best in show trophy winning
Lemon and Lavender hamantaschen
hag sameach purim!
On Purim, we spin groggers and blow noisemakers to blot out the name of Haman, the villain of the story. So…. since I’ve got my paper party horn handy, I guess I can Toot My Own Horn and tell you that…
An independent panel of judges unanimously agreed! These Lemon and Lavender Hamantaschen have it all—looks, taste, and texture—and so they were awarded the…
Best in Show trophy at the Temple Israel Purim Carnival Hamantaschen Contest!
Sprinkled with Ginger and Lavender Sugar, these delightful treats just sparkled out there in the Florida sunshine. The freshly prepared lemon curd made from just-picked lemons gave these a bright, tart flavor, balanced by the sweet drizzle of lavender-colored white chocolate over the top. Finished with a sprinkle of lavender and ginger sugar, they were out of this world.
I’ve since made them with supermarket lemons, and I have to admit that the difference in flavor is nominal, so if your neighbor doesn’t have a lemon tree that you can pilfer, you’ll be fine.
If you’re really short on time you can even make these with lemon curd from a jar. If you do, stir in a little squeeze of fresh lemon to the curd to brighten the flavor. But like most things, it’s best made from scratch and it’s a quick and easy thing to make.
First, let’s make the lavender and ginger sugar. I bought a jar of this stuff at an industry food show many moons ago, but it doesn’t seem to be available anymore. No worries, because we can whip some up in minutes.
Lavender and ginger sugar
You won’t regret making a jarful of this. A little goes a long way and if you keep it tightly covered in a glass jar it will last a very long time. You might just find yourself sprinkling it over fresh fruit, or buttered toast, or anything. Try it in an iced matcha latte!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon culinary grade lavender flowers. You can find them here.
2 cups cane sugar
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Method:
In the bowl of a small food processor, combine the lavender flowers with the sugar and the ginger. Process until finely ground.
That’s it!
What makes these hamantaschen so beautiful to look at is the drizzle of lavender-colored white chocolate that sparkles with the flavorful sugar. I’m not a fan of white chocolate, generally speaking, but it works really well here.
White chocolate is tricky to deal with because it can easily seize up when you try to melt it. I recommend using Ghirardelli white melting wafers because they’re much more foolproof. They taste of vanilla and aren’t horribly sweet like some white chocolate can be. They’re usually available in most supermarkets, in the baking aisle. There’s another brand that starts with “W,” and I’m not a fan of that one. It tastes of chemicals, in my opinion.
You can buy purple candy melts. The only ones I’ve tried are from that well-known brand that starts with “W,” and I’ve already given you my opinion of those. I know there are other brands out there but I haven’t tried them.
Of course, you could just drizzle the hamantaschen with the melted white chocolate and call it a day, but I do love that purple drizzle! Did you notice that I like purple?
Disaster alert! Never try to mix ordinary liquid or gel food coloring into chocolate. Oil and water don’t mix! To color white chocolate you need to use an oil based food color. This is a very nice set for not a lot of money.
You may hesitate to spend the cash on a pack of oil based food coloring that you think you’ll never use, but here’s the thing! Having these on hand can open up doorway into a new creative hobby for you, and turn you into a family celebrity. Find out how, after the Lemon and Lavender Hamantaschen recipe.
Learn how to make chocolate treats for every occasion.
You’ll find this bonus recipe—it’s more of a tutorial than a recipe—at the bottom of the page.
Now, with all of that being said, if you really don’t want to be bothered working with white chocolate, you can whip up a super-fast icing of confectioner’s sugar with just enough milk or cream to make a flowing paste and add a drop of lavender food color. I use Americolor gel colors. They’re consistent and it’s easy to control the depth of color you’re looking for. This is a great starter kit. They last almost forever.
chocolate treats for every occasion
Candy molds are cheap and come in just about any and every shape you can imagine, including shapes for every holiday and every occasion. It’s fun and easy to melt white wafers, add color, and make treats. I promise that when you become known for presenting beautiful and tasty chocolates you’ll become a family celebrity.
So, here’s how I make them.
You could fill your molds all the way with colored white chocolate, but as I told you, it’s not my favorite thing. I use it as paint.
Melt your white chocolate wafers in a microwave safe bowl,
Decide on the colors you want to use for your treats. For each color, pour a little of the melted chocolate into a small bowl. You’ll want the bowls to be microwave safe, because you may need to re-melt them for a few seconds if they cool off and harden too fast.
To each bowl, add a tiny amount of the oil based food color of your choice. I often do this with the point of a toothpick. A very little bit goes a very long way. (You can always add more…) Stir the color in to blend it well.
Once you’ve got your colors ready, grab a paint brush. I just buy a pack of those little brushes that are sold for kids and keep them for food only.
We’re going to make dark chocolate and milk chocolate treats with a colorful top layer.
Paint the inside of the mold in whatever way you like. Don’t worry about it being perfectly smooth because imperfections won’t show in the finished product.
When the white chocolate hardens, it’s time to finish your treats. Working with chocolate is a skill that takes practice—it needs to be tempered so that you don’t end up with white streaks. But there’s an easy way around that. You can either use dark or milk chocolate melting wafers—again, I like the flavor of the ones made by Ghirardelli—or use chocolate chips. Chocolate chips have lecithin in them and that will insure that your finished chocolates will be uniform in color and properly shiny. Either way, follow the melting directions on the package.
Make sure that your molds are sitting flat on a surface. Pour your melted chocolate over the white chocolate “paint.” Gently lift your mold and tap it on the table to release any air bubbles and then add more melted chocolate to fill the molds completely.
Once your chocolate has cooled and hardened, your treats will pop right out of the mold.
Lemon and Lavender hamantaschen
What gives these hamantaschen their wonderful floral aroma and taste is the lavender and ginger sugar.
Now, when I say “lavender sugar,” we’re not talking about purple sanding sugar. This is ordinary sugar that’s blended with culinary grade lavender flowers, plus ground ginger from the spice aisle.
If you’re not familiar with the story of 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.
Let’s get to the recipe and let’s get baking!
While this Lemon and Lavender filling is super delicious, a hamantaschen is only as good as the actual pastry that it’s made of.
First, here’s the recipe for the World’s Best, tried and true, Brooklyn Bakery Style Hamantaschen.
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 they cheer for the good guys and boo for the bad guy.
happy purim!
trophy winning
Lemon and lavender hamantaschen filling
for The World’s Best Hamantaschen,
Brooklyn Bakery style
For the Lemon Curd
Ingredients:
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Method:
Whisk together the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a medium sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Over low heat, stir in butter a little at a time, whisking often, for about 5 minutes or until the curd is thick enough to coat the whisk.
Take your time. Be careful not to turn the heat too high or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. If you do end up with a few chunks in your curd, don’t panic. Just strain it through a fine mesh strainer to make them disappear.
Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour before using. It will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Follow the instructions in the recipe for Brooklyn Bakery Style Hamantaschen to assemble and bake the pastries.
When they’re cooled, pour your lavender colored chocolate or your lavender sugar icing into a small ziplock bag. Make a tiny snip in one corner. Drizzle the icing of your choice over the pastries, in any pattern you’d like. It’s best to do no more than two or three at a time.
Working quickly, sprinkle a generous amount of lavender ginger sugar over the pastries before the icing hardens. The sugar will stick to the lemon curd and the icing. Let them rest until the icing is completely set, then, shake off the excess sugar over a sheet of parchment paper so that you can collect it and use it over the next batch.
Arrange the Lemon and Lavender Hamantaschen on a nice plate or serving tray, in a single layer. They have a tendency to stick together if stacked.