Bananas foster hamantaschen
with caramel rum drizzle
hag sameach purim!
There are so many clever and creative new fillings for hamantaschen these days, and while I sheepishly admit to being a fan of many of them—ok, of all of them—my favorite ones are still the old-world fillings of my childhood.
That said, one must always be reaching out for new adventures. At the Ramblin’ Bear, the restaurant I owned with my brothers, one of the most asked for items on our Brunch menu was our Bananas Foster French Toast. Made with thick slices of my home made challah and finished with this caramel rum drizzle, it was the beginning of many a happy Sunday.
So, since few things are as delicious as Bananas Foster, how could Bananas Foster Hamantaschen be anything other than fabulous?
Add a caramel rum drizzle and you’ll wondering how you’ve lived without them for this long!
I will be making these forever!
*Note: Although the recipe calls for rum, all the alcohol will be burned off in the cooking, so these are perfectly fine to share with the under 21 crowd.
Bananas foster hamantaschen
If you’re not familiar with the story of holiday known as Purim, you can read my abbreviated version, mini-series style, here.
Or, you can click here for an English translation of the actual Scroll of Esther, the Megillah Esther.
One last thing before we get started: You’ll want the recipe to make my absolute best, Brooklyn Bakery Style Hamantaschen dough. After all, that fantastic filling needs to go somewhere.
Be sure to try these other fabulous fillings for hamantaschen as well!
In a nutshell, Purim is the story of how an evil Super-Villain called Haman attempted to have all the Jews of Persia murdered, and how they survived because of the cleverness and bravery of a young Jewish girl named Hadassah who took on the Persian name of Esther and became Queen.
Hamantaschen are the signature treat associated with the holiday of Purim. For kids and adults alike, it’s a day of dressing in costumes, celebrating with carnivals, and listening to the Megillah being read as we cheer for the good guys and boo for the bad guy. But the day has deeper, mystical significance as well.
with caramel rum drizzle
happy purim!
Bananas Foster filling with caramel rum drizzle
for The World’s Best Hamantaschen,
Brooklyn Bakery style
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons water
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted for 5 minutes at 350°
1 tablespoon rum (any type will work, but I like using spiced rum)
1 tablespoon banana liqueur
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
teaspoon kosher salt
1 very ripe medium-size banana (about a cup, well mashed)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°
Spread the pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast them in the oven for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully so that they don’t burn. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re fragrant and just beginning to change color.
When the nuts are cool enough to handle, chop them medium/fine with a chef’s knife. You want the pieces to be small, but not crumbs. Set them aside.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325° to bake the hamantaschen.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. With the flame on low/medium, add the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until the mixture is smooth; then add the toasted pecans and stir until they are well coated and evenly dispersed throughout. Add the rum and tip the pan slightly so that the rum catches fire. When the alcohol burns off, the fire should go out on its own. Alternatively, if you don’t have a gas stove, use either a kitchen torch or a lighter to flambé the rum.
When the flame subsides, add the mashed banana and mix with a fork until uniform. Set aside to cool.
Follow the instructions for rolling, filling, shaping, and baking in my recipe for Brooklyn Bakery Hamantaschen. Once they’re cool, finish them with the caramel rum drizzle.
Caramel Rum Drizzle
Ingredients:
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon rum or rum extract
Pinch salt
Method:
Combine brown sugar and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then reduce the heat and continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens and turns a lovely golden brown.
Remove from the heat and mix in the cream—carefully, as this will bubble up a bit. Then mix in the butter, rum and salt. Let cool. The caramel will thicken more as it cools.
*Note: the amount of alcohol in the caramel is nominal, and for me it isn’t an issue, even with children. If you want to avoid the alcohol you can replace the rum with a touch of rum extract.
Once the hamantaschen are baked and cooled, scrape the caramel into a food safe squeeze bottle like these. They’re inexpensive, easy to handle, and do the job nicely.
If the caramel starts to harden too quickly, run the bottle under hot tap water and it will soften again. You can also use a ziplock bag with a small corner snipped off., but it’s a bit harder to control.