lekvar filling

prune or apricot

P

for Brooklyn Bakery Style hamantaschen

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.

The word “Lekvar” comes from the Hungarian, but the term is used throughout Eastern Europe to mean a smooth butter made from dried apricots or prunes.

Prunes get a bad rap these days. When I say “prunes,” what image comes first to your mind? I know you’re thinking, constipated old people. But do try to let it go. (no pun intended?)

Apricots have a better reputation, due to the popularity of apricot jam.

If the idea of a lightly sweet pastry filled with a thick, smooth, sweet/tart dried fruit butter doesn’t excite you, you’ve probably never tried these.

I enthusiastically recommend that you give them both a shot.

Lekvar filling

prune or apricot

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.

But, you’ve come to this page for a recipe for Lekvar Filling, so without further chit-chat, here you go!

I’m going to give you three versions. You choose which one you want to make.

One last thing before we get started: You’ll want the recipe to make the absolute best, Brooklyn Bakery Style Hamantaschen dough. After all, that fabulous 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 they cheer for the good guys and boo for the bad guy. But the day has deeper, mystical significance as well.

for brooklyn bakery style Hamantaschen

happy purim!

lekvar filling

prune or apricot

for The World’s Best Hamantaschen,

Brooklyn Bakery style

Three Ways

  • Easiest—Yum

    Buy a can of Solo Brand Prune or Apricot filling. Open the can and use it “as is.”

  •  Easy trick to give it a fresh, home-made taste—Double Yum.

    A. Buy a can of Solo brand Prune filling. Empty the contents of the can into a bowl and add the littlest squeeze of fresh lemon juice and/or a bit of finely grated lemon zest, a dash of cinnamon from the spice jar, and a touch of vanilla extract. Stir to combine.

    B. . Buy a can of Solo brand Apricot filling. Empty the contents of the can into a bowl and add the littlest squeeze of fresh orange juice and/or a bit of finely grated orange zest, a dash of cardamom from the spice jar, and a touch of pure vanilla and/or pure almond extract. Stir to combine.

    So simple, and a major difference from straight out of the can.

    As for grating the citrus zests, this is my favorite microplane for the job. . It does a super job for finely grating hard cheeses, as well. I like that it has a protective cover so that I don’t accidentally grate my fingers while I’m searching for it in the drawer.

  • Lekvar Filling from Scratch—Yum Yum Yum

    The ingredients for both the prune and the apricot are very similar, with only a few differences.

    The method is the same.

    Ingredients:

    For both:

  • 1 pound pitted prunes or apricots

  • ¾ cup brown sugar

  • ½ cup white sugar

  • For prunes:

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • 1 cup sweet concord grape kosher wine

  • ½ — 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

  • For apricots:

  • a few cardamom pods, lightly crushed with the side of a chef’s knife (can also substitute cinnamon sticks)

  • ¾ cup sweet white wine, such as Moscato

    ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice

  • ½ — 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

    Method:

  • Combine dried fruit, sugar, cinnamon sticks or cardamom pods, grated zest, and liquids in a medium sized saucepan and bring the mixture to boil over medium-high heat.

  • Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the fruit is very soft and falling apart, anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the pot—if the liquid is cooking out, add a small amount of water. Be careful not to let the pot burn.

  • Taste the filling: When the fruit is cooked most of the way, taste a bit on the tip of a spoon. Add a bit more sugar if you’d like it to be sweeter, or add a little squeeze of lemon juice if you’d like it to be a bit more tart.

  • At the end of the cooking, the liquid should have turned thick and syrupy. If it’s too thin, turn up the heat and cook a few minutes more until more of the liquid has evaporated.

  • Allow to cool . Remove the spices, then process in a food processor or with an immersion blender until mostly smooth.

    You will be using a 1 teaspoon scoop of the filling for each pastry. If your filling seems too thin to stand up in the center of the pastry without getting runny, press out some of the liquid using a mesh strainer.