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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Sugar High Fridays: Hamantashen



Citrus! What could be more appropriate for ushering in summer than citrus? And what could be more inspiring for summertime baking than Sugar High Fridays - created by The Domestic Goddess to grace the last Friday of every month with dessert style? A citrus-themed Sugar High Friday hosted by the ever-inspiring Tartelette!

Here I should digress for a moment to admit that while this may be the perfect season for citrus, it's technically the wrong season (or at least a couple months late) for Hamantashen. Haman-whaten? Hamantashen!



Hamantashen are a traditional Jewish cookie, usually prepared for Purim, an early-spring holiday celebrating the Book of Esther. Like most Jewish holidays, Purim comes with a wealth of culinary traditions (Jewish theme 101: if it's a holiday, let's gather together friends and relations and prepare a feast!). Baking Hamantashen is part of the Purim custom of delivering festive baskets - called mishloach manot - of food and other such goodies to friends. Hamantashen are originally Eastern European in origin, as evidenced by their classic poppyseed filling, but they are now baked by Jews around the world - and graced with a multitude of fillings! (I love the sticky poppyseed filling, but some tell me it's an acquired taste...) I would argue, then, that since one can fill Hamantashen with any manner of deliciousness, one can bake Hamantashen at any time!

Hamantashen are on the list of my earliest cooking memories. Back when I was too small to reach the counter, my Mom would lift me up onto the counter alongside the baking sheet and help my tiny fingers flatten the dough balls and then fold the thin sheets of dough into a triangle around the filling. As soon as I was old enough to have some concept of aesthetics, I was immediately distressed by the persistently lopsided nature of the cookies I shaped - clearly standing out amidst the tidily folded cookies formed by my mother. Even more flawless were the cookies I saw in the small Eastern European bakery we frequented in the U.S., and in the multitude of bakery stalls at the markets in Israel, and every year I determined to make my Hamantashen just a little more precise. Now, grown up and making Hamantashen in my own kitchen, I finally know my mother's words to be true - "If the cookie is a little lopsided, that means it's special, unique, and perfect - just like the moment when it was made, and the person who made it."



Cinnamon-Spice Hamantashen with Lemon Raspberry and Lemon Raisin Fillings

1 cup all-fruit raspberry jam
1 cup lemon curd

1 lb. raisins
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 T lemon juice
1 cup water

3 cups white flour
2 cup whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup olive oil
2 cup raw sugar
5 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves

~ To make the lemon-raspberry filling, whisk together the raspberry jam and the lemon curd until well combined. Set aside.
~ To make the lemon-raisin filling, stir the raisins, oatmeal, cinnamon, lemon juice, and water together in a saucepan over medium heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ To make the cookie dough, sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
~ Whisk together the olive oil and sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, and beat again until smooth.
~ Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix until well combined.
~ Chill the dough for 1/2 hour in the fridge.
~ Coat a baking sheet (or two :-) with cooking spray.
~ Shape the dough into balls 1" in diameter, place the balls on the baking sheet, and flatten with a floured drinking glass.
~ Scoop approx. a scant tablespoon of one of the fillings onto the center of the flattened dough. Using your fingertips, fold up the edges of the dough on 3 sides to form a triangle, pinching at the 3 points of the triangle to hold - like so...



~ Repeat with the remaining dough and fillings...
~ Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the dough is just barely golden brown. Enjoy with good cheer!

7 comments:

  1. What a fun entry for SHF!!! Love it!!!

    I posted about some vegan Hamantashen, a while back :0) Such unique treats!!

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  2. These are new to me, and they look delicious. I love everything with citrus. One day I want to retire in a garden full of citrus trees.

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  3. These sound like they would be fun to make, and of course, fun to eat too :)

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  4. Yum, lemon and raspberry filling sounds gorgeous!

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  5. Those cookies look as beautiful as they do delicious. I love cookies with jam... maybe because I just love jam!

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  6. That is why I love SHF: I would have ever thought of putting lemon curd in Hamantashen...but now I will next time!
    Thank you for your entry!
    Tartelette

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  7. VeggieGirl, Vegan Hamantashen?!! I'm soooo excited! I'm heading over to your blog right now to check them out!!

    CookieMouse, your garden sounds positively heavenly...

    Lisa, thank you! They are a blast to make - a little fussy, but fun. :-)

    CakeLaw, thank you so much!

    ChocolateCoveredVegan, thank you! I love jam too.. It's such a happy food!

    Tartelette, thank you so much for visiting! I'm honored! Thank you, thank you, as well, for hosting such a fabulous, inspiring event!!

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