hag sameach purim!

strawberries and cream filling for 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. But the day has deeper, mystical significance 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.

If you’re not familiar with the story of holiday known as Purim, you can check out my abbreviated,

made-for-tv mini-series version, The Story of Purim.

Or, you can click here for an English translation of the actual Scroll of Esther, the

Megillah Esther.

While I tend to lean towards the traditional Poppy or Prune Hamantashen of my childhood, I must admit that all the new fangled flavors are pretty good, too. But many people have strong feelings about which kinds they do and do not like. So before making up mishloach manot (Purim gift bags) for people, I always ask.

This year, I made my six favorite hamantaschen fillings, all the ones I’ve become known for, and the ones my kids expect to see. I decided I wanted to give some to my Rabbi and his wife, so I listed all the ones I made—poppy, prune, apricot, lemon and lavender, bananas foster, and Nutella—and asked the rebbetzin which ones are her favorite. She said…Strawberry!

So, never wanting to disappoint, off I went to the market to get some strawberries. Then it was back to the kitchen to develop the recipe.

Unless you live in Northern Europe and it’s the height of strawberry season (It’s not. It’s March. It’s probably snowing.), I recommend using frozen berries, and preferably organic. American berries are grown for beauty, size, and shelf-life. And they sure do look great! But I find they rarely have any taste. You’ll get more consistent results with frozen.

This recipe works equally well with Strawberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries. Use your favorites, or make a berry combo.

All you really need to make a berry filling is berries, sugar, cornstarch, and water. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s very good. But to get from good to fabulous, you’ve got to build those layers of flavor that I’m always going on about.

One last thing before we get started: You’ll want the recipe to make the absolute best,

Brooklyn Bakery Style Hamantaschen dough.

After all, this fabulous filling needs to go somewhere!

strawberries and cream filling

(or raspberry or blackberry or all three)

for brooklyn bakery style Hamantaschen

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces frozen berries (preferably organic)

• ¾ cup sugar (or to suit your taste)

• a tiny pinch each of salt and black pepper

• 1tablespoon berry liqueur, such as Chambord

• ¾ cup water

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• ¼ cup heavy cream

• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

• 1 tablespoon raspberry balsamic vinegar

Method:

• In a medium sized saucepan, combine the berries with the sugar, the salt and pepper, the liqueur, the water, the cornstarch, and the cream.

• Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring. (If you don’t stir, your cornstarch will get lumpy) Allow it to cook for about 10—15 minutes, stirring often, until the berries are very tender. If it starts to get too thick, add a little more water.

• When the berries are tender, add the vanilla and the vinegar.

• Transfer the mixture to a food processor (or use an immersion blender) to quickly purée the mixture. You can make it totally smooth or slightly chunky, according to your preference.

• Allow your filling to cool completely before using it. It will continue to thicken as it cools. To make the hamantaschen, follow the directions for my fabulous Brooklyn Bakery Style Hamantaschen.

And be sure to try these other fabulous fillings as well!

Poppy seed (mun) filling

prune or apricot (Lekvar) filling

bananas foster filling

chocolate hazelnut or s’mores filling

Best In Show Trophy Winning Lemon and Lavender Filling

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know in the comments below.