Pick a Pastry
Which one would you prefer to eat? Please leave any remarks (no disparaging ones, however) in the comments.
Yesterday, Babka Nosher related her hamantaschen making tales. Stapling and velcro are discussed as options for making these little triangular critters. But I steered myself for my own baking exploits.
I’m a lazy baker. I don’t like following recipes. So I took my apple pie crust recipe and added a bit of baking powder. Then I made a little circle for each pastry, threw in some cinnamon and sugar covered chopped apples and folded the sides so it looked like a hamantaschen. Baked at 350° a little longer than my other hamantaschen, for about 20 minutes.
Then last night we had a family affair in the kitchen as my husband, middle son and daughter prepared the more classic hamantaschen, with the rolling and the circle cutting and the careful folding of each flap. I supervised. Thanks, family! (my eldest played computer games–he’s a teenager, whadya want).
Have a Happy Purim! If you don’t celebrate this holiday, find one of your neighbors that do and mooch some hamantaschen. Good stuff.
Addendum:
8 oz. Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3-4 cups flour
Combine first three ingredients, then add remaining ingredients. Mix until doughy consistency (add fourth cup flour if necessary). Roll dough out flat to 1/4 inch thickness. Use a floured drinking glass to cut out 3-inch circles. Put one teaspoon of filling in center of each dough circle and fold up corners to make a triangle. Bake at 350° until lightly browned (about 8-10 minutes).
The Adjunct Professor says
I'll go for the one of the right. Afterall, you can never go wrong going right!
leoraw says
Adjunct Prof,
Thanks for the pick. And thanks for reading! I can't figure out from your site what you teach, but I don't think it's physics.
The Adjunct Professor says
If I taught physics, we would all be in trouble and while I know my way around a kitchen, I certainly don't teach cooking (although I am a bit of a maven when it comes to eating, afterall, I have been doing that all my life). Actually, I teach Public Speaking.
Great blog you have here!
Lion of Zion says
definately the one on the left. i need to know what i am eating before it goes into my mouth, but it doesn't seem as if i can tell what the filling is on the right.
leoraw says
Ajunct Prof,
Public Speaking? I need to take that class. It's on my list of things to do in about ten years, when my daughter is a teenager.
Lion of Zion,
Will have to remember to tell my kids to leave a crack so people can see what's inside. We used chocolate chips (my son's choice) and apple-cinnamon-sugar (my choice) this year. Neither are prone to spillage problems that Babka Nosher suffered.
Jill says
Yum. I'm going to try the one on the right tonight. Much healthier. And I find that once you're used to more whole grain and healthier fat baking, you lose your taste for the super fatty, refined flour stuff.
leoraw says
Jill,
I confess they both have white flour. But the bulkier one on the right has oatmeal, and it probably could have been made with whole grain flour. And the one you picked has all recognizable ingredients; Earth Balance may say no trans fat on it, but it's still a processed food.
I have a friend here who used to make yummy hamantaschen with stevia and whole wheat pastry flour. But she's now diabetic, and she can't eat grains at all. Or fruit.
Jill says
Leora-
I used whole wheat pastry flour which is much lighter and finer but has the same fiber profile as the grainier whole wheat. I used oats too and very little sugar but a ton of cinnamon and a few raisins. I find a little dried fruit allows me to cut the sugar substantially nd still gives that sweetness to the overall outcome. They came out great!
Thanks for the idea.
leoraw says
Jill,
You actually made this? You are too funny. Anyway, you made me smile. My father told me my apple filling was too dry. Any ideas for that?
The Jewish Side says
I think I like all those ingredients, so maybe I can do this. But what's "Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread"?
I like chocolate for the inside. Although I've never tried any of the fruit stuff.
btw, what's up with the different colors, of purple and orange, I haven't noticed that before, is it new? or was it on the older posts and then you took it off?
leoraw says
Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread:
Look in the dairy section. It will be pareve. The point is AVOID MARGARINE AT ALL COSTS. Unless you don't mind dying of some debilitating disease at a too young age.
There's also Smart Balance, and there may be more. Some are dairy, so beware.
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