There are times in life when it seems like everything is possible; times during which the cards that may have been once ours can be reshuffled and opportunities that were previously concealed are revealed. These moments feel almost miraculous, and are too rare to be forgotten. They are celebrated, fondly remembered and more often than not, they have a flavor associated to them.

I do no particularly emphasize anniversaries;  I believe that life is a celebration and that one needs no excuses when it comes to good food, good wine & good company. In true French fashion, though, “l’exception  qui confirme la règle” is this exact time of the year I simply can’t ignore. 11 years ago to date the course of my life changed forever; and what was supposed to be a short visit to the United Nations in Geneva ended up to be the day I met the love of my life.

Exactly around that time, the holiday of Purim is celebrated around the world, in a twist of fate, this literally celebrates the turn of destiny and the actions one can take to overcome what may at first seems like the most dire circumstances. I enjoy this holiday as it reminds me that nothing is ever played out in advance, and that I can change the circumstances that affect me.

Flavors of 10 years ago are forever associated to the buttery and sweet crumbles of “Hamantashen” cookies. These sweet pastries are filled with jam, or chocolate and are a delightful treat all year round, but more particularly around the month of March. So go ahead, take it all in, drive that change you want to see,  and celebrate your ability to be the master of your own universe, even if it starts with baking a cookie … or 2!

Recipe for Hamantashen (or Oznei Aman)- adjusted from the Monday Morning Cooking Club

Ingredients (this recipe can be doubled easily) – Yields 20 “Ears”

• 1.5 Cup (225g) Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon Baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Lemon zest (use organic lemon, or wash the regular lemon with soap and water first)
• 100g Butter (unsalted) at room temperature
• 2 egg yolks
• ~75g Sour Cream or creme fraîche
• 60g Sugar

Filling: Any good quality jam, cubes of baking chocolate, chestnut jam, bits of Halva, or marzipan….

Steps:

• Make the dough by combinin all the ingredients by hand or with a food processor. Once the dough is formed, leave to rest for 1 hour in the fridge (20 minutes in the freezer might do the trick too 😉 )
• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Roll the dough to 3mm thickness and cut out circles of approxiametly 8 – 10 cm diameters (a regular glass will do the trick)
• Add the jab or filling in the middle and fold into a triangle shape

• Bake to 180C for 20 minutes or until nicely golden. You will smell the buttery dough a few minutes before they are ready, enjoy!

Note: As the dough can get quickly sticky, add a bit of flour to work it, and pop back into the fridge for the butter to harden. You can also have some fun by adding some sprinkles to the dough before putting to the oven like in the picture below:

 They are ready once the dough is golden, be careful to leave to cool for a sufficient amount of time as the filling is piping hot! You can make them even more decadent by leting some baking chocolate and dipping them half.
    
These are the first batch made with the kids, They had so much fun putting all kind of different filling and shaping them was a great learning curve! you can see that if you don’t pinch them enough or put too much filling, they will pop… but who cares, they are still perfect to eat!

I hope you love them as much as I do! If you give them a try, drop me a comment or let me know via @hungryinhelsinki on Instagram or on HungryInHelsinki Facebook page! I love to see what you guys are up to 🙂