We've just celebrated Purim, a very joyous Jewish holiday, the one when it is traditional to eat hamantaschen, and to give gifts to your neighbors. Nowadays, elaborate gift baskets filled with fancy chocolates, wine, and “gourmet” kosher foods are sent to friends, family and business associates. But the real tradition is to share something homemade. In that spirit, here’s the recipe for hamantachen that’s in “Jewish Home Cooking.” It comes from my home. You can bake them in your home, then send them to other homes. Pass the good will forward.
It is said that Haman, the villain in the story of Esther (Esther’s maggilah) that is retold every spring and is the basis for the joyous festival of Purim, wore a triangular hat. That’s why these Purim treats are made in a triangular shape. Well, that’s the story they used to tell in Sunday school. However, taschen means pockets in Yiddish/German, so it’s more likely that it is from the bad man’s pockets that we get their shape. It’s all beside the point. These are such beloved pastries that they are now made all year long and sold in groceries and coffee shops all over New York City.
In short, and to oversimplify the story of Purim, Esther was the favorite wife of the king of Persia, Ahasuerus or Xerxes. But the king didn’t know this great beauty and charming woman was Jewish. In fact, to be able to live at court without revealing herself, she became a vegetarian so she could follow Jewish dietary laws without the issue of meat coming up. Mordechai, Esther’s uncle (or possibly cousin) was a favored advisor to the king. Haman was jealous of Moredechai’s favored position with the king. To get rid of Mordechai, Haman convinced the king that the Jews were a threat to his kingdom and should be eradicated. However, when Esther told the king that she herself was Jewish, he reversed his decision and instead of hanging all Jews, he hung Haman. The Jews rejoiced, and we still do. As it has been said in jest and in truth, the history of the Jews can be summed up as: They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.
The traditional Eastern European hamantaschen fillings are lekvar, which is prune paste, or mohn, which is poppy seeds, and apricot paste. Of the three, poppy seeds are the most ancient filling, recalling that Esther ate them as part of her vegetarian diet. High quality versions of all these fillings can be purchased in cans or jars in many if not most supermarkets. You can also use apricot preserves, orange or any citrus marmalade, or other jam or preserves. Because we live in an age of chocoholism, and I have had many requests for chocolate hamantaschen in recent years, I offer a brownie-like chocolate filling here.
Happy Purim!
Arthur
HAMANTASCHEN
Makes about 36
3 cups bleached all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled by swiping
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter or parve margarine, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons of sugar
To make the pastry, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse several times to combine.
Add the butter and pulse several more times, process for a few seconds to form meal-like crumbs.
In a small mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla.
Pour this egg mixture into the processor and pulse several times to mix it in, then process for about 10 seconds. With a rubber spatula, stir up the mixture from the bottom, then process again until the dough begins to clump together, another 10 seconds or so.
Pour out onto a lightly floured surface and, with floured hands, press the dough together, then form it into 2 disks. Wrap each dish with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. (The dough may be frozen for up to 4 months.)
If baking all the hamantaschen at once, position the shelves in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. If making only one sheet at a time, the rack should be in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Dab the corners of the cookie sheets with butter and line them with baking parchment.
On a lightly floured board, roll the dough to a thickness of about 3/16 inch.
Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles of dough and place them on the cookie sheets.
When all of the dough has been cut, place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each circle. Brush the perimeter of the circle with the egg wash. Using a dough scraper, lift the dough to partially cover the filling, spacing it at one-third intervals, like a tri-cornered hat. Brush the tops of the formed cookies with the egg wash.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. If baking more than 1 sheet at a time, to ensure even browning, toward the end of baking time, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back.
Remove from the oven and let rest on the cookie sheets for 2 or 3 minutes. Loosen the cookies with a thin metal spatula and transfer to wire cooling racks.
NOTE: When re-rolling the scraps, do not gather them in your hand. Stack the scraps on a 12-inch piece of plastic wrap, bring the four sides to the middle, and using the plastic wrap as an aid, press the pieces of dough together, forming a small rectangle. Refrigerate before re-rolling.
Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 5 days. These cookies may be frozen.
CHOCOLATE HAMANTASCHEN FILLING
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten together
1/4 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring until perfectly smooth.
Add all the other ingredients and stir until well blended.
Use about 2 teaspoons of this mix to fill the hamantaschen. Any unused portion of the filling can be frozen for up to 4 months, or it can be baked into brownies in a 325-degree oven for about 35 minutes.
About Arthur: The New York Times Magazine called Arthur Schwartz “a walking Google of food and restaurant knowledge.” As the restaurant critic and executive food editor of the New York Daily News, which he was for 18 years, he was called The Schwartz Who Ate New York. Nowadays, he is best known as The Food Maven, the name of his website. Whatever the sobriquet, he is acknowledged as one of the country’s foremost experts on food, cooking, culinary history, restaurants, and restaurant history.
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Purim and Hamantaschen
