This year, try different fillings for your traditional hamentashen.
By NERIA BARRSesame tuile with pistachio filling(photo credit: AFIK GABAI)
Moshe Ahuvi, the owner and baker of Piece of Cake kosher bakeries, whose first branch was in Jaffa, created hamentashen with fillings that are inspired by local Mediterranean cuisine.Ahuvi opened his first bakery on Yehuda Hayamit Street in Jaffa in 2004, employing workers from the different communities in the area. Working with them, he adopts ideas from the varied cuisines. For this upcoming Purim, he developed 15 kinds of hamentashen – from the traditional ones to modern, from fillings inspired by European cuisines to those inspired by our region.Here are three recipes from his Jaffa line.The first two are made from the same dough with the same technique but different filling. The third is a variation of North African tuile fried cookies. Made from sesame dough, these are really fried hamentashen cups that can be filled with sweet filling, such as pistachio and honey.HAMENTASHEN WITH DATE FILLINGMakes 40 small cookies For the dough ✔ 480 gr. flour✔ 320 gr. butter, room temperature✔ 160 gr. powdered sugar✔ 3 egg yolks✔ Zest of 1 orange or 1 lemonFor the filling✔ ½ kg. date puree✔ 1 tsp. cinnamon✔ 1 tsp. nutmeg✔ 1 tsp. ground cardamom✔ 1 tsp. ground aniseTo prepare the dough: In a mixer bowl with kneading arm, mix together butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks and zest until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until dough is formed. Stop the kneading as soon as the dough forms. Too much kneading releases too much gluten from the flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until 3 mm. thick.Preheat oven to 180°.To prepare the filling: Place the date puree in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well with your hands or in a mixer bowl. Using your hands, make 1-cm. balls from the date mixture.Cut out 4-cm. rounds from the dough, place a date ball in the middle and fold to shape a hamentash. Press seams together gently.Place the hamentashen on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until the cookies are golden.Let the hamentashen cool before removing them from the baking sheet. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.HAMENTASHEN WITH TURKISH DELIGHT FILLING Makes 40 small cookies For the dough✔ 480 gr. flour✔ 320 gr. butter, room temperature✔ 160 gr. powdered sugar✔ 3 egg yolks✔ Zest of 1 orange or 1 lemonFor the filling✔ ½ kg. Turkish delightTo prepare the dough: In a mixer bowl with kneading arm, mix together butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks and zest until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until dough is formed. Stop the kneading as soon as the dough forms.Too much kneading releases too much gluten from the flour.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until 3 mm. thick.Preheat oven to 180°.Shape the Turkish delight into 1-cm. balls.Cut out 4-cm. rounds from the dough, place a Turkish delight ball in the middle and fold to shape a hamentash. Press seams together gently.Place the hamentashen on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until the cookies are golden.Let the hamentashen cool before removing them from the baking sheet.Serve dusted with powdered sugar.SESAME TUILE WITH PISTACHIO FILLING Makes 30 cookies For the dough ✔ 2 cups flour✔ 2 cups sesame seeds✔ ½ cup oil✔ ½ cup water✔ Oil for deep fryingFor the filling ✔ 2 cups ground pistachio✔ ½ cup honeyMix the pistachio with the honey and set aside.Mix together all the dough ingredients until smooth. Divide into 4 balls.Roll out each dough ball and cut rounds.Fold each round into a hamentash shape.Heat a pot with oil for deep frying.When hot, drop the hamentashen into the oil and fry until brown. Fry a few at a time; don’t crowd the pot. Transfer the fried cookies to a paper towel and let cool. Fill each hamentash cup with the pistachio mixture. Recipes and Photos are courtesy of Moshe Ahuvi and 'Piece of Cake' Bakery.
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