Hamantashen

[bloviatrix]

If you can wait until Monday, I'll pm you the gingerbread cookie recipe.

As far as your recipe, it's here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36601

[JFLinLA]

If you can wait until Monday, I'll pm you the gingerbread cookie recipe.

As far as your recipe, it's here:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36601

Yes I can wait. Gotta get through the "assembly line" mentioned on the other thread this Sunday before I get to make my own.

And thanks for locating the other thread.

[redfox]

If you can wait until Monday, I'll pm you the gingerbread cookie recipe.

Me too?

[bloviatrix]

If you can wait until Monday, I'll pm you the gingerbread cookie recipe.

Me too?

Well, since you asked so nicely....I'd be glad to.

[redfox]

The puppy dog eyes get 'em every time!

[jhlurie]

Just to interject some on-topic hate... I HATE Apricot Hamentashen. I'm a Berry man myself.

Okay, hate is a strong word. Actually Prune is the only variety I outright hate.

[Pan]

What do you think of poppyseed hamantashen? Those are my favorites! And, lucky me, my local kosher bakery, Moishe's on 2nd Av. near 7 St. in Manhattan, makes really good soft poppyseed hamantashen.

[Rachel Perlow]

I don't generally like the mohn filling (sp?). I find the poppy seed too uniformly sweet with no contrasting tartness. I like a little flavor in the triangle, so I prefer the fruit fillings. Even the prune. Mmm lekvar!

[Jason Perlow]

Mun Hamentaschen are cool. You can eat just one of them in the morning, have a corporate drug test that day, and lose your job in about two seconds flat.

[Pan]

I remember when someone's parole was revoked because he ate a sesame (?) bagel that got a few poppyseeds on it. And the crazy thing was, the judge didn't contest this but revoked his bail anyway.

But fortunately, I don't get tested for poppyseeds.

I do like the prune hamantashen, but they're a fairly distant 2nd-favorite for me. Moishe's has good prune hamantashen, too.

[bloviatrix]

Personally, I find poppyseed hamentaschen vile. But then, I hate poppyseeds. I think it stems from childhood when I was faked out by a muhn hamentasch parading as chocolate filling.

But that's just my personal opinion. Pan, that means for poppyseed for you.

[Fresser]

Has anyone ever attended the Latke-Hamentaschen Symposium? This mock academic debate centers on the gastronomic, psychological, economic and theological implications of the two delicacies--and, of course, which treat is better.

This debate sprouted at the University of Chicago back in the 1940's and since has spread to college campuses nationwide.

Have you been there, Comfort Me?

[bloviatrix]

They used to hold these every year at Cornell. It's been 14 years, so I don't know if they still do it. They were pretty hysterical. A couple of my professors participated and it was always funny to listen to these guys who were ususually so serious argue about which foodstuff was superior.

[Comfort Me]

Has anyone ever attended the Latke-Hamentaschen Symposium? This mock academic debate centers on the gastronomic, psychological, economic and theological implications of the two delicacies--and, of course, which treat is better.

This debate sprouted at the University of Chicago back in the 1940's and since has spread to college campuses nationwide.

Have you been there, Comfort Me?

I avoid confrontation, so I avoid these debates. They don't want people like me, anyway. I like BOTH! I think a perfect meal is latkes with hamentaschen for dessert! Plus, I'm just not odd enough to fit in!

As for my favorites -- I love Mohn, I love apricot, I love raspberry, and I love almond. I was thinking that I would like to try peanut butter! Or pear!

I wants me some hamentashen NOW! But I'm gonna have to wait until tomorrow!

[Comfort Me]

Can you share your recipe for the pecan caramel filling? Caramel is my favorite vegetable!

Yes but please be patient. It may take a few days.

love yeasted homentashn but you must it them freshly baked - they don't keep!

i use the same dough as for challah with half the yeast amount, proof it slowly in the frig. for 48hrs, roll out, fill, let rise, brush w/eggwash, bake!

I'll post my yeast recipe as well. While always better fresh, the do keep for a few days . . . not that they ever last that long.

Just a reminder to JFLinLA! My mouth is watering for caramel pecan hamentaschen!

[JFLinLA]

Just back from the "hamantashen assembly line" (described in earlier posts) where we made 700-1000 hamantashen. They are now in the freezer for next week's carnival. We must have had 12-15 people. We started at 9:30 and the last batches were in the ovens at 11:15. What a blast. Now I can get to mine . . . but first a nap. Before that, as promised, here is the recipe for caramel-pecan filling. It comes from Judy Zeidler's "Gourmet Jewish Cook" book so I'll post it here. I'll post the recipes for Yeast Dough Hamentaschen and Sweet Cheese Filling in the eGRA since I got those from a friend. By the way, the sweet cheese filling together with a little cherry, raspberry or blueberry filling is to die for.

