JLife’s resident baking expert Claire Brown shares a family recipe for Hamantaschen to celebrate Purim.
My wonderful late mother-in-law Freda gave me this pastry recipe over 20 years ago, and it is still virtually foolproof. The actual filling for these biscuits can be varied according to personal preference. Have a play and see which filling combinations you like the best!
Traditionally these treats are filled with a combination of poppyseed and sultanas with honey, but you could go down the chocaholics route by using chocolate spread or a square of chocolate. Alternatively, go Persian with rosewater, dates, and walnuts. A fantastic child-friendly version includes jam and raisins.
INGREDIENTS
- Pastry
- 8oz/225g SR flour
- 4oz/110g hard margarine
- 2oz/55g sugar
- 1 egg
FILLINGS
- Option 1 – mon (see mon recipe)
- Option 2 – chocolate squares and chocolate spread
- Option 3 – dates and walnuts • Option 4 – raisins with jam
MON RECIPE
- 8 oz whole unground poppy seeds (11⁄2 Cups)
- 2 oz unsalted butter or marge
- 1 cup milk or pareve substitute e.g. soya milk
- 3⁄4 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 cup honey
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
METHOD FOR PASTRY
1. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and grate the margarine into the flour.
2. Rub the margarine into the flour until it forms fine breadcrumbs, then stir in sugar.
3. Crack the egg into a glass and beat with a fork. Pour into the centre of the dry mixture and work with a knife until it comes together, then using your hands to draw it into a ball. If the mixture is too dry to form a ball add a teaspoon or two of water until the desired consistency.
4. Wrap the ball of pastry in cling film or foil and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. The mixture can be frozen at this point and thawed later for use.
5. After an hour, divide the mixture into two balls. Roll each ball out on a floured board to form a thin rectangle of pastry. Using a round cookie cutter cut out circles of dough and place on a lined baking sheet. Gather the scraps and repeat until all the pastry is used up.
6. Place a spoonful of your chosen filling into the centre of each disc of pastry and draw up the sides and pinch together to form a triangle shape.
7. Bake the pastries in a pre-heated oven on gas mark / 160°C for 10 to 15 minutes until they are a pale golden colour.
8. Cool on a wire tray and then dust with icing sugar to serve.
9. These cookies keep in an airtight container for a week or can be frozen until needed.
METHOD FOR FILLING
1. Grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder in batches for about 15-20 seconds per batch, until they are ground soft and powdery. Use a food processor if you don’t have a coffee grinder.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the milk, sugar, honey, and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, till the sugar dissolves and the honey melts.
3. Pour about 1 cup of the hot liquid into a cup.
4. Gradually being drizzling the hot liquid into the beaten eggs. Whisk briskly and constantly until all of the hot liquid is integrated into the eggs. Do not pour too quickly, or you’ll scramble your eggs. It should take about a minute to drizzle all of the liquid.
5. Slowly pour the heated, tempered egg mixture back into the hot liquid in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
6. Continue to whisk and cook for 3-5 more minutes over medium heat till the mixture thickens and turns light yellow. It is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon.
7. Remove the saucepan from heat. Whisk the ground poppy seeds into the buttery liquid and stir well to blend all ingredients.
8. Allow filling to cool to room temperature before using. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
If you end up following our recipe make sure to tag us on social media @jlifemagazine we’d love to see all your baking creations!
