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High on Hamantaschen By Faye Levy Years ago I heard an anecdote about a little boy who ate over 20 poppy seed hamantaschen and got high. Although poppy seeds do come from the opium poppy, I have my doubts about this story's reliability. According to The Cook's Book by Howard Hillman (Avon, 1981), "You can eat poppy-seed cakes and pastries forever without experiencing any narcotic effects, because the plant cannot form seeds until all the narcotic alkaloids have disappeared from the plants." When you buy poppy seeds, they are raw, but roasting or cooking them brings out their pleasantly nutty flavor. They become toasted when baked on breads. For hamantaschen, some filling recipes simply call for mixing the seeds with sugar and dried fruit. I find the filling's flavor is far superior when the poppy seeds are cooked in milk or water together with the other filling ingredients. Poppy seeds are quite perishable because of their high oil content. They should be stored in a cool place. If they have been ground, it's safest to keep them in the refrigerator and use them promptly. It's easiest to buy poppy seeds ground, but if they are whole you can grind them in a coffee grinder. You can also crush them with a mortar and pestle or roll them with a rolling pin, but you'll need first to soak them in a little warm water to soften them. Why eat poppy seeds for Purim? This tradition honors Queen Esther.
When she moved into the king's palace, in order to avoid eating
non-kosher food, she ate only seeds and legumes. In other words, she
became a vegetarian. This gave rise to the custom of including poppy
seeds in Purim sweets and of making use of beans and chickpeas in Purim
menus.
POPPY SEED CROWN You will need a souffle dish of 24-cm diameter to keep the cake's lovely shape.
To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with the milk and 1 teaspoon sugar and let stand about 10 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. Put egg, egg yolk, 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla, grated lemon rind, and yeast mixture in bowl of mixer. Mix slowly to a uniform mixture. Gradually add the flour and salt and knead with mixer to a uniform dough. Add butter in pieces and knead on medium speed about 5 minutes to achieve a soft, velvety elastic dough. Put in an oiled bowl and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough doubles in bulk. To make the filling: Put the milk, sugar, and honey in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and chill. To shape the spiral: Preheat oven to medium (180C). Thoroughly butter a souffle dish of 24-cm diameter. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 30- x 45-cm rectangle. Spread the poppy seed filling evenly on the dough, up to 3 cm from its edges. Brush the edges with the beaten egg white. Roll up the rectangle from its long sides and press to seal the edges. Wind it to a large spiral and set it carefully in the souffle dish. Cover and let rise about 1/2 minute but not until double. Just before baking, brush cake with beaten egg white. Prick cake a few times with a toothpick (to release air bubbles). Bake about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to medium-low (160C) and bake about 20 minutes or until the cake's color is golden brown - or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a rack. Turn out carefully and continue cooling cake on a rack. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
POPPY SEED FILLED HAMANTASCHEN When shaping hamantaschen, close them well. Avoid the temptation to use extra filling, or it will come out during baking. You can refrigerate the shaped hamantaschen overnight before baking. Once they are baked, they'll stay fresh-tasting for about 4 days in an airtight container.
To make the dough, beat egg with 2 tablespoons sour cream or water. Combine flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to blend. Scatter butter pieces over mixture. Mix using on/off motion until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with grated rind and pour egg mixture evenly over mixture in processor. Process with on/off motion, scraping down occasionally, until dough just begins to come together in a ball. If mixture is dry, add remaining tablespoon sour cream or water by teaspoons over mixture, and process briefly again. Transfer dough to a work surface. Knead lightly to blend. With a rubber spatula, transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap it, and push it together. Shape dough in a flat disk. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Prepare filling and refrigerate. To shape hamantaschen, use one quarter of dough at a time. Roll it out on a lightly-floured surface until about 3 mm thick. Using a 7.5-cm cookie cutter, cut dough in circles. Brush edges lightly with water. Put 1 teaspoon filling in center of each. Pull up edges of circle in 3 arcs that meet in center above filling. Close them firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Put on greased baking sheet and refrigerate. Refrigerate scraps. Roll remaining dough and scraps and shape more hamantaschen. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before baking to firm dough, or, if you prefer, up to 1 day. Preheat oven to 190C. Bake hamantaschen about 14 minutes or until they are light golden at edges. Cool on a rack. Makes about 32 hamantaschen.
POPPY SEED FILLING FOR HAMANTASCHEN
In a small saucepan combine poppy seeds, milk, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring often, about 15 to 20 minutes or until thick. Add raisins and butter and stir over low heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Stir in grated rind. Chill well before using. Makes enough for about 32 hamantaschen. Faye Levy is the author of Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook (Warner, 1991). |