Florence Martin, originally from Paris and now residing in Baltimore, was looking for a recipe for making a traditional American Jewish-style beef brisket.

Delores Keene, of Baltimore, sent in her favorite brisket recipe, which comes from “Mama Cooks California Style, New Twists on Jewish Classics," a 1997 cookbook put out by the Jewish Home for the Aging of Los Angeles.

I liked the way this recipe sounded so I decided to test it out on my family for Rosh Hashanah dinner this year. It received rave reviews. The key to this recipe, as with most traditional brisket recipes, is advance planning.

In this one, the meat needs to marinate overnight before it is cooked. Also, it is best to make this a day or two before you intend to serve it: that way, the fat can be removed easily and flavors have time to intensify.

This brisket was a wonderful choice for our holiday meal and it is so tasty and easy to make, there is no reason it could not be served any time of year.

Recipe requests

Bonnie Wilkins, of Bend, is searching for a lost recipe that ran in the Tampa Tribune in the 1980s for a dressing for turkey made with wild rice dressing and water chestnuts.

Susan Fisher, of South Bend, Ind., is searching for a recipe for a cheese ball like the one she used to purchase every year in Mishawaka, Ind. She said they were made by a local sorority there and sold around the holidays. The cheese balls were a creamy color and rolled in nuts and parsley.