Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (137 page)
Phyllo dough is becoming popular as the pastry for hamantaschen because you can buy it ready-made. It's easy to fold in triangles, which approximate the hamantaschen shape. In addition, you can regulate the richness of these treats according to how much butter or margarine you brush on the pastry. Chocolate matched with ground almonds, orange zest, and orange liqueur makes a delicious new filling.
1 pound phyllo sheets (about 20 sheets)
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole blanched almonds
7 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons orange liqueur
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
3
â
4
to 1
1
â
4
cups (1
1
â
2
to 2
1
â
2
sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, melted and cooled
About 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1.
If phyllo dough is frozen, thaw in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. Remove package from refrigerator 2 hours before using.
2.
Melt chocolate in a medium bowl over a pan of nearly simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove bowl from the pan; let cool.
3.
Grind almonds with 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor to a fine powder. Add remaining 5 tablespoons sugar and egg; process until blended. Add chocolate; process until blended. Add liqueur; process until blended. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in orange rind.
4.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or grease them. Remove phyllo sheets from their package and unroll them on a dry towel. With a sharp knife, cut stack in half lengthwise to form 2 stacks of sheets, about 16 à 7-inch. Cover phyllo immediately with a piece of wax paper, then with a damp towel. Work with only 1 sheet at a time; keep remaining sheets covered with paper and towel so they don't dry out.
5.
Carefully remove 1 phyllo sheet from stack. Brush it lightly with melted butter; fold in half lengthwise so dimensions are about 16 Ã 3
1
â
2
-inch. Place about 1
1
â
2
teaspoons filling at 1 end of strip. Fold end of strip diagonally over filling to form a triangle. Fold it over and over, keeping it in a triangular shape after each fold, until end of strip is reached. Before last fold, brush sheet lightly with butter to seal triangle together. Set triangle on a baking sheet and brush lightly with butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Make pastries with remaining phyllo sheets and filling. (Pastries can be kept, covered tightly, 1 day in refrigerator.)
6.
Just before baking, brush pastries again lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking on 2 racks, switch their positions halfway through baking time. Serve warm or at room temperature.
OTHER SWEET TREATS AND DESSERTS
A Purim tradition among Sephardic Jews from Turkey and Greece, Haman's fingers are made with a spiced almond or walnut filling. To cut their preparation time, I like to make them from phyllo dough.
1
â
2
pound phyllo dough (
1
â
2
package)
1
1
â
2
cups almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
6 to 8 tablespoons (
3
â
4
to 1 stick) margarine, melted
Powdered sugar
1.
If phyllo dough is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. Remove package from refrigerator 2 hours before using.
2.
Chop almonds with sugar in food processor, leaving some pieces; do not grind finely. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cinnamon and grated orange rind.
3.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them. Remove phyllo sheets from their package and unroll them on a dry towel. With a sharp knife, cut stack in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Cover phyllo immediately with a piece of wax paper, then with a damp towel. Work with only 1 sheet at a time, keeping remaining sheets covered so they don't dry out.
4.
Carefully remove one pastry square from stack. Brush it lightly with melted margarine. Put about 2 teaspoons filling at one end of a phyllo square so it extends all along the edge. Fold the two ends of dough in, slightly over filling, then roll up tightly to form a thin finger. Transfer to baking sheet. Make more phyllo fingers with remaining dough and filling.
5.
Bake pastries 15 to 20 minutes or until very lightly golden. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.
 or
Â
My family always makes pinwheel cookies for Purim. We don't usually make a special dough and filling; we simply use our hamantaschen dough and fillings in a different, easier shape. After we have made enough hamantaschen, we quickly shape and bake some pinwheel cookies, often out of dough scraps. We find they're attractive alongside the hamantaschen in Purim gift boxes. You can make them with homemade or purchased dough, sweetened or not sweetened, and any thick filling.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1
â
3
cup powdered sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1
â
2
teaspoon salt
1
â
2
cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or firm margarine, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1.
Combine flour, powdered sugar if using, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and process briefly to blend. Scatter butter pieces over mixture. Process with brief pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour beaten egg evenly over mixture. Process with brief pulses, scraping down the sides occasionally, until dough just begins to come together in a ball. If mixture is dry, add water by tablespoons, and process briefly after each addition.
2.
Transfer dough to a work surface. Knead lightly to blend. With a rubber spatula, transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap, and push together. Shape dough into a flat disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
3.
Prepare filling. Then, lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Cut dough into 2 pieces. Roll one into a rectangle about
1
â
8
-inch thick. Spread with half the filling, leaving a
1
â
2
-inch border. Beginning at a long side, roll up tightly like a jelly roll. Cut into slices about
1
â
2
-inch thick. Put each slice on baking sheet with its less-open side (the side that was cut second) facing down. Refrigerate slices. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate pinwheels at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
4.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake pinwheels about 12 minutes or until they are light golden at edges and golden on the bottom. Transfer to racks to cool.
 or
Â
These cookies are crisp and easy to make. They're a perfect item to include along with hamantaschen in Purim gift cookie boxes. If you like, you can substitute chopped dried apricots for the raisins, or use dark or white chocolate chips.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1
â
2
teaspoon salt
1
â
2
teaspoon baking soda
1
â
2
cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or firm margarine, slightly softened
1
â
2
cup firmly packed brown sugar
1
â
4
cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cup coarsely chopped unsalted Brazil nuts
1
â
2
cup raisins
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl.
2.
Cream butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer; add sugars and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add egg; beat until smooth. Add lemon rind; beat until blended. Stir in flour mixture until blended. Stir in nuts and raisins.
3.
Push batter from a teaspoon with a second teaspoon onto baking sheets, using about 1
1
â
2
teaspoons batter for each cookie and spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each cookie by pressing it firmly with the bottom of a fork dipped in water.
4.
Bake about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer cookies to racks; cool completely. Cool baking sheets; clean off any crumbs then grease sheets again. Bake remaining cookies. Cookies can be kept 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.
