Denise says:
Hamantaschen can be made with yeast dough, a sour cream dough, a rich short crust or biscuit pastry. I have chosen to use a rich short crust pastry. This is made using 4 colours of pastry, patch worked together, rolled out and then shaped into Hamantaschen. In addition to the colour, I have flavoured each colour pastry with a different flavouring ~ this is optional but certainly fun!
I have given you 4 different types of fillings. Make these before you make the pastry as they need to be cool before using.
NB: The quantity of pastry is quite substantial – it does work using half!
Preparation Time: 40 minutes plus resting time
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Makes: Approximately 60
Ingredients:
Pastry570g plain flour
300g unsalted butter or margarine
Zest of 2 lemons
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
2nd Stage
Food colours – 4 different eg red, orange, green and purple
Food flavours – 4 different eg vanilla, rose water, orange, chocolate
I recommend Magic Colour – kosher and colourful!
Plus Your Choice of Fillings:
Fruit Filling
75g sultanas
50g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 eating apple – Peeled and grated
50g soft brown sugar
50g unsalted butter or margarine
Apricot
250g dried pitted apricots
60ml water
60ml orange juice
25g caster sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Chocolate
Use 1 teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of each hamantaschen
Traditional Poppy Seed
150g poppy seeds
120ml honey
120ml milk / soya milk/ coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze
1 egg white – lightly whisked
2 tablespoons – poppy seeds
2 tablespoons – Hundreds and thousands
Method
Fruit Filling1. Add the sultanas, cinnamon, chopped walnuts, sugar, and butter to the food processor and pulse gently to combine.
2. Stir in the grated apple.
Apricot
1. Make the apricot filling by combining all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Stir and bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. When there is about 1 tablespoon of liquid left, transfer to the liquidiser or food processor. Remove and transfer to a dish.
2. Leave to cool and then leave in the fridge until ready to use. It is easier to use when it is completely cold.
Chocolate
Use 1 teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of each hamantaschen.
Traditional Poppy Seed
1. Finely grind poppy seeds in spice mill.
2. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add honey, milk, lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, until thickened and a spatula holds a trail when dragged across bottom of pan, about 4 minutes; stir in vanilla. Let cool.
Final Preparation
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400ºC/200ºF/ Gas mark 6.
2. Make the pastry by mixing all the ingredients together in a food processor. Divide the pastry into 4 portions.
3. Flavour and colour each portion of pastry separately. Add a teaspoon of colour and a teaspoon of flavour –optional to each batch. ( Ensure the food processor is very clean before adding the next pastry dough.)
4. Wrap each pastry batch in cling film and flatten. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
5. To make rainbow hamantaschen, roll out the coloured pastry taking a little of each colour dough and roll so it is about 2cm thick. ~ a patchwork effect is what you want to make.
6. Using a 7.5 cm (3 inch) cutter make round templates. Repeat with the remaining pastry.
7. Now add a large tea spoonful of your choice of filling into each circle.
8. Draw up the sides to form a triangle, pinching the edges firmly together in the shape of a tricorn hat.
9. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper.
10. Transfer the Hamantschen to the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
11. Remove and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
12. Glaze with egg white and then sprinkle with poppy seeds and hundreds and thousands for a magnificent finale.
To serve the stylish way: Dust with icing sugar.
Tagged in: Apples, Apricots, Ashkenazi, Butter, Caster Sugar, Cinnamon, Coconut Milk, Dairy, Eggs, Honey, Lemon Juice, Lemons, Milk, Nutella, Orange Juice, Plain Flour, Poppy Seeds, Purim, Salt, Soya Milk, Tea, Vanilla Extract, Vegetarian, Walnuts