[sca-cooks] Hamantaschen

[Lonnie D. Harvel]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:

>> So this begs the question then, what do the
>> Sephardim and the Mizrachim serve at a Purim
>> festival?
>
In the book "Sephardic Flavors" by Joyce Goldstein, she lists the 
following menu for Purim:

Borekas de Karne: Meat-Filled Pastries from Rhodes
Rollo me Haminados or Bobotkali Kofte: Meatloaf with Sweet and Sour 
Tomato Sauce
                                                             : or 
Meatballs with Fruit Sauce
Gayna al Orno: Roast Chicken with Apples and Pomegranate
Fidellos Tostados: Fried Noodles
Travados: Nut-filled Pastries

Travados are served at Purim in some places and at Rosh Hashanah in 
others, like Turkey.

Pastry:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 Tbs granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup sweet wine such as late-harvest riesling or marsala
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 egg white, for sealing dough (optional)
1 egg yolk, diluted with a bit of water for glaze

Almond and currant filling:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 cups ground blanched almonds
1/2 cup dried currants
3 Tbs cognac
2 to 3 Tbs water
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Almond and orange filling:
2 cups ground blanced almonds
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 Tbs grated orange zest
 
Walnut filling:
2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
sugar to taste

Optional syrup:
1 cup water
2 cups granulate sugar
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 orange zest strip, 3" long
1 Tbs orange-flower or rose water

Confectioner's sugar if not using syrup

To make the pastry, in a bowl, stir together the flour and sugar. Slowly 
add the butter, wine, and almond extract, stirring until a smooth, soft 
dough forms. Let rest in bowl for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly better 2 baking 
sheets with sides or line them with parchment paper. Select one of the 
fillings, place the ingredients for it in a bowl, and stir to mix.

Pull of a walnut-sized piece of the dough and roll it into a ball 
between your palms. Flatten the ball and place it on a lightly floured 
work surface. Roll it out inta a 3-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick. 
Moisten a fingertip with egg white or water and dampen the edges of the 
round. Place 2 tsp of the filling in the center of the round and fold 
the round in half to form a half-moon. Pinch the edges of the dough 
together. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough 
and filling are used. Brush the half-moons with the egg-yolk glaze.

Bake the pastries until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from 
the oven and let cool on the baking sheets on a rack.

If you are using the syrup, prepare it while the pastries are baking: In 
a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, and the orange zest, 
and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar 
dissolves. Boil until the syrup coats a spoon, about 10 minutes, then 
remove from the heat. Add the orange-flower or rose water. Let stand for 
a few minutes, then dip the cooled pastries in the warm syrup and place 
on racks to drain for a few hours.

If you are not using the syrup, sprinkle the pastries with 
confectioner's sugar while they are still warm.