Friday, August 23, 2013

Lemon Hamantaschen



Loving to use lemon everywhere I can, I made lemon hamantaschen. I found a pretty good recipe and tweaked a little bit for more intense lemon flavor. Dough works pretty good, for the filling I used store-bought lemon curd, which is not very good. Next time I would prefer poppy-seed filling as I used to use for many years in America.


Lemon Hamantaschen
zest of one lemon
¾ cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
juice from 1 lemon
1 egg
2 cups flour (if you need more flour, please add a little bit)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup lemon curd (recipe below)
Mix the lime zest and sugar together, then let sit for 5 minutes.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, lemon juice and continue beating until combined.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/4" thick. If it's very sticky, you may want to knead in some extra flour.
Using a 2 1/2" round cutter - this can vary on your preference - cut out circles as close together as possible.
Place about 3/4 of a teaspoon of lemon curd in the center of each circle. Fold up two sides of the circle, and pinch together well to seal, then repeat with the remaining side, pinching both corners. Resist the urge to overfill these, as that will lead them to open during baking.
Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes, until just beginning to brown at the corners. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely



Lemon Curd
You can use any recipe for lemon curd you want, even store-bought. Below is a simple microwave version that serves me well.
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
4 teaspoons lemon zest (1-2 lemons)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a microwave proof bowl until combined. Pour in the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk until well mixed, then add in butter and continue whisking until uniform.
Microwave at 1 minute intervals, stirring at each break. When it is thick like custard , after 4 to 5 minutes, you're done. Let cool to at least room temperature before using, or make in advance and refrigerate, covered. Whisk it well before using.


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