Lemon Curd Hamantaschen

Let me start by saying that hamantaschen are a hotly contested cookie in our home. It’s about the filling. I could eat the poppy seed filled ones all day but DH is much less of a fan. So I said, okay, date? The face wasn’t pretty. Chocolate? I won’t say he said ewww but hey, we are married more than 40 years. Not a happy camper. So for the first time in many months, my daughter Rach came over with her kids and we made the hamantaschen together as an activity. I squirreled away a smaller half (if you get me) of the dough for us. Not being a fool, I asked beforehand what the filling of choice was for them. Nutella she said. So be it. NOT for the hubby. (Hence hiding my dough). So while we made pizzas together and the hamantaschen, which were a huge hit, I said eureka! I will make for hubby and me lemon filling.

DH and I both love sharply flavored sweet but tangy lemon. Hence was born the lemon curd hamantaschen. Now don’t be frightened by this. It’s much easier than you might think. But I forgive you if you just buy some lemon curd, also okay. But I wanted mine non-dairy so off and away.

Start with some nice looking lemons. You have two ways of doing this. Either (after scrubbing them and patting dry) peel with a super sharp peeler only the yellow part of the peel (no bitter white pith) in strips like so:

Or, alternatively microplane the lemon zest/peel like so (this is from another post, no orange in this recipe, just to show you how to microplane the lemon):

Okay, now put the peel in the food processor with the sugar and process till peel is finely chopped but sugar is still granulated about 2 or so minutes.

Note in the above pic the fluffy lemon zested sugar. Next pour in the lemon juice and the eggs and the salt. Give it a buzz in the processor just till mixed in. Cut the butter/marg into 6 cubes and set aside, do NOT add yet this is added after you cook the curd. Good. Now you will cook this in a double boiler or bain marie, which simply means take a heat proof (really, be careful) like Pyrex bowl and pour the whole lot from the food processor into the heatproof glass bowl and place right on top of a pot with a few inches of boiling water in it, it should fit well and not slip and slide, like so:

Note the bowl sits nicely on the pot. In the pot is boiling water 1/3 of the way up the pot. Don’t let the boiling water touch the bottom of your glass bowl. Now turn the heat to low simmer and whisk whisk whisk. This is something you don’t step away from, you must whisk for about 10-12 minutes and you will see the mixture turn from a liquid to a thickening pudding like consistency.

the white foam is simply from buzzing the mixture in the food processor, it goes away. Whisk some more and suddenly…

and you’re done. Remove from the heat and now you add the cut up butter/marg, whisking into the mixture till it melts into and melds into the curd.

Now you don’t have to sieve it but I think it’s better and smooth if you do. Hey, we’ve come this far, go for it! Pour the mixture into sieve while still warm, it goes through the sieve lickety split when warm.

And you are left with a smooth beautiful lemon curd.

You may feel the need to taste it. Just don’t finish it off! 🙂 . Pop into fridge with plastic wrap to cover till cooled completely. It should thicken up some more when it cools down more.

Now onto the cookie dough of the hamantaschen. If you have softened your butter/marg properly, you can beat all the ingredients together in the mixer. If, however, like me, you left if out to soften but your kitchen was so cold it stayed solid, this too can be made in the food processor. Put all the dry ingredients in together and give it a whirl to mix. Add the butter/marg and whirl till crumbly. Then add the lemon peel (grated) and whirl.

Then add the eggs and pulse just until the dough comes together. Scoop out, form a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, whether from mixer or food processor, then refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

Now preheat the oven to 350 F. Sprinkle a silpat or parchment paper moderately with flour. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Dredge the dough on all sides in the flour since it will be sticky. Flour the rolling pin well and roll out each piece, leaving the other 3 on the side and cut out 3 inch circles using a biscuit cutter or a glass turned upside down.

Make sure there is some flour beneath so the circles don’t stick. Dollop a half a teaspoon (truly no more or it will ooze out or worse, your hamantaschen will flatten out!!) of the lemon curd in the center of the circle. Pick up two edges to make a point and pinch them firmly at top to make one point. Lift bottom to connect to other two sides and pinch to form a triangle. Don’t be shy, pinch firmly. Carefully place formed hamantaschen on parchment paper lined baking sheets. If need be use a thin metal spatula to release them and place on cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.

And they’re ready to go! Bake about 15-18 minutes till lightly browned and crisp. Remove to cool. When completely cool, shake some powdered sugar in a sieve over the hamantaschen and serve at your most beautiful Purim seudah! P.S. DH has already swiped 3 or 4, just to “make sure they came out well”. 🙂 .

Lemon Curd Hamantaschen

Lemon curd

2/3 (65 grams) cup sugar
Peel of 2 well scrubbed and patted dry lemons, peeled with sharp peeler or microplaned leaving behind the white pith
1/3 cup (79 ml) lemon juice
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (56.6) grams butter/margarine

Hamantaschen

4 cup (480 grams) flour
3/4 (170 grams) cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 (226 grams) cup butter/margarine
1 teaspoon lemon zest/peel, grated
4 eggs

Directions:

For the Lemon Curd:

Put the lemon peel that you cut in strips or the microplaned zest in a food processor with the steel blade. Add the sugar and run the processor until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar but sugar is still granulated. Check after 2 minutes.

Add the eggs in the chute while you process and then add the lemon juice and salt. Pulse briefly till mixed. Cut the butter into 6 chunks and set aside. It will be added AFTER the curd is cooked.

Pour the lemon/sugar/juice mixture into a heat resistant glass bowl (I have Pyrex type bowls for this) and place over a pot with 2 inches of water boiling in it to make a bain marie (this is simply a pot which acts as a double boiler with the bowl on top to keep the cooking slow) just make sure boiling water doesn’t touch the bowl, and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes or so), whisking constantly. You can stop once or twice to check that the curd is thickening up but don’t step away and again whisk whisk whisk. You must keep the curd below boiling at below simmer. When the mixture is a thickened mixture and you dip a wooden spoon in it should coat the back of the spoon. Good, now remove from the heat and add the butter/marg that you cut into pieces. Take the same whisk and whisk into the mixture which further cools it and also richens the consistency. Cover with plastic wrap and pop into the fridge.

Now prepare the dough.

In bowl of mixer mix together dry ingredients. Add softened cubed margarine and mix till crumbly.  Add lemon peel and eggs and beat just till dough comes together. OR you can put the everything but the eggs into the food processor and process just till crumbly, add eggs and pulse just till it comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and pop into fridge for about 15-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove and separate dough into four portions for ease of working. Take a piece of parchment paper, or silpat or cover your work surface with plastic wrap. Take some flour and sprinkle work surface moderately and roll rolling pin in flour to coat. Working with each piece, roll out and cut out dough in circles with a cutter or a glass and set on lightly floured surface. Dough is sticky, it must be somewhat since that’s how the hamantaschen keep from opening up in the oven. Place a 1/2 teaspoon dollop of curd in center of dough, truly not more or it’ll ooze and your hamantaschen will open up in oven. Pick up two edges to make a point and pinch them firmly at top to make one point. Lift bottom to connect to other two sides and pinch to form a triangle. Don’t be shy, pinch firmly. Carefully place formed hamantaschen on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in hot oven for 15 minutes or till lightly browned and crisp. Let cool. When completely cooled, shake powdered sugar through a sieve on top. Bet you can’t eat just one.