Savoring Shabbat Faves | Debi Bock Recipes

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: 2020/12 - December | Photograph By: SW Photography, Susan Renfro

Debi Bock’s life is normally a blur of frenetic activity as she works with husband David  overseeing their multiple business ventures – 4th Street Market, Mill Creek Village, the Bridge at Mill Creek Restaurant, Inn at Mill Creek and David Bock Builders.  But, years ago the Bocks made a commitment to each other and to their four children (now grown)  to take a pause from the chaos of the week, to appreciate each other, and to have dinner together on Friday evenings, the Sabbath of the Jewish faith.  On the Sabbath, which starts at sundown on Friday, the Jewish tradition is to say a prayer while lighting two candles and have dinner with family over wine and challah bread.  

Pretty much everything that’s on Debi’s menu is devoted to the food nostalgia of five generations of her family growing up in Atlanta and literally drips with the tradition of  Jewish households everywhere in preparation for the coming holy day of rest.  Over the three decades of their marriage the repetition of the Shabbat dinner ritual surely became a way of marking time, of looking forward and backward at once,  for as Debi tells me that “Anytime we gather now the biggest request is for my Shabbat dinner: brisket, challah, roasted potatoes, and green beans casserole.  In this crazy world, its nice to have something that stays the same and to share this meal.” Some of her kids have already asked for the recipe to serve at their own Shabbat dinners!

And here the brisket recipe, warm from Debi’s oven, alongside her Challah bread, most certainly hard to beat. 

Debi’s Brisket

Ingredients:

1 each 4-5# beef brisket trimmed

1 large onion – sliced

1 bag of small carrots 

1 box sliced mushrooms or whole mushrooms and you slice

1 box (both envelopes of Lipton dry onion mix)

2 cans jellied cranberry 

water

Directions:

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Place brisket in roasting pan just bigger than brisket or can use roasting pot with tight cover 

3. Pierce brisket several times with knife or fork & pat dry onion mix on each side

4. Add carrot, onions & mushrooms all around brisket

5. Add jellied cranberry all around, beside & on top of brisket 

6. Add enough water to almost cover briskets (usually about 2-3 cans of the jellied cranberry)

7. Wrap roasting pan with foil very tightly

8. Cook 3.5 hours (may take out once to check if need to add more water)  Ovens vary. Keep covered till ready to serve.

Debi’s Famous Challah

Ingredients

1-cup hot water

3 egg yokes

3 T. canola oil

1-cup sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

3-½ cup flour (better for bread kind)

2 T. yeast or 1 package rapid rise yeast (make a little dip in flour so that yeast doesn’t touch wet ingredients)

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in order of above list into a bread machine.

2. Turn on dough cycle. 

3. Pull dough out and place on floured cookie sheet. If dough is sticky, add a little flour on it. Divide ball into 3 balls and roll out each ball into 3 snakes.

4. Take all 3 rolls and braid.  Tuck under ends.

5. Let rise at least 4-6 hours or longer if possible. It’s best if you make it night before or early in AM and leave it in a warm area like inside your over (without turning it on)

6. Cover lightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins or when it feel done all the way through-crust should be brown and firm.

7. Light candles for Shabbat and say the Motzi (Shabbat prayer) and watch your challah disappear!