Hamantashen

[rep123max]

With Purim coming up, I have the taste for some good Hamantashens. Anybody know of any good ones in the Boston area? It would be best if the place is T-accessible. Anybody have Whole Foods? I know they aren't authentic, but that might be the only way I can satisfy my Hamantashen craving.

Thanks

[hargau]

I got a pack of Roche Brothers minis today. Only in 2 flavors apricot and raspberry. Not bad, i ate most of the package myself!

[bb0924]

unrelated to Hamantashen but this is the right crowd if you know what i mean. I am looking for a restaurant to host out of towners for a wedding this summer. All will be staying at the Hilton @ Logan. Looking for a moderately priced, nice restaurant, not too cheap, not too expensive, but with good atmosphere and good food. Any suggestions?

[StriperGuy]

Out near logan not much that is kosher if that is what you want.

That said, you are in East Boston with countless interesting asian, and S. American options.

[bb0924]

doesnt have to be kosher...willing to get a bus to move all the guests around, was thinking north end

[StriperGuy]

If you are in the North End, you are in Boston, and then the world (our small one) is your oyster.

[Science Chick]

I had the poppy seed ones that Whole Foods sells packaged. They were abysmal.....The poppy filling didn't taste anything like real pereg and the dough had a weird flavor/texture.

[StriperGuy]

Hamantashen from Whole Foods, Och un vey... ;-)

[Science Chick]

I know......I regretted it the minute my daughter convinced me to put them in the cart. That's ok......I'll be making my own later this week to atone for my sins...(oops, wrong holiday!!).

[StriperGuy]

LOL... Homemade, now you are talking...

[VivreManger]

I don't think any commercial bakery makes them right.

My late mother's recipe called for a thin cookie-like dough holding masses of filling. All the commercial ones I have tried insert a thimble of filling into a huge clump of doughy dullness.

[StriperGuy]

I like a good mix of filling and dough. I like Kupels well enough, and have certainly had very good commercially prepared ones in NYC, that said, nothing beats home made.

[Science Chick]

Just finished the homemade batch! Spelt/WW/Agave dough w/homemade prune filling (agave/citrus zest). Really fab!!!!

[StriperGuy]

I'll be right over.

[BobB]

Kupels has them in all the traditional flavors, and glatt kosher to boot. They're on Harvard St in Brookline about halfway between the B line (Harvard Ave stop) and C line (Coolidge Corner stop).

[Allstonian]

Yes, Kupel's has them year round - in both a large (standard) size and a mini. BTW, Clear Flour's are fairly small - just an FYI.

[StriperGuy]

I will say that I am a believer that a real genuine hamantashen has to be of the large variety. With the smaller ones the filling to dough ratio is never right and the dough gets too crunchy. The dough needs to maintain a touch of crumbly doughyness that can't be achieved with the mini versions...

[Allstonian]

I enjoy the smaller ones, but I think you're right that big ones are more proper.

Also, while Clear Flour's fillings are delicious, if I'm thinking of a proper, canonical hamantash (hamantashe? There's a reason I avoid referring to only one unit.*) I prefer the richer, more cookie-like dough of Kupel's version to that of Clear Flour's, which I'm struggling to describe. It's not pie- or tart-crust-like, really, but it is definitely more of a pastry dough than a cookie dough.

*And I do avoid using the singular, to the point where I normally order them saying something like "Let me have one of the poppy hamantashen."

[StriperGuy]

Wiki to the rescue, I was struggling with the same question earlier:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamantash

Apparently hamantash is the singular, but even the wiki entry goes so far as to say many refer to them as hamantashen whether singular or plural.

[Allstonian]

Yeah, I thought that was probably the correct singular. I think it's having studied German that makes me want to add that final "e."

[sallyt]

Clear Flour has them - if they're anything like the rest of their pastries, they should be delicious...

http://www.clearflourbread.com/specia...

[StriperGuy]

Anything Clear Flour does would be awesome and T- accessible. I also think Kupels does a decent one. I have Kupels often.

[teezeetoo]

the edge to Clear Flour, but Kupels and the Butcherie have decent to good ones. The Butcherie carries several kinds imported from NY kosher bakeries.

[rep123max]

Clear Flour looks great. Too bad they're only serving them on the 10th and 11th. It's midterm season at school and Brookline is a bit of a journey. But I may have to skip studying and load up on some chocolate hamantashens.

[StriperGuy]

Chocolate hamantashen, oy vey, only lekvar (prune jam) mohn (poppy seed) or apricot are the real geschmakte hamantashen... Just kidding. I actually LOVE chocolate walnut rugalach above all... Don't think I ever had a chocolate hamantashen.

[sallyt]

I agree - but the best Hamantaschen I've ever had were at Zingerman's with a cream cheese filling... Not traditional, but oh-so-tasty with a sour cream dough.

For $5 a hamantashen, they can be yours - with no commute (pre-shipping)

http://www.zingermans.com/Product.asp...

[StriperGuy]

I think they always have a sour cream dough.

The filling you describe is basically the filling used in a cheese danish.

[sallyt]

There are actually lots of different doughs, - sour cream, butter, cream cheese - the texture & taste really differ. I made some with cream cheese dough and lemon curd and chocolate fillings - delicious.

No, it's much much much better than the filling of cheese danish - not to knock a cheese danish - never been to Zingerman's, have you!?!?

[another_adam]

In our family, they have always had yeast dough. I don't really get the "shortbread hamentashn" thing, so I still make them with yeast. But outside of my family, they really seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur! (The dough also has to completely encase the filling--which is only poppy or prune, date, or apricot, none of this chocolate or lemon nonsense--so that it's a surprise which one you get) I think this old style was too much of a hassle so nobody makes them that way any more, but it's too bad that bakeries don't make them that way any more... I bet Clear Flour would make a great rich "dairy dough".

[Allstonian]

Odd - I was in Clear Flour last Sunday (3/1) and they had chocolate, prune, and apricot hamantashen. (Although according to the website what they're offering this year is chocolate, poppyseed, and cranberry-orange (!))

I didn't actually buy any on Sunday, but now I'm thinking I will have to stop in again this weekend...or maybe on the way hmoe from work tonight.