Caramel-Pecan Filling

(This makes a large amount)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 cups toasted chopped pecans

7 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup honey

In a heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and water to boil, mixing with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the pecans, butter and milk. Return to the heat, stirring constantly, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey. Transfer to an oven proof glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set. This will keep for at least 1 week.

Edited March 1, 2004 by JFLinLA (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

After going back to an older thread on hamantaschen, I am opting for the cream cheese/butter pastry suggested by Rachel Perlow and Sandra Levine....

and I also plan to plump the golden raisins in white wine (which they had also mentioned) .. and then add the tart apricot filling that I enjoy most! Bought some huge golden raisins at Trader Joe's on a trip to California and have hoarded them meticulously for just such an occasion ....

Edited March 1, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Sandra Levine]

Let us know how they come out. Edited March 1, 2004 by Sandra Levine (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

After the cream cheese/butter dough, I rather expect that you'll need to check my Last Will and Testament for any further communication, Sandra!

Perhaps I ought to add a dollop of some high powered statin drug to the dough just to hedge my bets!

[bloviatrix]

I'm wondering what method do you all use of placing the filling on the dough.

I used to use two spoons, but that was messy. And then, about 4 years ago I decided to fill a pastry bag with lekvar and pipe it, which was a lot neater and gave me a lot of control.

But I'm always willing to give another a shot.

[jhlurie]

Has anyone ever attended the Latke-Hamentaschen Symposium? This mock academic debate centers on the gastronomic, psychological, economic and theological implications of the two delicacies--and, of course, which treat is better.

This debate sprouted at the University of Chicago back in the 1940's and since has spread to college campuses nationwide.

Have you been there, Comfort Me?

Okay, here's a theoretical. If Hamantshen got in a battle with Mandel Bread, who would kick who's ass?

[redfox]

I still want that gingerbread hamentaschen recipe, by the way!

[Comfort Me]

Just back from the "hamantashen assembly line" (described in earlier posts) where we made 700-1000 hamantashen. They are now in the freezer for next week's carnival. We must have had 12-15 people. We started at 9:30 and the last batches were in the ovens at 11:15. What a blast. Now I can get to mine . . . but first a nap. Before that, as promised, here is the recipe for caramel-pecan filling. It comes from Judy Zeidler's "Gourmet Jewish Cook" book so I'll post it here. I'll post the recipes for Yeast Dough Hamentaschen and Sweet Cheese Filling in the eGRA since I got those from a friend. By the way, the sweet cheese filling together with a little cherry, raspberry or blueberry filling is to die for.

Caramel-Pecan Filling

(This makes a large amount)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 cups toasted chopped pecans

7 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup honey

In a heavy saucepan, bring the sugar and water to boil, mixing with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the pecans, butter and milk. Return to the heat, stirring constantly, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey. Transfer to an oven proof glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set. This will keep for at least 1 week.

I am totally in awe of you. It reminds me of my days as president of our Jewish singles group -- every year we baked about 1000 hamentashen to deliver to the elderly, infirm, homebound, etc. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. I don't see any of those people any more -- like most of them I moved on and moved away. But I really enjoyed them and I really enjoyed the communal baking.

I made 6 dozen last night -- even numbers of Apricot, Almond, Raspberry, and Mohn. Tonight I'll do six more, same flavors, then tomorrow I'll do six -- three each of caramel pecan -- your recipe sounds delicious -- and pear. One question on the caramel -- does the sugar color before or after you add the pecans, butter, milk, etc.?

I still haven't figured out how to do peanut butter -- I'm thinking mixing a little peanut butter, corn syrup, flour. Egg yolk maybe? What do you guys think.

Aidan

[bloviatrix]

I still want that gingerbread hamentaschen recipe, by the way!

I'm still recuperating from last night. But I have every intention of copying it down at some point in the next 8 hours.

[JFLinLA]

Aidan:

Don't be in awe. I think you will understand when I say I do this out of love and, at least for now, it is still a joy. I guess I'll stop or hand it off to someone else when the joy goes out of it.

As far as the pecan-caramel recipe goes, it says to add the nuts, etc as soon as the sugar dissolves with no caramelization, so that's what I do. While you really can't tell visually, I assume that the sugar caramelizes while it continues to cook with the rest of the stuff in it. If it caramelizes first and then cooks for another 10 minutes, I think you'd have burnt sugar. I suppose you could caramelize then add the rest off the stove and then you're done, right? Anyway, I've always just followed the recipe and it works well. One last note, I grind the nuts to a fairly fine consistency in a mini-chopper. I find that works better for folding dough around later on.

Jody