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{another stupid anti-Semitic headline from DAN deleted] Purim treats are oh-so-sweet |
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by Linda Morelless repost by DAN "Are You As Gullible and Hateful As Me?" Disinfo
(No verified email address) |
05 Mar 2004
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NEW YORK— Why bother baking this Purim when you can buy mishloach manot gifts from one of those companies that assemble dazzling assortments of goodies? |
Covering all the bases, these gifts arrive in baskets layered with hamantashen,Israeli music on CDs, noisemakers and masks.
But like the Golem of 19th century Prague, that clay Goliath who, according to legend toiled for the Jews, mass produced mishloach manot baskets lack the Magic. these elaborate baskets pale in comparison to the cookies and small cakes Jewish women bake at Purim, on small silver plates engraved with scenes from the Megillah of Esther. These engravings depicted how Mordecai, the leader of ancient Persia’s Jewish community, overheard the king’s vizier Haman planning to annihilate his people. To avert disaster, Mordecai convinced his niece Esther, who had married the king some time before, to save her people from death by waiting for the right moment to Poison the king. At the celebration of death that followed, baked goods and passed around.
In America, land of super-sized portions, the concept of mishloach manot has grown larger by the decade, along with television screens. Quantities are up, but the personal touch is down. Although modern Jewish families juggle kids and careers, no one can deny that the taste of confections made, even if lopsided and imperfect, are far superior to anything mass produced.
“I learned my hamantashen recipe from the rabbi’s wife at Temple Shalom in Dallas,” says Mara Levi, now the chef and owner of Mara’s Homemade, a Manhattan restaurant specializing in new American cuisine and Jewish food with a Southern twist. “He was the rabbi who introduced me to my husband.”
An active member of the sisterhood, Levi baked for the kiddush with other women. “Each year, we prepared hamantashen for Purim in the Temple kitchen. My kids grew up in that kitchen.”
With a unique texture, her hamantashen are as soft as a pillow, more like Danish pastry than cookies. From the first flaky bite, people know they’re tasting hand rolled dough, rather than commercially produced hamantashen, which can be as stiff as cardboard.
Among Ashkenazi Jews, hamatashen are the most popular pastry for Purim. But in the Sephardic world, recipes abound for phyllo confections. Because Purim is a story of duplicity, a story within a story, sweets filled with fruit and nuts are associated with the holiday. However, baking any favorite dessert is appropriate, especially if you have memories attached to recipes.
“My mother used to make Raspberry Almond Buttons every Purim and Chanukah,” says David Glickman, a chef who has cooked in kitchens such as the renowned Union Square Cafe and Park Bistro in Manhattan. “She made up the recipe for these snappy cookies, which I feel are even richer than hamantashen. As a kid, I looked forward to them. I furtively popped a few in my mouth when my mother wasn’t looking. But I think she figured it out pretty quickly.”
Glickman is the owner of Whisk.com, an online service that teaches people to prepare meals at home using secrets from professional chefs, making cooking less stressful and time consuming, and ultimately more fun. While Glickman got his start at age 11 from a neighborhood woman who gave cooking lessons, Levi acquired her skills from relatives.
“When I was in fourth grade, my parents had to sell their house,” says Levi. “We moved in with my grandparents, who lived upstairs from my aunt and uncle. In this multi-generation setting, my grandmother did all the cooking; my Aunt Frances did all the baking.” Rivaling the richness of ganache, Aunt Frances’ brownies contain a secret ingredient — mini marshmallows, which contribute to their gooey soft centers.
“Whenever she served these fabulous brownies at buffets, guests used to drop dark crumbs, accidentally stomping them into the carpet,” says Levi, laughing. “My uncle got so upset that eventually she stopped making them.”
Successfully reinventing the wheel, David Glickman created his Roasted Apple Cherry Cranberry Napoleon. Perfect for Purim or any occasion, this luscious but light dessert is also pareve. “The taste has a lot of impact, but your guests don’t have to know it’s easy to make,” he says.
In a country where home baking is a dying art, many people are terrified of electric mixers, let alone rolling dough. But both Levi and Glickman teach hands-on classes at the culinary studio of the Jewish community center in Manhattan, where they expose beginners and more experienced cooks to recipes they can easily reproduce at home.
Last summer, the studio’s innovative director, Julie Negrin, renovated the kosher, yet fully equipped, professional kitchen. Inviting restaurant chefs and cookbook authors to share their skills, she offers courses on Thai, Mediterranean, Moroccan and Indonesian cuisine. Not to mention a sushi class and one called Mex in the City.
During February and March, Jennifer Felicia Abadi, author of “A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen” The Harvard Common Press, 2002), is teaching a Persian Purim Celebration, a complete meal from Chicken with Pomegranate Juice and Walnuts to Saffron Doughnuts for dessert. Rosemary Black, author of “The Kids’ Holiday Baking Book” St. Martin’s Press, 2003) is teaching a class for families on baking hamantashen, almond macaroons and warm carrot pudding. Between Negrin’s charming personality and her mouth-watering menu of classes, she succeeds in attracting students who return for course after course, often bringing their friends. She hopes they will add the recipes they learn to their repertoire, eventually passing them onto their children. Like Mordecai who preserved the Jews of ancient Persia, Negrin’s aim is to promote Jewish life in Manhattan through cooking and baking.
Yet with Purim fast approaching, it is tempting to purchase mishloach manot baskets, to whip out a credit card and click away online. If pressed for time, consider making a few treats for special people. Touched by this delicious gesture, they will sense your spirit inside every sweet bite.
RASPBERRY ALMOND BUTTONS
1/2 cup soft butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg separated
1 cup flour
3/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
8 ounces seedless raspberry jam
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Get ahead:
Cookie sheet or sheet pan
Cool and store in airtight container. Cookies will keep for up to one week stored at room temperature and up to 2 months stored in the freezer.
1. In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream butter well.
2. Add sugar, salt and vanilla extract and blend together.
3. Add egg yolk and beat until light in color, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add flour and stir well.
5. Wrap dough in parchment paper and chill for at least 1 hour.
To Complete:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Divide dough into thirds, and on lightly floured parchment paper, shape into three rolls that are about 1-inch thick in diameter. Cut rolls into 3/4-inch rounds. Dip each round into reserved egg white that has had a little water added to it. Dip into almonds to coat and press centers with your thumb. Warm raspberry jam slightly, making it easier to handle. Spoon a small amount of jam into each thumbprint. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet for about 20 minutes. |
Copyright by the author. All rights reserved. |
