Hamentaschen Hunting

Even likes the icky Israeli Hamentashen

As I mentioned in my last post, here in Israel hamentaschen are called auznei haman. It's weird. They're also not good. And I have done extensive research. Yesterday I went on a hunt for some good hamentaschen.

On Rosh Chodesh a couple of weeks ago I went to a bakery on our street to get some, and was surprised with the flavor options they had: hazelnut, date and poppy, weird, right? Where's the strawberry, apricot? Huh? So I got the hazelnut. They were eh. The cookie was hard and the inside also was like a triangle of this nut paste, not what we are used to. So I figured that was just a weird place- or that as Purim got closer, more options would emerge (it was like that with Sufganiot and Chanuka).

A week after that I stopped into Neeman (the chain, not the Emek Refaim one for those keeping track) and saw a couple more flavors; chocolate (getting better) and halvah which was a chocolate flavored cookie with halvah filling. Better, but still with hard cookies, and left me really wanting some fruit filling.

So yesterday I was optimistic. I went to the other Neeman, Marzipan and peeked around in other neighborhood shops. Not a fruit filling to be found. At Marzipan, the guy was actually shocked when I told him we get fruit fillings at home. It's like I was telling him we have pizza for dinner at the Seder.

 Here's the breakdown:

• Chain Neeman: Eh
• Bakery on the street that starts with a T that I can pronounce: Eh
• Emek Refaim: Okay, softer cookie, soft filling
• Marzipan: Delicious cookie, soft (!), more interesting fillings (still no fruit) but still not like home

  

Rosemary Hazelnut and Chocolate from Emek Neeman

Marshmallow Chocolate Chip from Marzipan

I was left with no choice, but to save Purim for our family and buck up and make my own.

I am not a baker really, and here, all the more so, with all of these delicious bakeries all over with tons of kosher dessert treats. And I don't have my kitchen stuff, no mixer, no rolling pin, no cookie sheet, and an oven that goes from "1-10" instead of displaying actual temperatures. Really. 

But I needed to provide for my family, and shoot man, I did. Ami's favorite hamentashen are cherry. I looked far and wide for cherry pie filling, and got some!  This is a particularly large challenge because Ami's mom makes the absolute best hamentashen- they're soft, perfectly shaped, just enough filling, and there's no way mine will be half as good in the best of circumstances. I mean, she's named after this holiday's heroine! Of course hers are the best. Given what I'm working with here, I'll take an A for effort. 

Here are some shots of how it all went down. We'll be chowing down on them at the end of the fast tonight.

Number 1 Assistant!

Rolling Pin Substitute

Batch Number 1

CLOSE UP! Cherry Goodness!