Recipes for Shabbat

Purim

By Eileen Goltz

There are as many family Hamantaschen recipes as there are Bubbies and Zadies and all of them are the "best" recipe. Haman's pockets, or Hamantaschen, were brought to this country by Jews from the eastern part of Germany and Eastern Europe and while my husband is a die hard poppy seed man my kids prefer the more exotic cherry apricot filled or chocolate ones that I make every year.

I have gathered several of my favorite, different and easy to make (sorry no yeast recipes) dough and filling recipes that friends and family have sent to me. With these recipes as a start everyone from the preschooler to the gourmet can create something special. You might want to make a double or tripe batches so that you can be sure to have some left to go into the shalos manos baskets.

LEMON HAMANTASCHEN DOUGH (dairy or pareve)

Preheat oven to 375. Sift flour and baking soda together, set aside Beat eggs and shortening together. Add sugar and lemon rind and juice to egg mixture, and mix lightly. Combine sifted flour and baking soda and salt with the above mixture until a dough is formed. Place on a floured board, and roll until 1/4" thick Either use a biscuit cutter dipped in flour or glass dipped in flour to cut the round pieces from the dough Place 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of filling in each round piece of dough, turning up edges to form triangle-shaped cookies. Pinch up edges together and brush with beaten egg yolk and water mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Makes 2 dozen.

CLASSIC HAMANTASCHEN DOUGH

Preheat oven to 375. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well blended. Beat in 2 eggs and orange zest, blending thoroughly. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, then blend until dough is smooth. it's best to wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, but you can go directly to the next step if you're in a hurry...

Transfer to floured surface and divide dough into three or four portions for easier handling. Roll to about 1/4 inch thick -- not too thin, or cookies will spread open while baking. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds (I use a juice glass). place a teaspoon of filling in center of each round. Fold edges toward center to form a triangle, leaving just a bit of filling visible. Pinch edges to seal. Place the hamantaschen about an inch apart of lightly greased, foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with remaining egg, lightly beaten. bake about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to racks to cook. Makes 2 dozen.

SWEET HAMANTASCHEN DOUGH

In a food processor or a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter pieces and process or mix until crumbly. Add the egg yolk and water and process quickly into a ball of dough. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out the dough and cut 3-inch circles. You may need a little bit of flour to keep the dough from getting sticky. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each circle, and then fold over the sides to make a triangle, pinching together the 3 corners. Bake on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from the cookie sheet. Makes 18.

BASIC HAMANTASCHEN DOUGH (dairy or pareve)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and the butter. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add eggs one at the time. Gradually blend in flour. Chill dough in refrigerator for 2 hours until firm enough to roll and handle. Roll out pieces of dough to 1/4 -inch thickness. Cut rounds with a 4-inch cookie cutter. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each round. Gather the edges of the dough around the filling and pinch at 3 points to secure seams firmly. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Cool on wire racks. When the hamentashen come out from the oven, the dough will be slightly soft, but it will firm as it cools.

FILO HAMANTASCHEN

FI love canned almond filling combined with semi-sweet chocolate chips or peanut butter with chocolate chips. Poppy seeds and other more traditional fillings may, of course, also be used.

Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook briskly for 5 minutes. Stir in the honey and set the mixture aside.

In another small sauce pan combine the butter and heat, just to melt. Cut the filo sheets into 6 strips. (Parallel to short side of dough). Place damp towel on your work surface and then place waxed paper over the damp towel. Place 3 to 4 strips of filo on wax paper. Brush the surface with butter/oil. Sprinkle lightly with ground nuts. Place a teaspoon of filling about an inch from the edge. Fold like a flag. Repeat. Place on foil lined and greased cookie sheets. Brush with butter/oil. (May be covered with foil and frozen at this point.) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes-until golden brown. Spoon syrup over Hamentaschen and let cool on rack. Makes 6-8 dozen

POPPY-PECAN-HONEY HAMANTASCHEN (dairy)

Place the poppy seeds and milk in a blender container and process at high speed briefly. Add the honey and process until the mixture is smooth. Place the poppy seed mixture in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pecan, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Continue cooking 5 additional minutes. Let mixture cool slightly and add the vanilla. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to overnight.

Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter. Blend with a pastry blender until the texture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Place the eggs and the honey in the well. Mix thoroughly until a soft dough is formed. Add more flour if the dough seems too sticky. Place the dough in the freezer for 1/2 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375. Position two cookie racks in the oven so the
oven is evenly divided into thirds. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough as thin as possible on a well-floured surface. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares. Repeat with the remaining dough. In a small mixing bowl, combine the egg yolk and cream, beating well. Place a scant tablespoon of the poppy seed filling in the center of each square. Brush the edges of a square with the egg yolk mixture. Fold the square in half to form a triangle. Seal the dough edges by pressing along the edge with the tines of a fork. Repeat the process with each square of dough. Place the triangles on two ungreased cookie sheets. Brush the top of the triangles with the remaining egg yolk mixture. Bake 10 minutes. Reverse the position of the baking sheets within the oven. Continue cooking an additional 10 minutes. Remove the hamantaschen from the cookie sheets and cool on a wire rack.

From KITCHEN BOUQUETS by Bert Greene

CLASSIC HAMANTASHEN

To make the filling, simmer the prunes and raisins together in the water, covered, for 15 minutes or until the prunes are softened but still firm. Add the nuts, then put the mixture through a grinder or chop in a food processor with the apple. Add the lemon juice and rind and sugar and mix well. To make the dough, cream the margarine or butter with the sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and continue creaming until smooth. A food processor is great for this. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Process until a ball of dough is formed. Chill for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. Taking one fourth of the dough, roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles. With your finger, brush water around the rim of the circle. Drop 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Then bring the dough around the filling and press 3 ends together. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven on a well-greased cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tips are golden. Makes 36 cookies (P) with margarine; (D) with butter.

Jewish Cooking in America by Joan Nathan

SIMPLE POPPY SEED FILLING (pareve)

In a small pot put the sugar, honey and water and cook until the sugar melts. Add poppy seeds, stir and cook for another 1 minute. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and raisins to the poppy mixture. Set aside to cool until the dough is prepared. NOTE: mixture should be only a little damp. Add bread or cracker crumbs to the mixture and cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

CHOCOLATE FILLING (dairy or pareve)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly. Makes 2 1/2 cups

CARMEL PECAN FILLING (dairy)

In heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, mixing with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the pecans, butter, and milk, then return to heat. Stir constantly and simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the honey. Transfer to ovenproof glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set. Makes 3 cups.

APRICOT COCONUT FILLING (pareve)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Makes 3 cups.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.