fish are browned and slightly crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and ground black pepper, to taste. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Warmed Fig, Farmer Cheese And Caramelized Onion Morsels

Start to finish: 40 minutes

Servings: 10

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, quartered and cut into very thin slices

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1/2 cup crumbled farmer or goat cheese

30 mini phyllo cups (sold in the frozen foods aisle)

4 fresh figs, stems removed, each cut into 8 wedges

In a medium saucepan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and quite golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Fill each phyllo cup with 1 teaspoon each of the reserved caramelized onions and the crumbled cheese. Transfer the filled phyllo cups to the prepared baking sheet and bake until they are heated through, 10 to 12 minutes. Top each with a piece of fig and season with ground black pepper. Serve warm.