Hamantaschen for days

Wednesday was the first day of Hanukah. Having been raised in a Jewish household, M grew up eating traditional Ashkenazi fare on most holidays including Hanukah, though it had been a couple of years since he had celebrated the occasion with his family. This year, the first of our co-habitation, we decided to have small celebration of our own, just a menorah and a simple Jewish meal.

Being unaccustomed to the taste and textures of Jewish food, I was wary at first of trying my hand at dishes that were near and dear to M's heart, but in the end, our teamwork prevailed. M prepared a delicious soup, with earthy and flavorful matzo balls floating in a delicate, peppery, dill-scented broth. We ended the meal with hamantaschen, barely-sweet cookies with a shortbread-like crust and rich, poppy seed and raisin filling with hints of citrus and vanilla. The dark, full-flavored gems were excellent with strong coffee and kept exceptionally well at room temperature for 5 days, which was longer than M and I thought they would last.

Poppy seed 'taschen

From Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients (half-recipe)

Dough:

- zest of 1/2 lemon

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

- 1/8 tbsp salt

- 1 large egg yolk

- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Filling:

- 1/2 cup milk

- 1/4 cup sugar

- grated zest of 1/4 orange

- 1/2 cup poppy seeds

- 1/6 cup raisins

- juice of 1/4 lemon

- 1/2 tbsp Grand Marnier

- 1/4 tbsp butter

- 1/4 tbsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

- 1 large beaten egg

Makes 20-24 cookies

Prep time: 40 minutes

Bake time: 10-15 minutes

Total time: 2.5 hours (includes chilling)

1. Combine lemon zest, powdered sugar, flour and salt in a food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer and blend. Add butter and egg yolks and mix until the dough forms a ball. Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic and wrap tightly; chill for an hour.

2. Grind poppy seeds in a coffee grinder. Heat milk, sugar, orange zest, ground poppy seeds, and raisins in a small saucepan over medium heat.

3. Simmering gently, cook until the seeds absorb the milk and mixture thickens, about 15-20 minutes. Add the lemon juice, Grand Marnier, and butter and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add vanilla, stir to combine and remove from heat; let cool completely (I spread the mixture onto a plate and refrigerated it for 10 minutes).

4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Lightly flour the counter and turn chilled dough onto it. With a heavy rolling pin, roll dough until it is about a 1/4 inch thick. The dough will be tricky to work with, breaking apart and making it difficult to roll, but keep at it!

5. Using a cookie cutter or the brim of a glass, cut 2-inch diameter circles and place on lined baking sheet (M was an expert at this). At the centre of each circle of dough, place a heaping teaspoon of poppy seed filling and carefully fold dough inwards to make a square pocket (Note: true hamantaschen is supposed to be triangular; I am not that dexterous).  Repeat until all of the dough has been used up. Using a pastry brush, glaze cookies with beaten egg.

6. Return the trays to the fridge and chill for an additional 20 minutes; this will allow the cookies to set. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.

7. Bake cookies for about 10-15 minutes, until dough is lightly golden. Leave on baking pans for about 5 minutes, transfer to wire racks and cool completely before storing.