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Hamentaschen, Ordered Your Way

by · March 6th, 2009
Food History, Food Writing

Ah, hamantaschen: nector of the goods.

Ah, hamantaschen: nectar of the kind of deities ancient Romans and/or Greeks parlayed beliefs into.

Ah, Purim: a delightful and whimsical holiday, the centerpieces of which are merriment, games, and, as with most any Jewish holiday, special foods!

The edible star of Purim is the hamentaschen. (Here is one yummy recipe.) Typically a sweet dessert, made out of of pastry dough cooked around a jelly or fruit center, the hamentaschen is a sweet reminder of the triumph, yet again, of the Jews over those who wished them ill.

The hamentaschen is traditionally presented in a triangular format, which, according to tradition, is said to represent the hat of Haman (the man who wished to do away with Jewry). Boy did we get the last laugh – and the best dessert! Depending on how thick the chef wants the pastry to be, there is no one perfect way to make a hamentaschen.

And now, without further ado; the Top Ten Best Hamentaschen Fillings:

1.) Cherry pie filling (one cherry fits perfectly inside of that triangular bit of heaven!)

2.) Extra, filled-to-bursting-point, cherry pie filling

3.) Strawberry jam

4.) Strawberry jam and cream cheese

5.) Blueberry jam

6.) Apricot jelly

7.) Blackberry jam

8.) Chocolate (don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it!)

9.) Boysenberry jam (sensing a pattern here)

10.) A mixture of any of the above, particularly if involving numbers one and two.

How do you make your hamentaschen?

Happy Purim!

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8 Responses to “Hamentaschen, Ordered Your Way”

  1. April Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 2:59 am

    What about that poppy-almond extract combo? When it’s done right, it’s the best

  2. Mady Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Mixture of dried cranberry/dried cherry/golden raisins, with or without walnuts

  3. Gayle Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    Chocolate fudge with maraschino cherry

  4. Channa Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 7:17 pm

    With either:
    Poppy-seed filling (poppy-seeds, butter, honey and/or raisins)
    Raspberry jam
    Jam (any red one) mixed with poppy-seeds

  5. Becca Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    A chocolatey alternative to chocolate chips: Follow the instructions for brownies from a mix and add water (basically the mix, oil and water) and mix until well combined. Add nuts or butterscotch chips when assembling the hamentaschen.

  6. lisa Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

    Mmm. I would have to go with chocolate, apricot, or raspberry. But just about any kind is worth savoring. I like Becca’s idea with adding butterscotch chips too – a great innovation!

  7. Paula Says:
    March 7th, 2009 at 10:24 pm

    Where is prune on the top ten list? There is nothing better than a hamantaschen filled with juicy prune filling. It goes great in a yeast dough hamantaschen, too.

  8. judi Says:
    March 8th, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    I second Becca’s suggestion- we tried it last year and it was deeeeelicious. We like to use Nutella in our hamentashen. I’m part Italian ;-)

    I also like to add a little rose water to the dough and fill the hamentashen with ground pistachios and raisins.

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