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March 2, 2001/Adar 7, 5761, Vol. 53, No.22
Make three-cornered Purim treats
SYBIL KAPLAN
Hamantaschen, a traditional Purim pastry, can be made as cookies or with yeast. The word is taken from the German words mohn, meaning poppy seeds, and taschen, referring to Haman's pockets, a tradition dating back to the 11th century. In some countries, including Israel, hamantaschen are called oznei Haman - Haman's ears. |
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2 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 stick unsalted margarine 2 3/4 cups flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. vanilla juice of 1/2 orange or 1/2 cup sour cream |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream eggs, sugar and margarine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in vanilla and orange juice or sour cream. Place dough in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Roll out dough on a floured board. Cut 1/4-inch circles. Place 1 tsp. of your favorite filling in center. Pinch dough to make triangles. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 20-30 minutes.
Poppy Seed Cookies (Dairy)
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1 1/3 cups sugar 4 eggs 1/2 cup unsalted margarine 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 cups flour 4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup poppy seeds 2 tsp. vanilla 1/8 tsp. cinnamon |
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, cream sugar, eggs, margarine and oil. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Add poppy seeds, vanilla and cinnamon. Add more flour to make dough easy to form into balls. Form balls by hand and place on greased cookie sheets. Flatten with your hand to desired thickness. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Mohn Kuchen Ashkenazic Poppy Seed Cake (Dairy)
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2 sticks unsalted margarine, softened 1 1/3 cups sugar 5 large eggs or 3 large and 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. salt 1 3/4 cups all purpose sifted flour 1/4 cup poppy seeds |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan or 9-inch springform pan. Line with parchment paper, grease and dust with flour.
Beat margarine until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt. Fold in flour.
Remove one fourth of the batter to a small bowl and stir in poppy seeds. Spoon half plain batter into pan, drop half of poppy seed batter on top. Repeat with remaining plain and poppy seed batters. Swirl with a knife.
Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes for a loaf pan and 50 minutes for a springform pan.
After cooling, kuchen can be wrapped in plastic, then foil, and stored at room temperature for five days or frozen for up to two months.
Recipe from "The World of Jewish Desserts" by Gil Marks (Simon and Schuster)
Hamantaschen Fillings
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Date Filling 2 Tbsp. diced pecans 3/4 pound pitted dates, cut into pieces 2-3 Tbsp. plum jam or orange marmalade |
Chop pecans finely in food processor and remove. Add dates and puree. Add pecans and jam and process to blend. Transfer to a bowl.
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Prune Filling 8 ounces pitted prunes 3 Tbsp. chopped blanched almonds 1/4 cup plum jam or jelly 1 tsp. grated lemon rind |
Put prunes in a small bowl. Pour enough boiling water over to cover them. Let soak 15 minutes. Grind almonds to fine powder in food processor. Transfer to a bowl. Drain prunes and chop finely or puree in food processor. Mix prune puree with almonds, jam and lemon rind.
Recipes from "1,000 Jewish Recipes" by Faye Levy (IDG Books)