Every religious holiday has its traditional foods, and the Jewish High Holy Days, which begin tonight, are no exception. As Jews usher in the new year, they'll serve foods symbolic of their hopes for peace and prosperity. When the holidays culminate 10 days later with Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and a day of fasting, they'll join together for foods that are appropriate to "break the fast." Usually those foods are brunch-like, following 24 hours without food or water.

But tradition doesn't have to mean the same ol' same ol'. With a few tweaks, old favorites can become new additions to everyone's menu all year 'round.

Many foods served during the High Holy Days are designed to accommodate a large gathering and can be made ahead so that no cooking or preparation remains during the period of fasting.

Sour Cream and Pear Coffeecake

• Why it's worth making anytime: A good, basic coffeecake that can be varied by using any combination of fruits.

• Holiday significance: A standard Jewish comfort food, sour cream coffeecake also is standard on a post-fast table.

• New twist: Pears and a pineapple upside-down-cake-type topping. Hmmm, pineapples would be an interesting addition.

Honey Noodle Kugel

• Why it's worth making anytime: This noodle pudding is a nice side dish with a sweetness that would go well with roast chicken or turkey.

• Holiday significance: Kugels have long been a Jewish tradition. They can be baked ahead, which makes them convenient, and the sweet, custardy filling is easy on the stomach after a day of fasting.

• New twist: Grated apples - and you don't have to peel them.

Chicken in Honeyed Tomatoes

• Why it's worth making anytime: This Mediterranean-inspired dish can be assembled from the pantry in record time.

• Holiday significance: Another nonspicy chicken dish for the pre-fast. The honey adds a sweet touch for the new year. Easily made ahead and reheated.

• New twist: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a tomato and wine sauce for those who want a healthier, lower-fat alternative.

Honey-Kissed Carrot Zucchini Kugel

• Why it's worth making anytime: This savory pudding sneaks in all those vegetables, especially that overgrown zucchini in the garden.

• Holiday significance: Carrots - especially honey-sweetened carrot mixtures - are often served, according to The Jewish Book of Why, because the Yiddish word for carrots, meiren, means "to multiply." The hope is for a year in which a person's blessings will be multiplied. Carrots also were popular as a sweet-tasting vegetable because they were affordable for the poor. Squash, for obvious reasons, is a symbol of abundance.

• New twist: Whipping and folding in the egg whites gives it a lighter texture. Comfort food at its finest.

Golden Pear and Almond Gratin

• Why it's worth making anytime: If you like baked apples, you'll love this. It's similar in flavor, only it's a lot prettier to serve.

• Holiday significance: Eating the first fruits of the season is a special blessing. Some observant Jews don't eat nuts during the holidays; bread crumbs can be substituted in the recipe.

• New twist: Pears are a nice change of pace from the ubiquitous apple.

Chocolate and Dried Cherry Mandelbrot

• Why it's worth making anytime: The crisp twice-baked cookie, a cousin to Italy's biscotti, is the ultimate dunking pastry for tea and coffee drinkers.

• Why it's significant for the holidays: Whose Jewish grandmother didn't make mandelbrot? Thank goodness the cookie has been updated and honed beyond the traditional "doorstop" status of yesteryear.

• New twist: Everyone loves dried cherries. They're so much hipper than those ordinary raisins.

Cider-baked Chicken

• Why it's worth making anytime: A company-quality, make-ahead, one-dish meal, just right for dinner during the week or for entertaining. You can use any chicken parts you like.

• Holiday significance: A sweet dish to welcome in the new year.

• New twist: Fresh sage - perfect if you've been growing it in your garden. The choice of apple cider adds a nice seasonal touch - and is helpful in keeping the chicken deliciously moist.Sweet traditions

Here's a look at the symbolism of some of the foods served around the High Holy Days, with help from two excellent books,

• Honey: The practice of eating sweet foods for a sweet new year has been around for more than 1,500 years. Honey cake, or lekach, has become one of the traditional foods, according to The Jewish Book of Why. The name means portion in Hebrew; it's associated with hopes for "a goodly portion" in the new year. Traditionally, apples are dipped in honey with wishes for a sweet new year, which, according to one source, is a way of making a sweet life even sweeter, by living according to Jewish laws and teachings.

• Round challah: The traditional egg bread is shaped into a round to symbolize the desire for long life and a smooth, unbroken path in the upcoming year. On Rosh Hashana, the first piece of bread is dipped in honey. Some people will shape the bread like a bird to symbolize hopes for an easy, heavenward ascent of prayer.

• Dates, squash, leeks and beets often are eaten as symbols of abundance. In the Middle East, apricots have become a traditional ingredient in many of the dishes.

• Fish symbolize fertility and productivity. The head is served as a symbol of good luck.

• After the fast, herring or a salty food often is served as a reminder to rehydrate after abstaining from liquids for 24 hours.

• For breaking the fast, egg dishes are popular. "It's becoming more and more traditional in this country to serve a glorified dairy brunch," Joan Nathan says.

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